Welcome to our July newsletter! It’s an exciting month for our sport, with the Water Polo World Cup Finals coming to Sydney, giving our community the chance to get behind the Australian teams on home soil - if you haven't already, grab your tickets and help fill the stands. Alongside the international action, we're celebrating clubs planning for the future, our junior NSW athletes heading to Melbourne and Hobart, the halfway point of our competitions, and we're pleased to welcome Amber to the Water Polo NSW team.

We are excited to announce the remaining event dates and locations for the 2026/27 Events season!

Col Smee U22 Championships
📆Date: 4th - 6th December 2026
📍Venue: Cranbrook

Open Country Club Championships
📆Date: 23rd - 25th January 2027
📍Venues: Lakeside Leisure Centre & Lambton Pool (Newcastle)

Masters Championships
📆Date: 5th - 7th February 2027
📍Venue: Drummoyne Pool

Junior Country Club Championships
📆Date: 19th - 21st February 2027
📍Venues: Alstonville Aquatic Centre, Ballina War Memorial Pool & Lismore Baths (Far North Coast)

Big Orange U12 Festival
📆Date: 5th - 7th March 2027
📍Venue: Orange Aquatic Centre

The Water Polo World Cup Finals are coming to Sydney, and we want the entire NSW water polo community to get behind our Aussie Sharks and Aussie Stingers! Grab your club gear, gather your teammates, coaches, referees, volunteers or family, and record a fun 5–10 second message showing your support.

Whether it's your whole team on pool deck or a quick individual shout-out, we'd love to feature clubs from across the state in a special Water Polo NSW community good luck video. Send your video to enquiries@waterpolonsw.org.au by Monday 13 July, or send it to your club so they can submit everyone's videos together.

Let's show Australia the strength and spirit of the NSW water polo community. We can't wait to see your club get involved!

This year we are proud to have sent 6 teams to Melbourne for the 2026 WPVIC East Coast Challenge (3rd - 5th July). These teams were formed through an EOI process aimed mainly at athletes already involved in our U14 Boys and Girls Development Academy. As a result, we have sent 2 metro academy-based teams, and 1 regional academy-based team for each gender.

This tournament provides an excellent opportunity for our young developing athletes to play with and against athletes from different teams and regions, broadening their experience beyond those they would normally encounter at club or state level. This is also a tournament full of new experiences; for some of the athletes, it is their first time travelling interstate to play water polo and we have loved seeing the excitement this has brought. The athletes have continued to train hard at their Academy sessions, and we can't wait to see how they all get on as they develop over the 3 days.

We thank all the athletes, parents, coaches, and referees for their commitment to this tournament and wish all the teams the best of luck in Melbourne!

We are also proud to share that this year we have sent 7 teams to Hobart for the 2026 WPA U13 Development Carnival (9th-12th July). These teams were also formed through an EOI process, but this time it was aimed mainly at athletes already involved in our U13 Development Academy. From this we put together 3 teams for each gender: 2x metro-based academy teams, and 1x regional-based academy team. Additionally, we have also been able to enter a boy's regional development team made up of regional based athletes who are not currently in the Development Academy but show strong potential and a love for the sport.

Much like the ECC, this development carnival is an exciting opportunity for athletes to meet new players and coaches, learn new skills, and explore a new city - all with the added excitement of flying to compete in a water polo tournament. The coaches have kindly given up their time to organise some fun team bonding experiences whilst in Hobart and we are confident this trip will be a great development opportunity for all involved. We are really looking forward to seeing how they all get on, and hope that for most of these athletes it is the first of many trips with WPNSW.

We thank all the athletes, parents, and coaches for their commitment to this tournament and wish all the teams the best of luck in Hobart!

Last week saw the announcement of the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Team for the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals that takes place at the end of this month here in Sydney. WPNSW are extremely proud to have 9 NSW athletes as part of this team, and it is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication they have all given to the sport.

