Ian Marsh, Water Polo Coach 1971 -present

What drew you to the sport of water polo and how did you become involved in coaching at Trinity?

I belonged to a traditional swimming club in Tunbridge Wells in which the coaches were volunteers who had come through the club. Unlike today, when many professional swimming coaches view water polo as an evil to be avoided, our coaches only wanted what was best for their swimmers, so they encouraged us to try everything. I was really a swimmer but, like my friends, I would attend the occasional Friday night polo session when I could. Because there were five or six of us, we had the makings of a team . . . indeed, we proved to be very good, winning the Southern Counties boys’ club title on two occasions. Before I knew it, I was playing for Kent Juniors and Seniors, and the journey had begun. When I arrived, Trinity had only recently moved to Shirley Park, but water polo had already been played and three Old Boys, the Jupp brothers, had started a polo team, so it was natural that I would try to keep providing a conveyor belt of talented players. Entirely consisting of Trinity Old Boys (and myself as a member of staff) we entered the National League and were eventually promoted to the First Division, so clearly the arrangement was working.

Can you highlight memorable moments or achievements from your time coaching at Trinity.

The English Schools` Water Polo Championships started in the mid-1970s and we have entered teams every single year. I am extremely proud that we are the only school in the country to have won national titles in every one of the six decades since its inception. I cannot think of another school that has even won in three different decades. I hasten to add that, in recent years, I have just been Mr King`s sidekick, but I like to kid myself that I have made the occasional contribution to our recent successes.

Although those successes remain fresh in the mind, of far greater significance to me is the recollection I have of the fantastic collection of personalities with whom I have had the privilege of working over all those years. There were so many moments, so many anecdotes, tears of despair, tears of joy, that I could write a book! Far too many to mention individually, they entertained and amused me more than they will ever know and I am extremely grateful to them all for their truly exceptional contributions. I particularly love it when players continue to play long after they have left school. One who achieved senior international honours stated that his greatest achievement was to play a competitive match in the same team as his son, a challenge he realised in his 50s.

I will especially remember my players who are sadly no longer with us.

What are the core values or principles you instil in your players both in and out of the pool?

Sport surely is a reflection of life in microcosm, so the key word without a doubt is “honesty” - in their approach to training, to matches, to their teammates and to their lives in general. Having chosen to play, players need to be reliable, committed and conscientious, because we all need to work as a team if we are to maximise our talents. It’s no surprise that in life those who work the hardest achieve the most, because there are no shortcuts. Representing the school, their parents and their coaches, the students know that they have a responsibility to conduct themselves impeccably . . . and they do.

What sets apart a successful water polo programme at senior school level?

The simple answer is “continuity”. From the outset, I have always encouraged even the 13 and 14-year-olds to come to Senior training. I can hear first team rugby, hockey and even cricket coaches gasping at this revelation, especially given the commonly held misconceptions about the nature of water polo, but our results prove that it works and I have never once had any misgivings about this policy.

The older boys look after the youngsters, encourage them and even advise them while playing in our practice games, because they can remember all too clearly how they were the newcomers just a few years earlier. At the same time, the youngsters learn how to train conscientiously and they get to see just how good they themselves could eventually be if they work hard.

Over the years, how have you seen the landscape of school water polo evolve and what key changes have you observed in training methods and player development?

This is a bit embarrassing, because you are asking me to compare today’s world with the way it was more than 50 years ago. To put it into context, it’s like me on my first day at Trinity asking a colleague what it was like in 1921! Back when I started, we were always competitive, of course, but I suppose it was much more relaxed in those days. They were gentler times, because successes came and went but no one made a big deal of either. No league tables, no publicity departments, no sports scholarships, we just took what came. Player development was haphazard at best, because although county and district selection was available (I coached both), international teams were few and far between and selection was simply a lottery.

Nowadays, I suppose everyone is more accountable, which is not always conducive to a healthy attitude to sport. Many schools now have a water polo coach rather than simply a member of staff looking after the team, so the standards are clearly improving. This is especially noticeable when schools manage to encourage their players to join local clubs so that they can broaden their horizons. More schools are entering the various competitions, but the nature of the sport clearly favours those who have ready access to a pool, which is a shame because it is a great sport.

Certainly, at Trinity, we are far more “professional” - in a good way than sixty years ago, because at last they have a top coach who has played at the highest level. Even so, the students are constantly reminded that we play for fun, and any success we achieve is simply a bonus. Many of our players are in talent squads at London and GB levels, so it is more transparent than ever it used to be, but we have still had exceptional players who have not been appropriately recognised, so there is still much to be done. However, one look at a list of the International players we have produced over the years suggests that we are doing something right, and the boys know that with the right attitude they too can achieve great things.