Swim England invites applications for new officials to boost water polo structure

Swim England is committing to recruiting and supporting water polo volunteers and is inviting applications to help shape the structure of officiating.

The Swim England Water Polo Management Group recognises the need to deliver clearly structured qualifications, meaningful officiating experiences and continuing development opportunities.

Swim England’s Water Polo Development Manager, Andy Fuller, said: “After reviewing the current offering, it has been decided to push forward with engaging a number of technical experts from the water polo community to support the development and delivery of a modern training programme for technical officials.

“The aim is to support the needs of those who want to volunteer in our sport through creating greater access to training and education to progress through the pathway.

“We anticipate that this will be an extensive project as we aim to work with as many partners as possible to create sustainable and effective training programmes.

“We have identified priorities and will be focusing on referee and table officials in the initial stages of this development.”

Referee development

Swim England is looking to recruit an active senior and experienced referee to provide the content for an initial refereeing course aimed at those volunteers who want to participate at local league level.

This will be the first step on the pathway of volunteering as a referee and is aimed at capturing the interest of those who are keen to be involved.

This work will result in the development of a face-to-face course to be delivered by recognised Swim England presenters.

To ensure referees can continue their development in water polo, Swim England will also be developing a further course for those who want to referee at a regional or higher level.

This will build on the introductory course and will involve collaborative work with the regions to maximise the delivery of this training.

Table officials

Table officials, like referees, play a key role in the delivery of our sport.

At local level, the role of table official provides a unique opportunity to engage volunteers and build confidence in their involvement.

Swim England is seeking to appoint a current, active and senior table official to create the education structure to ensure it meets the needs of the community and volunteers.

Rules update

By 1 September, Swim England will produce a resource which will support the implementation of the new rules.

This will be available to current officials as a CPD session and will be delivered by Swim England-appointed individuals.  Enquiries should be sent to [email protected]

Presenters

As part of a wider initiative, Swim England is introducing recognised Swim England presenter training for volunteer presenters.

Existing presenters will be offered the opportunity to complete this training, supporting those who deliver on behalf of the organisation.

Further details of these opportunities will be sent to existing presenters in the near future.  The process for the recruitment of new presenters will also be available in the coming months.

Next steps

Swim England is keen to hear from members of the water polo community who believe they meet the criteria outlined and have both the knowledge and experience to support the development of the referee and table officials courses.

Please submit a CV and covering letter to [email protected] highlighting your experience and indicating which area interests you.  The closing date for applications is 26 July 2019.

A selection panel will meet and appoint the successful candidates after this closing date with a view to the work commencing during the summer months.

If you have any queries, or have a request for a regional course in the short term, please contact Andy Fuller at [email protected]