The BWPL’s eagerly awaited 35/60 celebration event takes place at Parliament Hill Lido, Hampstead Heath, on 9 July – and already we’ve sold almost 300 tickets!

Schedule for the day:

11.00 Doors open
11.30 Bar open
11.30 First of the day’s programme of 40+ matches
13.00 GB men’s game
14.15 GB women’s game
17.30 Hog roast begins

Teams taking part in the 40+ games are Coventry, English Roses, Liverpool and Otter (women) and Otter, Penguin, Polytechnic, Sutton & Cheam and Watford, plus a refs’ team (men).
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There’s still time to book a ticket – details on the 35/60 tab.

Solihull, men’s Super 5s champions as recently as the 2017/18 season, have withdrawn from the League with immediate effect.
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Caledonia, who finished fourth in Championship 1 last season, have agreed to fill the vacancy in Division 1 at the start of the 22/23 campaign.

Other adjustments:

Up to Division 2 - Otter

Up to Division 3 - British Army

Up to Division 4 - Coventry

The vacancy in Division 5 will be filled by newcomers Radcliffe, who were the next ranked club at the last qualification tournament.

The British League is to undergo major reorganisation over the next three years involving significant reduction in the number of divisions.

The Committee decision was announced at last Sunday's annual meeting in Sheffield, where chairman David Andrews said the move had been “reluctantly” agreed due to a shortage of officials. The League, he said, had been very vocal about the urgent need for more volunteer support, but requests had been largely ignored.

He added: “The current programme comprising 48 weekend events is unsustainable and was only maintained last season thanks to a small number of officials who went above and beyond in their commitment to the League. The aim is to guarantee BWPL’s future as the cornerstone of water polo in this country.”

Step by step, BWPL will reduce from 64 teams to 40 over the next three seasons, like this:

2022/23 First phase as normal – 5 men’s divs, 3 women’s.  Phase 2: Super 5s, men’s Champ 1 and 2, women's Champ 1. No men’s Champ 3 and 4 or women’s Champ 2.

2023/24 First phase, 4 men’s divs (no Div 5). 3 women’s divs. Phase 2: Men’s Super 5s, Champ 1 and 2; women’s Super 5s, Champ 1.

2024/25 First phase: 3 men’s divs (no Div 4), 2 women’s (no Div 3). Phase 2: Men’s Super 5s, Champ 1 and 2; women’s Super 5s, Champ 1.
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Promotion/relegation tournaments will take place – for example, bottom teams in a division challenged by top from the division below. This will give every team currently in the League an opportunity to retain playing membership in 2024/25.

Long-serving referee and delegate Geoff Kirkham (pictured) was presented with the Dave Warriner Memorial Trophy at the League’s AGM in Sheffield.
It’s awarded each year for outstanding service to the League and the sport in general.

Top goalscorer awards in the Super 5s went to Annie Clapperton (City of Manchester) and Cheltenham’s Joe Hubble.
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Ukraine Appeal: Thank you to everyone who contributed to the BWPL’s Ukraine Appeal. It raised £622, which has been forwarded to the Disasters Emergency Committee Charity.