Equipment & Performance Clinic Fundraiser

Aim

The aim of this project is to raise money for squad training equipment and to set up a quarterly performance clinic.

Who are we?

The Wales Junior Women's Water Polo squad is a national development team for Wales that represents Wales in age-group competitions.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our current squad has been developing for 3 years.  We are completely self funded and have been supported by Newport Water Polo Club for pool time and equipment during this time. As a development squad we cannot access grass root community funding and we need some basic equipment of our own to continue our progression.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Training Equipment

• Set of competition caps - £450
• Balls - £716
• Portable shot clocks - £1695
• Rebound nets - £500
• Yoga balls - £26

Carys, Taya, Dalma, Betty & Anais -South West Talent Centre

Performance Clinic

We have an increasing number of emerging performance athletes aiming for places in GB squads.  This project will support these athletes in their goals.  We have 11 athletes in Swim England's Talent Centres which is the GB pathway and we have 2 athletes in the GB Under 18 squad who are looking to make the national team. 

• Pool time for quarterly clinic - £2400
• In pool band tethers - £220
• Weighted belts - £192
• Mesh aquatic dumbbells - £80
• Wrist weights - £40

Zara & Manon - GB U18 Training Squad

Community impact

Participating in sports has a transformative impact on girls, offering significant benefits for their physical health, mental well-being, and future professional success. However, research highlights a "gender play gap," with girls dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14 due to factors like body image concerns, lack of role models, and societal stereotypes. 

Key Impacts of Sports Participation

Mental Health & Well-being:

• Girls who play sports report significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to those who do not.
• Active participation is linked to higher self-esteem, greater resilience, and improved body confidence.
• Girls playing for five years or more are 3.6 times less likely to be clinically depressed.

Future Leadership & Career:

• There is a strong correlation between youth sports and adult leadership; 80% of female Fortune 500 executives played sports growing up.
• Sports teach critical workplace skills, including teamwork (73%), handling pressure (51%), and learning from mistakes (53%).
• In the UK, girls who play after-school sports are 50% more likely to later secure high-level jobs.

Physical Health & Academics:

• Secondary school athletes are more likely to get better grades and have higher graduation rates.
• Long-term health benefits include a 20% lower risk of breast cancer later in life.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fund raise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 2nd July 2026 at 10:52am