Two prestige BWPL events – the Super 5s on 8/9 February and men’s Championship 1 and 2 finale, 8/9 March – are to go ahead in the new season even though they will clash with national squad training weekends.
League Chairman David Andrews today expressed his frustration that Committee attempts to avoid the problem had failed. “We are in a situation where some of the country’s best young players will be left in a dilemma over which they attend – clearly wholly unsatisfactory.”
The League’s 2024/25 programming is based on its fixtures blueprint which, for the coming season, was published in September 2023, enabling clubs to plan ahead and organise their own events.
In March this year, Mr Andrews explains, the League was asked for the first time to make changes in its programme to accommodate national squad training weekends at Sandwell.
“With the best will in the world, this wasn’t possible. Clubs and players have their plans . . . the League has already booked pools,” Mr Andrews explained. “This should not have happened because there are numerous weekends on the calendar free of BWPL events – and others where we ensure that BWPL weekends are either for ‘men-only’ or ‘women-only’.
“What makes this so upsetting is that League officials have been battling for some time to avoid this sort of predicament, including attending three meetings at Loughborough with senior Swim England staff in the past two years.”
Swim England offered the possibility of BWPL sharing Sandwell diving pit on 8/9 March while the main pool is booked for national training (a second weekend originally offered was no longer available). “Using the diving pit was obviously never a possibility for matches involving the country’s leading teams,” declared Mr Andrews.
The League Committee met this week and agreed to send a letter of protest to Swim England’s Water Polo Leadership Group – but conceded there was no alternative but to maintain its programme in line with the blueprint.
The League is committed to engage with Swim England staff and volunteers to prevent this type of situation recurring, but stresses these discussions need to be undertaken against a background of a coherent and agreed plan for the sport.
League Chairman David Andrews today expressed his frustration that Committee attempts to avoid the problem had failed. “We are in a situation where some of the country’s best young players will be left in a dilemma over which they attend – clearly wholly unsatisfactory.”
The League’s 2024/25 programming is based on its fixtures blueprint which, for the coming season, was published in September 2023, enabling clubs to plan ahead and organise their own events.
In March this year, Mr Andrews explains, the League was asked for the first time to make changes in its programme to accommodate national squad training weekends at Sandwell.
“With the best will in the world, this wasn’t possible. Clubs and players have their plans . . . the League has already booked pools,” Mr Andrews explained. “This should not have happened because there are numerous weekends on the calendar free of BWPL events – and others where we ensure that BWPL weekends are either for ‘men-only’ or ‘women-only’.
“What makes this so upsetting is that League officials have been battling for some time to avoid this sort of predicament, including attending three meetings at Loughborough with senior Swim England staff in the past two years.”
Swim England offered the possibility of BWPL sharing Sandwell diving pit on 8/9 March while the main pool is booked for national training (a second weekend originally offered was no longer available). “Using the diving pit was obviously never a possibility for matches involving the country’s leading teams,” declared Mr Andrews.
The League Committee met this week and agreed to send a letter of protest to Swim England’s Water Polo Leadership Group – but conceded there was no alternative but to maintain its programme in line with the blueprint.
The League is committed to engage with Swim England staff and volunteers to prevent this type of situation recurring, but stresses these discussions need to be undertaken against a background of a coherent and agreed plan for the sport.
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