Faces of AYWPC I Lindsay Cotterill (New South Wales)

On any given weekend across the country, at community water polo clubs, there are hundreds of coaches giving up their time to help usher through a new generation of water polo players.

And when it comes to the coaching stalwarts, you can’t look past Sydney Uni’s Lindsay Cotterill, more than half a century giving back to the sport. 

As a 12 year old he got his start as a player at Sydney’s Rushcutter’s Bay, after which at 18 years old he turned his hand also to coaching. For more than 50 years, he’s been one of the familiar faces poolside. 

Over the decades, he’s seen first hand the Aussie talent coming through, with kids he coached ‘back in the day’ now back involved in the sport bringing their kids through. 

For Cotterill, he’s thrilled to be able to bring the Sydney Uni Lions kids back to a major event. 

“It’s unbelievable to be back [at AYWPC].. there is a bit of normality and the kids are just loving it. The West Australians being here makes it that much more special.

“The best thing for kids is to get them to tournaments. You don’t have to assess how good the other teams are or how well you’re going to go as the kids just love it regardless.  

“The parents suffer a bit more when the scores are big, but I’ve taken teams in the past where they’ve been beaten by 20 or 30 goals, and then two of the kids from that team went on to play at the Olympics. You take them [to tournaments], they have fun and you enjoy the process,” he said. 

The one’s he saw go on to represent their country, he remembers vividly how they got their start but also the passion and determination they showed along the way. 

“Tom Whalan came as a 12 year old to Sydney Uni pool, I watched one of his first games from a high vantage point. I looked down and a ball landed between 2 or 3 kids and I thought it was impossible for him to get the ball, no more complicated than that. The ball landed and I watched him get it. From that point I knew he was going to be something special

“More recently is a kid named Chaz Poot. When he was 14 he couldn’t make a squad of 39 for New South Wales yet he was by far the cleverest kid… he could have just given it away after that but he decided not to. And he’s now in the Australian Men’s side. 

Whalan in fact went on to represent Australia at four Olympic Games, captaining the Aussie Sharks, with Poot recently forming part of the Aussie Sharks silver medal winning performance at the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup. 

Cotterill knows not everyone has Olympic aspirations but he is a firm believer in giving every kid their chance to develop as a water polo player and find their passion for the game. 

As a volunteer coach over the years, across many sports including water polo, he has some advice for other coaches supporting junior teams. 

“I’ve coached at Bronte Surf Club, Junior Rugby League in South Sydney competition, and it’s fantastic! 

“The message I would give to coaches is if you’re not playing an elimination game make sure every kid gets exactly the same amount of water time. Don’t worry if you lose the game, make sure they have the same water time… so when you do get to an elimination game, everyone has had a chance to play, the parents have seen how their kid fits in and you don’t have any problems. 

“But it is very very very important to let everyone have water time, that’s our currency in water polo,” he said.

Ushering through a new generation of talent doesn’t simply apply to players, with Cotterill committed to mentoring young coaches. 

“We’ve got to try and bring through younger coaches, mentor them… that is one thing we have at Sydney Uni at the moment, like an apprentice program for young coaches.”

And while the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is about bringing together junior water polo players from across the country, the festival is more than that as it brings together the whole water polo community. 

Cotterill said it’s great to see other coaches, volunteers and old playing mates he’s known over the years here.  

“Tom Hoad, I love watching him coach, his attention to fashion is almost as great as his attention to his passion for the game,” laughed Cotterill. 

“And Ian Trent, 27 years undefeated in the Sydney Women’s comp, he’s here, sitting on the edge of the pool, not coaching at the moment but giving back.

“You need the dinosaurs to bring the raptors through,” he said.