Welcome to our October newsletter!

This promises to be a jam-packed newsletter full of all our NSW Water Polo news.

Summer is here, and with it, a powerful wave of momentum across our Water Polo NSW community.

Our 2025/26 season is off to an incredible start, with membership already up by more than 1,000 compared to this time last year and we welcome two new clubs to our community, Knox and Mid-North Coast. It’s wonderful to see so many new and returning members as we collectively bring our Strategic Plan 2025–2030: Connect – Activate – Thrive to life.

Last week’s National State Championships in Canberra delivered outstanding performances from our U15 and U17 boys and girls. Congratulations to all athletes, coaches, referees, and families involved.

This weekend marks another milestone with the launch of our Regional Service Plans—a major step toward stronger regional support. We’re delighted to welcome Board Member Laura Redgrove, whose leadership has been instrumental in this initiative, alongside Men’s National Coaches Tim Hamill and Dean Semmens, who will lead a coach development clinic, and referees Mike Westdorp and Stef Jelic, who will lead a referee development clinic.

Back in Sydney, our Summer Metro competitions have started to kick off with record team entries, while the Super League returns with even greater intensity - featuring new teams from interstate and overseas. Stay tuned to our channels for live-streamed games and highlights from across the state.

Later this month we will have a media release of a new Olympic legacy partner to provide more venue access for water polo in NSW. Stay tuned for this exciting announcement.

Together, we’re building a community that celebrates connection, inclusion, and excellence creating a lifelong love of water polo for all.

Warm regards,
Lisa May

🏆 National State Championships Wrap-Up

Last week (29 September - 4 October) four teams travelled to Canberra to compete in the National State Championships to play against the other state teams and New Zealand. All of our teams played extremely well and all returned with a medal!

BOYS

Under 15s – GOLD

🏅NSW defeated Queensland in a tight 12-11 final.

⭐Luka Trbojevic Cabrera – Seven goals in the Gold Medal Match & MVP of the Tournament

Under 17s – GOLD

🏅NSW dominated with a 19-6 win over Western Australia.

🌟Savo Todic - MVP of the Tournament

🧤Alex Wolfe – Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the Tournament

⚡Cooper Semmens – Four goals in the Gold Medal Match

GIRLS

Under 15s – BRONZE

🥉NSW beat Western Australia 18-6 in the Bronze Medal Match.

🎯Chloe Hill and Sophia Carroll – Top scorers with three goals each

Under 17s – SILVER

🥈Narrow 9-8 loss to Queensland in a thrilling final.

🏐Evelyn O’Neill – Four goals in the final

🧤Emily Broadbent – Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the Tournament

WPNSW Super League

The Super League for the 2025-26 season has begun, with new out-of-state and international teams, this promises to be an exciting season.

You can find all the details on how the format of the league, including the teams and the schedule here.

Week One saw Hunter Hurricanes take on UNSW Wests in both the Men's and Women's league, but plenty of action still to come.

A full week one round-up can be found on our website.

Week two will feature eight games across this weekend (9-12 October), with Sydney Uni, Drummoyne, Cronulla and UTS Balmain all playing their first games this season. A preview including players to watch is available here.

For the whole 2025-26 season one game in the Men's and the Women's league will be streamed live on our YouTube channel. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss it.

2025 WPNSW Development Academy Wrap-Up

The 2025 WPNSW Development Academy officially wrapped up last weekend, marking the end of another successful block focused on athlete growth, learning, and connection across the state. Across 10 fortnightly sessions, athletes engaged in targeted skill development designed to enhance both their technical and tactical understanding of the game. Throughout the program, athletes displayed noticeable growth in their skills, confidence, and game awareness, while embracing the curiosity and excellence.

We extend a sincere thank you to all athletes, parents, and coaches for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Academy’s positive culture. The feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are already looking ahead to how we can continue to build on this foundation. Key focus areas for 2026 include streamlining the nomination and trial process, extending the program to support longer-term development, and reviewing and improving regional accessibility to the program.

Water Polo NSW remains committed to continually evolving this pathway initiative to ensure it provides the best possible environment for aspiring athletes to develop and thrive within the sport.

☀️Summer Metro Competition Kicks Off

With the start of summer, the Summer Metro has kicked off!

Division 2 Men began on Tuesday (7 October) and Division 2 Women began on Wednesday (8 October).

🔹 Three Divisions | 16 Rounds | Tuesday (Men) & Wednesday (Women) Nights

👏 Big welcome to Knox WPC for joining D2 this season!

