Four GLL supported athletes are travelling to Porto, Portugal for the first round of the Water Polo Euro League. The London Otters are the only British water polo club team entering any European or International tournaments in 2016. The GLL players are Izzy Dean, Mhiari Nurthen, Kathy Rogers and Brooke Tafazolli – congratulations to these talented athletes!
Based at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre & at the Queen Mother Sports Centre in Westminster, and led by barrister and senior GB player, Peggy Etiebet, London Otters’ team includes Australian international players, Lex Higlett, Tracey Allen and Kate O’Brien, Scottish international Holly Campbell, Italian Claudio Ferrone, and five GB junior internationals, including three who represented their country last year at the inaugural European Games in Baku.
The London Otter team face four very strong professional sides in Porto, including the hosts who make up the majority of the Portuguese national team, the defending European champions Olympiacos from Greece, Vouliagmeni also from Greece, and last year’s LEN Trophy winners Padova (ITA),
Head coach Nick Buller says, “Only the top two teams will go through from the Euro League to the knock out stages, and the competition will be extremely tough for our talented London athletes. We will be facing teams of paid professional players in Porto, however the experience will be invaluable for our players and for London Otter as we continue to develop the premier centre for elite women’s water polo here in London.”
Captain Peggy Etiebet says: “Having played water polo professionally in Hungary with a team that won the Hungarian Championships I know how difficult the competition will be, but we are keen to meet the challenge. We are excited to be the only GB club side appearing on the European stage in 2016”
London Otter has recently secured sponsorship from London’s leading physiotherapy and sports injury clinics,
Physio in the City, enabling the team to start their European journey.
The GLL supposed athletes are all GB Junior International Players as Izzy, Kathy and Mhiari competed for team GB in the inaugural European Games in Baku last summer and Brooke was in the U20 GB team that competed in the World U20 Water polo Championships in Greece last summer. They will be an integral part of the London Otters’ campaign for the Euro league – best of luck!
