GB Water Polo Super League Proposal to be presented to the community - November 12, 2022

We have been provided with the following self-explanatory press release by James Ross, Peter Deutsch and other stakeholders. A virtual Zoom presentation and Q&A session about the Super League proposals will take place on Tues 15th November at 7pm, and all interested parties are invited to join in the discussion. Please contact Peter Deutsch by email pdeutsch97@gmail.com for Zoom meeting codes and for further information.

The release is as follows:

<<In the last few months a number of stakeholders have written a proposal to restructure water polo in Britain. The rationale behind this project is that we believe the current water polo structures in Britain are unsustainable and stifle progressive ambition. We welcome you to read the proposal but we have also summarised the Vision of the proposal below which will give you a feeling of the ambition of the project.

The proposal presents a significant change in vision for water polo in Britain. Only by establishing high-quality and long-term game play for juniors, women and men can a competitive national team exist. As a result of this assessment, the primary focus of this proposal is Club Development and creating a Super League with franchised clubs for senior elite water polo in Britain. This aim of this is to:

• Put the clubs at the heart of a development plan
• Increase the quality of water polo in Britain
• Developing sustainable funding for the sport

A major part of sustainable water polo in Britain is funding and revenue opportunities; ongoing focus is given to these topics throughout the proposal. Water polo in Britain must find sustainable, reliable and long-term sources of revenue, and not be dependent on variable, short-term grants. Only by establishing such revenues can clubs increase training hours, reduce player costs, support the development of players, coaches & officials, and fund grassroot programmes. The proposal also discusses topics such as coach and official development, acknowledging that all aspects of the game must develop together in order to achieve the long term goal of improving the standard and sustainability of water polo in Britain.

The intention of circulating this to all clubs is that in September 2023 the Super League will being its inaugural season. It is our sincere hope to work in cooperation with the BWPL and develop a highly successful league. The BWPL committee have received the proposal and are reviewing.

We would like to welcome everyone to attend a virtual meeting on Tues 15th where we will give a short term presentation and answer questions from the room. Initial financial forecasts and league schedules have been built to show the feasibility of the league which we will share and talk through at the meeting.

A number of stakeholder clubs have expressed interest and following the meeting on the 15th we would like to welcome applications from clubs to join the Super League. A full brief for applications will be provided following the meeting. The full text of our proposal is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cw2ylccb0znrlsg/Super%20League%20Proposal%202022.pdf?dl=0 >>

4 responses to “GB Water Polo Super League Proposal to be presented to the community”

1. Nicholas Covington says:

   November 13, 2022 at 1:27 pm

   I would suggest allowing individuals to pose questions prior to the meeting in order to allow the board to consider questions and answers in advance.

   Reply
2. Madelenat says:

   November 13, 2022 at 4:03 pm

   Hi water-polo Friend im Gilles from France, Olympic player in Barcelona and national coach for juniors team and national center
   I Wonder if you ll agree to help me to promote my water-polo Book called a coach s guide ?

   Reply
3. David Quinn says:

   November 13, 2022 at 5:45 pm

   Training courses for all officials need to start at a very basic level and they need to be free

   All top teams have good coaches who should have a succession plan in place
   Marketing of the game needs increasing and teacher training colleges should become a target

   Reply
4. Tom Hammond says:

   November 16, 2022 at 11:50 am

   Maybe change the name from super league. This does not have positive connotations for anyone who follows football.

   Reply

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