Jerry Birmingham
The League are sad to report the recent passing away of Polo legend Jerry Birmingham. The following has been prepared by Polytechnic’s Club President and Chairman.
Jeremy Birmingham started his water polo journey with Beckenham SC and his talent was quickly apparent, becoming Kent Young Player of the Year in 1978. The following year saw Jerry start at Loughborough University and with Polytechnic in the National League, as well as being part of the British Students team at the World University Games in Mexico and the GB Junior team at the European Championships where he finished as 3rd top goal scorer (behind the German legend Otto Stamm and a Spanish unknown called Manuel Estiarte). Jerry also played for the GB Senior side that year becoming their 3rd youngest ever player. He went on to play over 200 times for Great Britain, captaining the side from 1986 until the conclusion of the European Championships in Sheffield in 1993 and becoming GB’s most capped player of all time until overtaken by Craig Figes in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Jerry’s love of water polo (and distaste for regular employment) took him far and wide. He spent the summer of 1983 playing for Exiles in Malta, the first year that Maltese clubs had been able to engage overseas players. Inevitably Jerry ended the season winning the fairest and best award despite competition from a host of established internationals from better known polo playing nations. He also took the fairest and best award for the 1985/86 season playing in Perth for City Beach against competition from 5 Australian internationals. He also represented Western Australia in the State Championships in 1986 finishing as leading goalscorer.
Throughout these years Jerry continued to play for Polytechnic in the National League steering Poly to the title in 1979,1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992 and 1993 (and becoming the face of the National League handbook) and winning the ASA Knockout 5 times and British Championships 7 times in the same period. He was a pivotal member of the GB 30+ Masters team at the 1992 World Masters in Indianapolis which lost by a single goal to the Hungarians in the semi-final.
It was at that time that Jerry’s relationship with Sarah was beginning and it wasn’t long before the erstwhile confirmed bachelor began to see polo as secondary. Within a few years daughter Tuesday and son Olly had appeared and polo was relegated to the back seat. But once the children were a little older, and having moved to Gloucestershire, Jerry resumed his polo and went on to play for Cheltenham in the 1st division of the BWPL from 2011 to 2013, winning the league title in 2012 and helping the Town win 3 more titles as assistant coach in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Jerry was also instrumental in helping Cheltenham organise several tours to Malta and a memorable trip to Egypt.
However, in 2013 what had been an unexplained cough was diagnosed as something considerably more serious – stage 4 renal cancer. Years of painful surgical and unpleasant chemotherapy treatments followed but the unwavering spirit that Jerry had shown in the pool remained. He fought for far longer than could reasonably have been expected, displaying unbelievable stoicism in the face of such adversity. Sadly that fight has now been lost and Jerry passed away peacefully at home with his family around him on the morning of 27 November 2023.