Jacob Craig reflects on how Macquarie Uni used their WPNSW Development Grant

Whilst 2020 was a turbulent year for most, it was actually a great year for Macquarie University Water Polo as we were fortunate enough to receive a development grant from WPNSW.

This grant has been nothing short of transformative for our club as it has allowed us to fast track our 5-year plan, focused on player recruitment and club expansion.

The funds provided by the grant have allowed our club to purchase new balls, provide each team with their own set of game caps (previously only had 2 sets within the entire club) and most importantly we can now afford to hire more pool space for training sessions.

The ability to hire additional pool space has meant our training sessions have become better structured and more efficient. In previous years we have had 3 teams training together in one quarter of the pool, as you can imagine this was overcrowded! It was difficult to effectively run most drills, so our players weren’t getting the most out of training.

The benefits have not only been seen in the pool, but we have also purchased new uniforms including t-shirts and swimwear! It’s fantastic to now have our players and supporters representing the club when at training and games.

The improvements in training as well as looking the part has shown in our results in the pool and within the clubs growing numbers, we have doubled in size in a year!

The money received from the grant has allowed us to enhance our club and we are seeing the immediate benefits, from new faces to the development of new opportunities of which we can offer to our members and the community.