Welcome to our monthly England Water Polo News - March 1, 2021

Our route back!

This month we at least have more reason to be optimistic that a return to water polo training is round the corner, albeit not quite as close as many of us hoped.  The timetable announced by the government is set out in the table below.

The timetable is subject to the caveat that the number of Covid-19 infections remains under control.  Assuming this is the case outdoor swimming pools and lidos should open from 29 March.

Indoor pools follow them from 12 April but for individual use or within household groups only.  Indoor children’s activities, including water polo club sessions for under 18s, are also allowed to resume from this date.

However, indoor water polo club training for the over 18s, must wait until 17 May before they can restart training.

The BWPL remains hopeful that the leagues will be able to resume matches from September.  However, League chairman David Andrews accepts that, “this would require the vaccination programme to have made significant progress and, to a large degree, restrictions to have been lifted.”  It also relies on an expectation that restrictions will not be introduced.  The BWPL Committee will meet again in mid April to review the position.

Fortunately we have been treated to some water polo on the international stage.  The Olympic qualifiers have been taking place and we now know the final teams who will be competing in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, Covid permitting.  They are –

In the meantime our clubs have been doing a good job keeping their members inspired.  Watford Water Polo club has been arranging sessions with well-known athletes.  In February their guest speaker was Ekaterina Prokofyeva.  Ekaterina has been captain of the Russian team and her club team KINEF Kirishi.  She spoke powerfully about her career and her hoped for this year’s Olympics where the Russian women are in the tough looking Group B.

Our friends in the US

Fortunately for our friends and team mates across the pond, after a delayed start the University water polo season has begun.  We are fortunate to have a number of British women playing for a variety of different universities. Cecily Turner playing for the University of California, Berkley has played 4 games so far this season, the last one being played as we type.   Of the games played they have won 3, hope you are having fun Lily!

Kathy Rogers and Sophie Jackson are playing for the University of Michigan this year, and after a tumultuous start to the year with 4 weeks in quarantine (!) they are up and playing. Of their 5 games played so far this season they have won all 5 including an upset against higher ranked Arizona State and two wins against Indiana for whom fellow Brit Robyn Greenslade plays. Robyn herself scored a hattrick for the Hoosiers in their second game of the season against Salem University and played an important role in the 9 games her team have played so far this season.

Safe to say we are all very proud (and a bit jealous) of the women out there playing and wish them the best of luck as the season progresses and as more team begin to compete.

That’s it for this month.  We hope you find this report of interest.  We aim to showcase what has been going on in English Water Polo clubs over the last month and flag up forthcoming events.  If you have any news that you would like to share about your club please contact me at ah@waterpoloengland.org

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