This month we catch up with long time Hammerhead's goalkeeper, Alisha Winstanley. Alisha trained with our Senior Women's team this year, but was unable to play as she had to join her new professional outfit in Spain! Hear about Alisha's experience so far below:

I currently play for a club in Barcelona called Rubí,  a 30-minute drive from the city centre. Living and training overseas has allowed me to fully immerse myself in water polo, a big change from back home where I had to juggle an intense job alongside polo. 

My apartment overlooks the city, and I share it with an American and a Bulgarian. Our training schedule is great. The earliest sessions starts at 3 PM, and usually finishes by 10 PM. Our Thursday and Friday sessions go from 8 to 10 PM which allows me to head into Barcelona where I enjoy discovering new coffee spots and practice my Spanish. The level of water polo here is amazing, and I find myself working harder in the pool than ever before. As the only goalie during most of our training sessions, I face countless shots, pushing me to improve rapidly.

We train all week, with games on Saturdays, and Sundays as our rest day. I’m especially excited about this season, as we have three away games lined up in Madrid, Tenerife, and Pamplona.  I’m lucky to be in the same city as my best friend, Emily Nicholson (Hammerhead), and we try to see each other whenever we can. Our teams are set to face each other in a month.

The team is so amazing, everyone is friendly and helps to translate, especially since our coach doesn’t speak much English. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience so far, and I look forward to seeing both my personal development and our team’s progress as the season unfolds.

Keep an eye on our socials and Alisha's to see how her season progresses! Best of luck to Alisha!

Article added: Thursday 17 October 2024