New look Australian Waterpolo League launches in 2022

New format and a new team are set to shake up the Australian Waterpolo League that will return in 2022 with a bang.

With 230 games of water polo, 8 weekends of action, 11 teams, plus a soon to be announced new broadcast deal, the 2022 AWL is shaping up to be the biggest season yet.

Link here… fast facts and draw format.

After a year’s absence due to Covid restrictions, the Australian Waterpolo League will make a splash on the national calendar with a revitalised format designed to provide clubs, athletes, sponsors and broadcasters with more quality water polo.

Also launching in 2022 is the new Victorian team, called Victorian Phoenix, who’ll round out the competition to make it a 11-team format.

The season will kick start across two weekends where teams will battle it out for the KAP7 Cup, as well as to determine their ranking for the second phase of the season. With rankings from the KAP7 to determine which teams progress into the Championships rounds, every game will be critical.  WPA are delighted to have KAP7 Australia on board as the naming rights partner of the tournament phase of the AWL.

The top six ranked teams will progress through to the “Championship”, playing each other twice, across five rounds, with the top four sides qualifying a spot in the Finals Series from April 8 to 10. 

Teams ranked 7-11 following the KAP7 Cup, will continue the season playing for the Southern Cross Cup that will be held over four rounds, where they will play each other twice.

Water Polo Australia (WPA) General Manager - Performance, Charles Turner, said the new format is not only designed to give fans more quality water polo, but aligns with the player development strategy as well.

“This an exciting new chapter for the Australian Waterpolo League, one that WPA have spent the last 18 months shaping with the AWL Advisory Committee, Clubs as well as our high performance staff and coaches.

“AWL forms an integral part of our high performance program in developing our players and coaches.  I’m very pleased our recent Australian Team coaching appointments in Tim Hamill (Aussie Sharks) and Paul Oberman (Aussie Stingers) have first hand experience and working within the AWL clubs system and are both eager to engage with the Clubs as part of our high performance programs,” said Turner.

The AWL will not only feature the country’s top athletes, but will also include Australia’s 15 best referees, as the AWL is the key platform for referees wanting to push for FINA/international positions.

AWL Advisory Committee Chair, Antony Green, said the new format is designed to position the Australian Waterpolo League as the highest level of competition in the country that will also help prepare players for international level competition.

“A lot of new thinking came out of the disruption caused by COVID.  One great success last year was the KAP7 Cup as a punchy, passionate, tournament style event. 

“In coordinating with the WPA high performance team, we felt it would be great to combine the traditional aspects of AWL (the home and away rounds), with some tournament style rounds.

“Our Australian team coaches want national players ready for international tournaments which involve numerous games in a short window. The new format caters for all and will lead  to some exciting high quality water polo.

“It’s so important for the development of the sport that we have our national competition providing a focus for our talented players to compete at the highest level and provide a pathway to represent their country.

“AWL is an internationally recognised league and it will be exciting to see which great international players arrive to mix it up and add to some of the Club teams.

“We are excited that Victoria is back in the AWL, as it is a national competition and we need to ensure Victorians are back in the water. We know a lot of work has gone into the Victorian team’s rebirth in what we truly hope is a sustainable and improving program,” he said.

While there are still uncertainties around Covid restrictions, Water Polo Australia has contingency plans in place to mitigate the risk around travel for the first two weekend’s of competition.