News

WATER POLO TEAM LOOK TO CAPITALISE ON HOME ADVANTAGE

British Swimming - 06/07/2009

The GB team look forward to competing in front of a home crowd
gbswimstars.com

The LEN Women’s European Nations Trophy takes place from tomorrow at the Manchester Aquatics Centre and with the London 2012 Olympics just around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity for the team to experience international competition at their home venue.

Manchester’s rich tradition in water polo extends beyond the impressive Manchester Aquatics Centre which was built for the Commonwealth Games in 2002. At the second Olympiad in Paris 1900, the city’s famed Osborne Swimming Club represented Britain and won the Men’s water polo gold medal.

Funding from stakeholders such as UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the North West Development Agency have enabled another world class international event to take place in the UK, bringing with it numerous benefits to the sport in the UK as well as the Manchester community that it will take place within.

The tournament will be the perfect opportunity for the sport’s volunteers and officials to familiarise themselves with major international competition in Britain ahead of the London Olympics in 2012. Naturally the team are also likely to benefit from competing at the same venue that they train at every day.

Ros Griffiths, British Gas Women’s Water Polo Team Captain, commented: “It is wonderful to have the opportunity to compete in front of our home support and it will be great to experience the feeling prior to the 2012 Olympics in London in a couple of years.

“We are all training very hard ahead of the event [LEN Women’s European Nations Trophy] and hopefully we will do the British fans proud!”

Lucy Crickmore, UK Sport’s Events Consultant, said: “UK Sport is delighted to be supporting the LEN European Nations Trophy for the second time. Through our National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme we are able to invest up to £95,000 in this competition, offering a fantastic opportunity for our water polo players to test themselves against the rest of Europe, which is home to the world's greatest water polo playing nations.”

Tickets for the 2009 LEN Women’s European Nations Trophy are now available and start at just £6 per day for adults and £3 for under 16s and OAPs. For further information and ticketing visit www.manchester2009.com