General News
GB POLO FUNDING
On 22 December, the Daily Mail highlighted the current funding crisis threatening the future of the National Performance Centre and regional centres – and, therefore, GB’s prospects of taking part in the 2012 Olympics – in a splendid article by the newspaper’s Olympics correspondent, Neil Wilson.
Many of you will be aware that GB recently entered the FINA World League and drew home and away matches early in 2009 against three of most powerful nations – Montenegro, Italy and Romania. The entry has now been cancelled on financial grounds.
Here, we reproduce Neil Wilson’s article in full. It was headlined "Funding Crisis Sees London 2012 Polo Hopes Washed Away".
For 19-year-old Sean King, it will mean the end of his Olympic dream. For team captain Craig Figes, aged 30, the end of his international career.
For performance director Nick Hume and head coach Jerome Read, it may mean looking for new jobs.
A decision by UK Sport's board not to allocate realistic funding to eight Olympic and four Paralympic sports has had an immediate and catastrophic effect on the lives of 32 young water polo players and their coaches.
Even before UKS meet again on January 29 to decide how much of a consolation pot of £12 million each will receive, British Swimming, water polo's governing body, have moved to cancel 90 per cent of its Olympic squad's competitive programme next year.
Britain's men have been pulled out of the World League, just when they had been invited to make their debut in a powerful grouping of Italy, Montenegro and Romania. Every other international match planned has been scrapped.
There are fears that the High Performance Centre at Manchester and the regional centres will be closed after March and Great Britain training sessions curtailed because pool hire will be too expensive under the minimal funding which is likely.
Young players who signed one-year contracts for student homes to next July when they moved to join the squad in Manchester now fear they will not be able to pay their rent if their £600-a-month grants are ended.
'We just don't know where we are, nobody does,' says King, promoted to the senior squad in the autumn. 'There's a lot of fear about. Some moved homes and families to Manchester to be part of the squad.
'Some, like me, chose a university in Manchester to be on the squad. Now everything's been cancelled except a training camp in Italy next month which had already been paid for. If the worst happens, I'll finish my degree in 2010 and go abroad to play in a professional league. A couple of guys have already been invited to Italy. But it'll mean the end of our Olympic dream.
'I'm not saying we'd have won a medal in 2012 but, given the training time we've had for the past couple of years, we'd have performed creditably.'
Parents and supporters are so desperate to keep the programme alive that, at a meeting at Millfield School last weekend, they decided to try to enlist the help of former players such as Prince William and Max Clifford. They are talking of each paying monthly into a fund to finance Britain's Olympic programme. 'We have to do something. It can't end here,' says Sean's father David.
Figes, Britain's team captain, abandoned a professional career in Spain to join the programme two years ago. He moved with his girlfriend to Manchester and took a part-time teaching job to fund himself.
'There's lot of guys in debt, with contracts on accommodation they won't be able to afford and little chance of finding work in the present climate,' he says. 'At my age, I probably wouldn't have still been around in 2012 but, if this squad had been able to keep training as hard as it has until then, it would have done a decent job.
'Everybody's under huge stress. We heard about the funding problem a while ago and expected 10-15 per cent in cuts. But now, even if we get an even slice of what's left, it will be a 70 per cent cut and that won't even fund the hire of training pools.
'Several young players will get offered professional contracts in Europe but it's hypocritical to expect other countries to finance our Olympic preparations.'
Whatever UKS decide, Figes thinks it is too late because of the cancellation of the year's competitions. 'Even if we got money, we'll have lost a year. It'll be like we have to start all over again. You can't do that so close to the Olympics.'
Water polo supporters are encouraged to add their comments to the Mail website.
REGISTRATION OF OFFICIALS
All water polo officials (referees and table officials) are reminded that they should register to become licensed by the end of December 2008.
The water polo officials' licensing scheme started on 1 January 2008. Up to 31 December this year, registration is a simple matter of completing the relevant form, providing a passport photograph and getting someone to verify your active involvement as an official at your current grade.
Delaying into the new year will make the process more complicated because applicants will then be expected to meet more stringent requirements before gaining approval.
Once registered, officials receive a logbook to record activity and progress, plus photographic identification card and a lanyard. The officials' licence will last four years, with renewal available after that provided certain criteria have been met.
Aim of the new system is to give the British Water Polo Officials' Group and the IoS (Institute of Swimming) an opportunity to maintain an efficient register of active officials and to keep it related to the level and standard of individuals rather than relying on information supplied by clubs through their annual membership lists. The scheme also forms part of the BSTWPC-approved mentoring and development scheme.
There is no requirement to be registered as a licensed official. However, those who wish to remain active are encouraged to do so as it is anticipated that only licensed referees and table officials will be eligible to officiate at specific events.
For further information or to receive an application form, contact either your ASATWPC regional water polo rep or Ruth Beech, IoS Co-ordinator, Harold Fern House, Loughborough. Tel: 01509 618746.
