CEO Update: July 2025

Wow, July has just flown by with many updates to share and celebrate! The latest CEO report looks at the month that was, as well as what is coming up this month.

13&U Development Carnival in Hobart

Our 13&U State Teams participated in the National Development Carnival in Hobart from July 2-6. We had 4 teams, and 52 athletes travel for the tournament. Pleasingly, athletes from 8 of our junior clubs were represented in the state teams, as well as athletes from O&M and Queensland. Each team performed very well throughout the four-day tournament, with all teams experiencing at least 2 wins each.

The tour was well received by all involved, and we are proud of all our athletes for how they developed both in and out of the pool!

15&U East Coast Challenge

Water Polo Victoria again hosted the East Coast Challenge event at MSAC in mid-July. This tournament gives our 15&U squads a chance to compete against quality opposition across the country and acts as a final selection event for our coaching teams.

Our 2025 campaign was the most successful for WPV, with three of our four teams leaving the tournament with a medal! Our Boys White team finished winning a gold medal and having their name engraved upon the shield, whilst the Boys Navy team won a bronze medal. The Girls Navy team came away with a silver medal, whilst a young Girls White team took a lot of learning and development from the experience.

Well done to all athletes!

Senior State League and Junior Winter

We are really excited to be back in the pool for our Senior Summer State League, and our Junior Winter Round Robin!

We have 55 teams participating in the senior competition, and we look forward to many months of fun and competitive Water Polo!

Our Junior Winter Round Robin is also underway, with 19 teams participating in the shorter 6-week Round Robin.

You can see all the fixtures here!

Additions to the Water Polo Victoria Team

We welcomed new members to the Water Polo Victoria team in July:

Rowie Webster has joined WPV as our new Performance Pathways Manager and will be working to grow and improve all of our programs along the pathway.

Will Ness has been appointed the WPV referee coordinator role for the 2025/26 competition season.

A new Administration & Development Officer will be confirmed mid-August! The Admin & Development Officer will work on our participation and growth programming, as well as working directly with clubs on capacity building and support.

Membership Rollover

As a new membership year is approaching, Water Polo Victoria will be performing a rollover to start your season afresh and to allow members from the previous season to renew.

Water Polo Victoria’s rollover will occur on 01/09/2025 at around 10am, and all current members will need to re-new their membership for the 25-26 competition season. For those playing in the Senior Summer State League, and those participating in the NSC's, you will need to re-new your membership ASAP in order to participate in our competitions/teams.

High-Performance Highlights

Water Polo Victoria's NSC Teams announced, congratulations to all athletes!

Rowie Webster (coach), Mimi Stoupas and Maddie Marshall had a strong tournament for the World University Games in July. Mimi was deadly in front of goals, scoring 9 goals during first international tournament representing Australia. Maddie showcased her strong swimming ability and scored a number of counterattack goals. Both players were integral parts of the team culture.

There are also a number of Victorian athletes who are in the frame to be selected for a 16&U tour of New Zealand! Watch this space for an update soon.

See you poolside!

Regan Longfield

Water Polo Victoria CEO