Australian Water Polo Set for New Club Championship

The Australia Day long weekend is set to play host to the inaugural AustralianClub Challenge from Thursday January 22 to Monday January 26, with water polo clubs from around the nation descending on the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

With strong support from state sporting organisations, the tournament is open to all clubs, including those in theNational Water Polo League (NWPL), providing an opportunity for their senior teams to compete at a national level.

While it is a new event for 2015, the event is something of a throwback to the Australian Clubs Championships, which were traditionally held at the AIS over the Australia Day long weekend, only to be replaced by the NWPL in 1990.

In an effort to add further depth to senior players in Australia, the tournamentwill provide a second tier national championship and also be an exciting precursor to the NWPL year on year.

With high interest in the event already building momentum, Water Polo Australia CEO Chris Harrison said that the advent of such a competition is a positive for regional clubs.

“The AustralianClub Championships provide a competition at a high level for the open athletes at our clubs across Australia, and certainly opens up pathways for athletes,” Harrison said.

“The extra layer of competition is a positive for emerging talent at a senior level, especially for those who may not have initially been picked up by national league teams to stake their claim for a position within those top tier clubs.”

This year’s event will also see all clubs invited to attend a forum discussing the best path for the competition in years to come, with possibilities including a second tier NWPL competition, a tournament based competition or single tournament as it will be in 2015.

-WaterPoloAus