METYX Composites Marks Five Years of Proud Manisa Water Sports Club Sponsorship

In 2011 METYX Composites established a new factory in Manisa. At the same time, the company also wanted to support the local community. With a passion for watersports, Ugur and Tunç Üstünel, co-directors of METYX Composites, founded Manisa Water Sports Club (MSSK) as brand new facility, with the main goal being to foster the development of swimming and water polo in the local region for both able bodied and disabled young people, which as well as being fun, helps to develop healthier and stronger minds and bodies.

After five years of dedication and effort, MSSK is now one of the top water sports clubs in Turkey, with swimming and water polo teams at all age levels successfully competing against other clubs, winning competitions and rapidly being promoted up the league tables. The club offers world class training and coaching for its young athletes, provided by highly experienced and dedicated staff, along with some of the most modern water sports facilities in Turkey, including an Olympic size pool. Coaching is proved in three different water sports: water polo, swimming and Paralympic swimming.

During the first year, the MSSK men’s water polo team emerged as champions of the 3rd league and were promoted to the 2nd league for the following season, becoming league champions yet again, and then promoted to the 1st league. There was also success for the MSSK women’s team, which won two national league champion titles, being promoted up to the 1st league at the end of the 2015 season.
During 2015, the Turkish Men’s National Water Polo Team included more players from the Manisa Club than from any other team in the country. With such talent, the MSSK Men’s water polo teams finished the 2015-2016 regular season in the top six. The ‘A’ team made it to the playoffs after winning the match series 3-0 against Adalar Water Sports Club for 3rd place, going on to win the cup. The club has also made history, with its star goalkeeper, Ali Kılıç’s, becoming the first player from Manisa to secure a player contract for the coming season with Club Natació Barcelona, which is one of the most successful water polo clubs in Europe.

The swimming team has also achieved good results over the last five years, with 40 swimmers from Manisa participating in various regional and national competitions, so starting to write another success story for the club.

The club also helps disabled children in the region become more self-confident, active individuals. Manisa Water Sports Club Paralympic athletes won 6 gold and 2 silver medals at the Turkey National Championship in 2014, going on to reach another milestone the following year, winning 26 more medals at Swimming Championships for Physically Disabled in Turkey, held in Antalya in 2015.

Uğur Üstünel, Manisa Water Sports Club President and METYX Composites Co-Director:

“The club still has a long way to go. We aim to continue our success in Turkey, but more importantly to represent Turkey in Europe! We know we must work even harder to progress along the road to success. Nevertheless, we have a strong ambition to win, with passionate and dedicated coaching staff and players and we believe in ourselves. Everyone at MSSK will continue to work devotedly to reach our future goals.”