NEW COACH APPOINTED TO BOOST NATIONAL SQUAD
British Water Polo has appointed Head Coach Jerome Read as
they continue to build towards London 2012.
Former national water polo player Read has a strong background
in the sport and took bronze in the Commonwealth Tournament
in Manchester in 2002. Last year he was head coach of the
junior squad and led them to victory at the European Qualification
Tournament.
Read takes charge of the men's team and will develop the
squad in their pursuit of excellence.
"I believe that I have a fantastic opportunity to take
the men's team to where it belongs," he said. "With
my background in sports science and my knowledge of the sport
I know I can take this team forward.
"The amount of support that we have for the sport in
terms of funding and sports science has improved massively
in the past couple of years and we know that we need to maximise
this opportunity. I know that with the potential in the squad
and the support we are receiving we can be highly competitive
at the London 2012 Olympics."
In January, Read will take the team to the European Qualification
Tournament for the European Championships where he will be
planning for good results against some of the top Water Polo
nations.
"We need to get some good results in the qualification
tournament and I think if we can get a good result from our
match with Slovenia we can gain confidence from that.
"Currently in the world we are ranked about 24th, I
know we can build on this and achieve European 'A' status.
Then we will be ranked within the top eight in the world.
"Our direct competition comes from the likes of Australia
and Canada so the Commonwealth Tournament in 2010 will be
a real benchmark for us. From there we can see what we need
to do for the final push towards London 2012."
National Performance Director Nick Hume believes that Read
will have a positive influence on the men's national squad
and will help them to develop onto the world scene.
"Jerome's job is to get our men's team to a standard
where they can be competitive on a world stage," he said.
"I am confident that with the solid foundations we have,
Jerome will be able to get us to that standard by London 2012.
He brings an excellent knowledge of sports science and with
his previous experience with the junior team he has built
good relationships with the players.
"His understanding of our programme and what stage we
are at and where we want to go combined with his enthusiasm
should help us to accelerate our programme and reach the level
we are aiming for."
|
