Bower to coach newly named Born 2002 Womenâ€™s Squad

Published Tue 24 Sep 2019

Water Polo Australia is pleased to announce coaching stalwart Phillip Bower as Australian coach of the Born 2002 Women’s squad.

A national coach since 1981, Bower was the Australian Junior Men’s Coach until 1985, as well as Australian coach of the Youth Women’s teams in 2001 and 2008. He is also a long time coach for multiple New South Wales teams as well as instrumental as a coach and administrator at Balmain Water Polo Club over many decades.

Outside of the coaching circles, Bower is also a well respected referee going all the way to the top when he refereed at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

A squad of 32 (see below) has been selected on previous performances, in consultation with state institute coaches, to spend the next twelve months working with Bower to develop ahead of the 2020 FINA Youth Championships.

“There are some outstanding athletes available for the 2002 National Women’s squad and it is now up to me to identify the best 13 players in the country and form them into a competitive team,” Bower said.

There will be several training camps for the squad in preparation for the FINA World Women’s Youth Water Polo Championships that will be contested in September 2020 in Netanya, Israel. The squad is not final, and could change based on performances in upcoming selection events.

“Hopefully, with the assistance of coaches from our State Institutes, academies and clubs, we can all work together to give players the opportunity to take on the challenge of the World Championships,” Bower said.

Water Polo Australia congratulates the following athlete for their selection into the Australian Born 2002 women’s squad.