NSW Athletes:

- Bronte Halligan (Ekipe Orizzonte)

- Hayley Ballesty (UNSW)

- Tayla Dawkins (UTS Balmain)

- Sienna Green (Sydney Uni)

- Sienna Hearn (UTS Balmain)

- Danijela Jackovich (Cronulla)

- Matilda Kearns (Sydney Uni)

- Alexie Lambert (Sydney Uni)

- Genevieve Longman (UTS Balmain)

Please join us in wishing all of the Stingers the best of luck for the finals.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the Ord Minnett Sharks!

Recently we had an exciting opportunity arise for the WPNSW U17 State Squad athletes to travel to Canberra for a day camp and scrimmage with the Australian U16 National Teams! It was a long day for the athletes kickstarting at 5am but they certainly made the most of their day in Canberra with both the men and women enjoying 2x 2-hour training sessions as well as lunch and dinner at the AIS.

It was a great day enjoyed by all, and an excellent opportunity for our State Squad athletes to train with some of the country's best. Overall, we had 20 of our State Squad athletes make the trip to Canberra, with an additional 15 athletes already attending as part of the U16 National Teams - an achievement we are incredibly proud of.

As Nationals in September draws closer, development opportunities like these are so important for all and so we thank our athletes and parents for their commitment to the State Squad program. Finally, a huge thank you to our WPNSW coaches Stefano, Pat, and Nathan for accompanying our athletes to Canberra, as well as everyone involved with the U16 National Team for welcoming us with open arms.

Water Polo NSW is now halfway through the season, and we would like to congratulate all teams on their efforts and achievements so far.
We would also like to thank all of our volunteers for their dedication and contribution to the sport. Your commitment plays a vital role in making water polo such a great sport and ensures our competitions run successfully throughout the season.

Competitions Questionnaire

Who brought water polo to Australia?
In what year was water polo introduced to Australia?
In what year was water polo first played in New South Wales?
In what year did the first domestic water polo league in Australia commence with the Sydney Metropolitan Premiership?
Which country did New South Wales first host as an international water polo team?
In what year did that team visit?

Who Am I?

Clues
Born in Sydney in 1973.
Played domestically for Cronulla Water Polo Club, where she became the club's first Olympic gold medallist.
Won a Gold Medal with the Australian Women's Water Polo Team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Delivered the famous "Pass of the Century" to Yvette Higgins.
Was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in 2026.

Referees

Water Polo New South Wales would like to congratulate all referees on their outstanding work and professionalism throughout the season to date.

We would also like to make special mention of Libby Magann and Liam Ireland on their appointments as referees for the 2026 World Aquatics U16 Women's and Men's Water Polo Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and Daniel Bartels on his appointment as a referee for the 2026 World Aquatics Men's U18 World Championship in Portugal.

This is a fantastic achievement and recognition of Libby's, Liam's and Daniel's dedication, expertise and contribution to water polo officiating.

We wish Libby, Liam and Daniel a safe journey and every success at their respective Championships.

Congratulations and best of luck from everyone at Water Polo New South Wales. 🏆🤽‍♀️🤽‍♂️

Competitions Questionnaire Answers

Frederick Cavill
1897
1880
1892
New Caledonia
1933
Who Am I? Answer: Simone Fountain (nee Harkin)

Water Polo NSW recently concluded its Club Planning Workshop Series, bringing together club representatives from across the state to explore strategic planning, future opportunities and practical actions for club success. A sincere thank you to representatives from Tamworth & Districts Water Polo, Gosford Water Polo, Alstonville Water Polo, Northside Stingrays Water Polo and Central Newcastle Water Polo for their valuable contributions and willingness to share ideas and experiences throughout the series.

Across the three sessions, participants worked through their club purpose, values, key focus areas, current challenges and future ambitions, providing a strong foundation for the development of their own club strategic and operational plans. The workshops also encouraged clubs to identify practical actions and priorities that can support long-term growth and sustainability.

Water Polo NSW remains committed to supporting clubs in areas including strategic planning, governance, participation growth and volunteer development, and encourages any club seeking further assistance to get in touch with the team.

ACPE welcomes Water Polo members to join us at Open Day and see first-hand what makes ACPE different. Explore the campus, meet our lecturers and students, learn about your study options and discover how you can start as soon as this August.

📅 Saturday, 25th July 2026
📍 ACPE Campus, 10 Parkview Dr, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
⏰ 10:00am - 2:00pm