Commonwealth Games venue Manchester Aquatics Centre plays host to the international men's water polo tournament, which sees 12 teams from across Europe battle it out for the title.

 

Britain has been drawn against France, Poland, Ukraine, Israel and Ireland, whilst hot favourites Montenegro are in a group with Belarus, Turkey, Malta, Belgium and Macedonia.

 

The LEN European Nations Trophy is critical in the development of the British men's team for London 2012 and is an important opportunity to expose British officials and volunteers to international competition as the nation prepares to host the Olympics in just over five years time.

 

British Water Polo national performance director Nick Hume outlined the importance of the event for the development of the sport.

 

"It is an exciting time for everyone involved in British Water Polo to have an event such as this taking place on home soil," he said.

 

"The opportunity to host a tournament in this country does not come around very often.

 

"The men's team has not played in Europe together for a while.

 

"We have a young, enthusiastic squad, and this tournament is an important part of their development in the lead up to London 2012."

 

"We have not had the opportunity to test ourselves against European teams in a competitive setting with the current squad, and playing against our European counterparts will allow us to see how much progress we have made." said Hume.

 

Tickets for this event cost as little as £5 per day (£3 for concessions) and are available online at www.manchester2007.com or by calling 0800 220 292.

 

Clubs and groups can benefit from discounted rates with 15 per cent off the face value of a ticket on purchases of 10 or more tickets.