Hi, I’m Mark Ray and I represent the under 19 Men’s England Water Polo Team.

They are a fantastic team of dedicated athletes, who have spent the last decade working towards their goal of representing their country. This year they have the best opportunity in 15 years to qualify for the European Championships, not only raising the profile of this fantastic sport, but inspiring future generations to even greater success.

In order to ensure we have the best possible chance to qualify, the coaches have developed a rigorous training regime to bring the 17 squad members from the length and breadth of Britain together to form a close knit team.

This will start with a short tour to train and play the Dutch national team during Easter, and we have the potential to attend an EU Nations tour later in the programme. Our European Qualifiers will be in May next year, and so we have a fantastic run in to gel as a single unit.

Due to sport funding cuts, the National water polo squads receive no funding, either to support the athletes training camps, or travel and subsistence when competing for their country. This means that the athletes and their families are entirely responsible for all funding!

Consequently we face the weekly challenge of attempting to raise money, to ensure that our athletes can attend the requisite training camps, no matter what their financial situation.

CAN YOU HELP?

We would be extremely grateful if you could support our squad’s bid to get to the European Water Polo Championships by making a donation.

No matter how big or small, every pound raised will ensure that we can send our best team to Turkey for the qualifiers and on to Holland for the European Water Polo Championships.