Brisbane secures Australian Youth Water Polo Champs

More than 3000 young water polo competitors will converge on Brisbane in 2019 for the inaugural Australian Youth Water Polo Championships which will take place between the period of 7-26 January.

Tourism and Events Queensland together with Brisbane Marketing have successfully secured the new event for the next two years, which will see around 190 teams from across the country attend.

Water Polo Australia has created the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships that will bring together six established national age Club championships into a two-week festival of water polo in the heart of Brisbane.

Water Polo Australia President, Thomas Whalan, said the new event is a game changer for the sport and has been made possible thanks to the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council.

“The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is ground breaking for our sport and we are thrilled to be taking this event to Brisbane for the next two years,” said Whalan.

“It will be a true festival of water polo, celebrating not only quality competition but also an opportunity to up-skill and educate our officials, referees, coaches and connect with new water polo fans.

“The event will feature national championships for competitors aged U12 through U18s, but more than that, it will allow us to connect the community through auxiliary events to give people a taste of water polo.

“By bringing together our previous six national aged championships into one major event, we will be able to create a showpiece for the sport and offer our Clubs and competitors a unique water polo experience.

“On behalf of the water polo community we thank Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Marketing for recognising the potential of this event and investing in its future.

“Today’s announcement is only the beginning, with plenty of more exciting events to be held in conjunction with the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships which we will announce in the coming months,” he said.

Minister for Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones said the new event was an exciting addition to Queensland’s sporting action in 2019.

“What better place to host this event than in Queensland ­– the home of premier sporting events,” she said.

“This event is expected to attract thousands of competitors and visitors to Brisbane to see some of the best young water polo talent.

“This event will put aspiring water polo players in the spotlight after the world-class action at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April.

“I look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators from across the country to Brisbane and encourage visitors to explore Queensland during their visit.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said securing the new Australian Youth Water Polo Championships was a win for the sport of water polo and a win for Brisbane.

“The Championships will streamline six events into one major one, giving scale to the event and raising the profile of water polo to a national audience,” Cr Quirk said.

“Set to attract thousands of competitors, the Championships will deliver flow-on economic benefits for Brisbane’s tourism, retail and hospitality sectors for a two-week period in January, and once again enhance the city’s reputation as a sporting destination.”

The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships will be held at multiple venues across Brisbane, with the final venues to be confirmed in the coming months.

FAST FACTS

Event name: Australian Youth Water Polo Championships
Dates: Year 1 – 7-26 January 2019 (final dates to be confirmed)
What events are contested? The 12&U, 14&U, 16&U and 18&U National Aged Championships
Who competes? The event is a Club based aged championships, which will feature water polo Clubs from across the country
How many competitors? Estimated 3000 competitors with around 190 teams
Where will the event be held? Brisbane. Final venues to be confirmed
What other events will be held? There will be courses, seminars and other competitions held across the course of the two-week festival.