Help the boat polo team to the world games

Dutch polo players are making progress. In July, the women’s team and squad will compete against the top 6 teams in the world at the World Games in America. But there is no money for that.

Canoe Polo is the only team sport in rowing. About 550 Dutch polo players have a competition licence. Three versions of this are usually run just for fun. That’s how Jack Wipers began. Then play high level games all over the world. He is now a chef at Dutch Canoe Polo. “This branch of the canoe is growing rapidly all over the world. We see this also in the Netherlands. In my kayaking club in Leiderdorp there are 6 kayak teams, 3 of which have a competition licence. Each team has 8 players.”

How is the Netherlands performing internationally?

“Dutch polo plays in 5 categories: 1, 2 and 3, competition category and women’s category. We have 4 national teams: men, women, men under-21 and women under-21. Almost everyone plays in the main division. Gentlemen have a good past. Between 2000 and 2012, they won the World Cup 3 times, the European Championship twice and the World Games once. After that it was lower; now they are climbing again. The women have been reaching the top for a number of years now. Last year they finished second in the European Championship, an achievement Great. In the last World Cup, both teams were in the top six.”

And now both teams can go to the World Games in July!

They train 7 days a week. 45 weeks a year. Their effort pays off. The Worldgames will feature the top 6 teams in the world plus the host country, this time America. Achieving a podium finish in Birmingham is the women’s team’s ambition And guys. If 1 out of 2 achieves it, we’re also very satisfied. On July 11, we boarded the plane. The games start on July 20.”

Participation in world games is expensive. Money is missing.

“A plane ticket alone costs about 1,000 euros. Participation in Worldgames costs 2,500 euros per person. Players pay this out of their own pockets. No subsidy. It hurts a bit. Holland finished sixth in the last World Cup, then NOC*NSF said we’re going to the World Games and leave it to Watersportverbond to see if there is money for it. There is none.”

How do you solve that?

“Through crowdfunding and sponsor shirts that players wear. Players ask family and businesses if they want to pay to be on the sponsor shirt with a phrase or logo. They find it hard to ask for money; this culture isn’t really into the sport. However, they do, and they collect About a third of that costs. They try to raise the rest through crowdfunding. Each player has their own page where people can donate money.”