Water Polo Queensland Board appoints Diversity & Marketing Officer

Water Polo Queensland (WPQ) is delighted to announce that Jeremy Archer has been appointed to the role of Diversity & Marketing Officer on the WPQ Board. The role is the first of its kind within the water polo community in Australia and WPQ is one of only a handful of sporting organisations in the country to have a specific diversity board role.

Jeremy is a familiar face within in the water polo community, he is one of the 13 founding members of the Brisbane Tritons and the inaugural President for the LGBTIQ inclusive club which was created two years ago in partnership with the Brisbane Barracudas and the two founding LGBTIQ inclusive Australian clubs the Sydney Stingers and Melbourne Surge. The Tritons now have over 100 members and three teams competing in the Brisbane Water Polo Competition.

Earlier this year, Jeremy played a significant role along with the Tritons, Brisbane Barracudas and WPQ in hosting the National Water Polo League’s Pride Cup between local rivals the Brisbane Barracudas and Queensland Breakers. The inaugural Pride Shield was also staged on a historic night for the game in Queensland, which championed inclusion in water polo and brought Australia’s three inclusive clubs, along with National League players together to form two all-stars teams that competed as a curtain raiser. The Pride Shield match was a crowd favourite and reinforced the message that sport is for everyone.

Building on the success of the Pride Shield, the inaugural Pride Challenge was then held at the Valley Pool in July and saw the Tritons rivals the Sydney Stingers, the Melbourne Surge and the newly created club the Perth White Pointers, compete in a day-long tournament whilst raising funds for Open Doors Youth Services. The tournament showcased over 100 athletes of varied age, gender, race, identity and skill level including the return to the pool of Olympian Bec Rippon.

The new Diversity & Marketing role will see Jeremy working closely with the WPQ team in achieving its ambition to take the sport to more communities across the Queensland. He will also work closely with clubs and associations as they build diverse and supportive club environments that welcome athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers and supporters from all communities and backgrounds.

“It’s a real honour to step into this new role on the WPQ Board. Our sport has values that resonate strongly with me personally and I hope to continue the great work that Sharyn, Rob and the Board have done to break down barriers for all who wish to learn and play our fantastic sport without fear and regardless of background and identity.  I look forward to getting out to as many games and clubs as possible to meet you all in the near future” Archer said.

WPQ President, Sharyn Tucker said “We are very pleased that Jeremy has joined the WPQ Board at such an exciting time for the sport in Queensland. Water Polo has taken a leadership role in championing inclusive and supportive environments that encourage everyone regardless of their background to participate in sport. We are looking forward to having Jeremy contribute to making Water Polo more accessible for all Queenslanders”.

Water Polo Australia, with the support of state associations, is a proud Foundation Member of Pride in Sport. Jeremy and the Board look forward to working with WPA and Pride in Sport to continue to advance strategies that diversify our sport.