BL Water Polo is one of Barts and The London's largest mixed clubs offering training sessions, matches and socials for both males and females.
As BL Association Cup winners in 2021-2022 and BLSA Club of the Year in 2019-2020, BL Water Polo provides some of the best fitness and skill sessions available, as well as our very friendly social side to the club.
Throughout the year, we offer 2-3 training sessions a week, weekly socials, a National and an International Tour, Alumni events, and the infamous Barts to The London Pub Crawl!
A standard Student membership entitles you to all of this and so much more!
Taster Session
Giving Water Polo a go can sound like a daunting prospect, however, the vast majority of our players and members had never even heard of the sport before coming to university. Even if you have never played before, do not let that stop you from joining our Taster Session where we start with the basics - perfect for any beginners! If you have played before and are keen to continue to do so, we would love to welcome you into our club too!
Date: Monday 26th September 2022
Time: 20:30 –22:00
Location: Poplar Baths Leisure Centre and Gym, 170 E India Dock Rd, Poplar, London E14 0ED. We will also be meeting Freshers at Dawson and Floyer from 19:30pm and then heading to the pool together!
- Swim and warm up
- Basic small group skills and rule explanations
- Fun Matches
A swimming costume and a towel are the only things required - goggles and shampoo are optional.
There is no formal selection process for teams - there is a team for all abilities!
Training
Our normal training week consists of four sessions: three in the pool and one fitness session. For the first term our training times are as follows:
Monday: 8:30-10:00pm at Poplar Baths Leisure Centre
Wednesday: 2:00-3:30pm at Victoria Park or BLSA Fitness Room
Thursday: 8:30-10:00pm at Poplar Baths Leisure Centre
Equipment: A swimming costume and a towel are the only things required - goggles and shampoo are optional.
All other equipment will be provided.
Competitions
We have four teams within the club, our Men's and Women's teams compete in BUCS. And our two equal ability, mixed gender teams play in LUSL. Every member of the club can play in matches, we have no formal selection process for our teams so it does not matter if you are a complete novice!
How to get involved
1. Join the Facebook group, or you can get in contact with any of our club committee members or social media platforms.
2. Attend the taster session in September or come along to any session - the first session is free!
3. Purchase your subs online.
4. Enjoy! Attend the training sessions and take part in matches.
Contact Details
Club Captain - Charis Dowson (waterpolo@bartslondon.com)
Women’s Captain - Christina Carrington
Men’s Captain - Noah Eicke
Mixed Captain - Helienke Yoong
Mixed Captain - Abigail Cavanagh
Testimonials
Christina (Third Year)
I joined BLWP in my first year because I wanted to try something new! The club was so welcoming and everyone was encouraged to get involved during training. I hadn’t done much team sport before so was a little bit nervous when I joined. However, I didn’t feel pressure to be amazing from the start and I learned a lot from others which boosted my confidence. We always have a great turnout at our weekly socials, and the separate men’s and women’s socials are amazing for team bonding.
Regular socials, matches and training times means that you see each other almost everyday and make close friends from all years, it’s almost like a family! Whether you’ve played before or are looking for something different, I’d really recommend joining; you won’t regret it!
Charis (Fourth Year)
Barts and The London’s Water Polo club is a very inclusive club. You don’t have to know how to play the sport before joining the university which makes it really fun and unique. As it’s a mixed club it has a really lovely dynamic where you can take part in mixed events and women’s/ men’s events. Overall I love the club as it is super welcoming and everyone encourages you to do your best whilst having a fun time!
Helienke (Third Year)
I joined BLWP in my first year and it’s honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made while being at uni. From the moment I joined, everyone in the club was really welcoming and friendly, and I quickly found my place in the BLWP family. Alongside meeting some of my closest friends, playing water polo has thrown me right back into the adrenaline rush and excitement of sport. I had never played before uni but all the captains were super helpful in introducing me to the game and allowing players of all abilities to practice their skills. BLWP’s socials are also one to never miss out on! I’ve found they are the perfect way to destress and catch up with friends, with curries and trampolining only being a few of the highlights. All in all I’d say BLWP is such an amazing mixed club- supportive members and an endless amount of fun!
Omar (Final Year)
Joining Water polo must be one of the best decisions I have made during my time at uni. Having spent coming on 6 years as part of the club it is a huge part of my life and an excellent way to destress from the work uni throws at you. It is well known throughout Barts as the one of the friendliest clubs and it's perfect if you've never played before (like me!) Or if you're a veteran of the sport, everyone gets a chance to have a go! I've made some incredible friends along the way both in and out of the pool - I highly recommend this club if you want to try something new or if you want to be part of one of the best social scenes at Barts!