Barnsley College Student swims into international competition

Barnsley College Public Services student, Emily Crossley, has been chosen to represent Great Britain’s U19s water polo women at this summer’s European Championships in Netanya, Israel.

The 17-year-old took up water polo from a very young age after following in her sister and uncle’s footsteps and joining the Rotherham Metro Water Polo Club. Emily will compete against some of the best water polo players on the international circuit. To prepare for the competition she has a gruelling training camp in Slovakia.

Emily’s focus for the tournament is to improve on her previous placing at LEN U17s Women’s European Junior Water Polo Championships in Croatia, being competitive in all matches whilst gaining invaluable tournament play to help towards the transition to senior ladies’ water polo.

Emily is part of the Barnsley Sports Academy within College and works on her strength with the coaching staff. This has enabled her to access an Elite Sports Performance Bursary to fund aspects of her competition such as equipment and travel.

Emily, who studies Level 3 Uniformed Protective Services, said:

“I’m looking forward to competing in a prestigious international event and gaining experience from it. I’m currently performing at an elite level for my age so this will be a great test of my abilities. My aim is to compete in future Commonwealth and Olympic games.

“The College understands the demands to compete at a higher level and the support I have received has really helped me to pursue my goals in water polo.”

Barnsley Sports Academy offers fantastic facilities and a team of expert and specialist coaches supporting talented sports performers in any discipline. Academies include Football, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Esports, Cricket, Refereeing and an Individual Athlete Academy.

To find out more about Barnsley College and the Barnsley Sports Academy visit www.barnsley.ac.uk/sport