📅 Division 1 Men/Women – 11 October

🔹 Four Divisions

👏 Welcome to Sydney Northern Rays for debuting in D1!

📅 Juniors – 12 October

📈 More teams than ever!

🌟 Teams from ACT and Regional NSW joining in for the biggest junior comp yet!

Fun Fit

Following Expressions of Interest publicised last month, we would like to congratulate the following clubs that have been selected to deliver Funfit:

• Central Coast
• Coffs Harbour
• Macquarie Uni
• Drummoyne

Keep an eye out on Water Polo NSW and the clubs social media to find out details of when sessions will run.

WPNSW would like to thank all Clubs and Associations who applied to be part of the FunFit program. We will be in contact with all applicants to discuss how WPNSW can provide support to independently establish and deliver this exciting introductory adult program.

Welcome to our Newly Affiliated Clubs 🎉

We would like to welcome our two newly affiliated clubs for the 2025-26 season.

• Knox
• Mid-North Coast Tritons

Good luck to both clubs in your inaugural seasons, we look forward to seeing you on the poolside.

Suncream Reminder

As Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer worldwide, Water Polo Australia has published a reminder how important it is to wear suncream and make sure you apply it properly.

Follow these simple steps to ensure you are protected: 

- Apply 20mins before going outdoors or into the pool 

- Always use SPF50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen 

- Reapply every two hours 

- Swimming, sweating, and drying off with a towel will all reduce effective, so be sure to reapply after these activities 

- Aerosol sunscreen is difficult to apply correctly, and so is not recommended on pool deck, there are other measures you can use to help protect you from sun exposure: 

- Sun protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible 

- Wear a hat

- Seek shade 

- Wear sunglasses 

Find out more on the Water Polo Australia website.

Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program

Local Sporting Champions Grant

The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

If successful, applicants will receive $500-$750 towards the cost of attending their championships.

Applications will close on Friday 31st October.

With the upcoming NSW State Championships 2025 in Sydney from 1-11 December, click here for more information,  this is an ideal opportunity to apply for some financial assistance. Please note there is also consideration for regional travel.

Integrity App

WPNSW are currently looking at introducing a new Integrity App for our members. The app will enable you to be able to easily identify any potential issues and how to best manage any complaints. All necessary information, policies & resources will be available at your fingertips.

More information on when this will be available will be provided in future newsletters.

2025 Table Officials Course

The updated Table Officials 2025 Course is now live. It includes enhanced content and improved learning modules, designed to provide members with the latest knowledge and skills required for table officiating. This update also incorporates the 2025 rules.

Table duty is rotated amongst teams, so it is important that we have a large pool of members that have completed the course to ensure that all of our games are properly afficiated.

You can complete the course for free through the Water Polo Australia Learning Centre.

Please be advised that from the 13–15 October 2025, the system will be offline for the full three-day period to allow for planned upgrades and maintenance. Please ensure that any courses you are enrolled in a completed prior to these dates.

Check out what's happening in the WPNSW Community! Have a good news story or information to share? Let us know by emailing enquiries@waterpolonsw.org.au.

Sydney Stingers Beach Water Polo 4s

On 16 November the Stingers are starting summer with a splash with Beach Water Polo 4s!

Beach 4s is always an awesome day on the harbour and a great chance to spend time playing the sport outside the Metro Comp in a fast-paced and fun format. Drummoyne’s Up Dogs and Stingers’ Sharknadoes won the comp and rec titles back in March, with 10 different clubs represented from across Sydney Metro and beyond. Grab your team, or register as an individual, and get ready to make a splash with us!

📅 Sunday November 16th 2025

📍 Manly Cove

🤽 Teams of 4 to 8 people, competitive or recreational divisions (both mixed all-gender). You can also register as an individual; if your team isn’t full we might place an individual registrant in your team.

💰 $400 team entry, $70 individual entry

⏳Register today

Beach Water Polo 4s is a fun, social comp organised by Sydney Stingers Water Polo. Have questions about the event? Reach out to events@sydneystingers.org.au.

Goalkeeper Wanted

UTS Balmain W16A Orange are in search for a goal keeper for the summer season.

If you are interested in joining the team, or would like further information please email Melanie Mayer.

📬 Stay Connected: We Want to Hear from You!

Got news to share? Questions on your mind? We're all ears!

🗣️ Speak Up:

• Share your water polo stories

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👉 Reach out easily: Via this quick form

We'll dive right in and get back to you as soon as possible!

Thanks for being part of our water polo community. See you poolside soon! 🤽‍♂️🤽‍♀️