Water Polo Australia has welcomed today’s announcement by the Queensland Government of the appointed architects for the new National Aquatic Centre, marking an important first step in delivering a facility the sport has long advocated for.
The National Aquatic Centre will be the first facility of its kind in Australia to provide a shared high-performance home for all four aquatic sports –Water Polo, Diving, Swimming and Artistic Swimming – alongside a genuine legacy for community use.
Water Polo Australia is fully supportive of the Centre’s development and genuinely excited about what it can deliver, not only for high performance pathways but also for the grassroots water polo community across Queensland and Australia, which currently lacks access to suitable facilities.
Water Polo Australia CEO Tim Welsford said today’s announcement was a significant milestone on the road to Brisbane 2032.
“Thank you to the Queensland Government for their commitment to bringing to life a National Aquatic Centre, that we hope will create lasting legacies for all aquatic sports including Water Polo, both at a community and high-performance level,” Welsford said.
“Water Polo in Australia currently lacks a world class high-performance hub despite our women’s ‘Stingers’ team winning a silver medal at Paris 2024 and our men’s ‘Sharks’ team in the top eight in the world.
A National Aquatic Centre that caters for all aquatic disciplines could unlock a bigger pool of talent for future generations and support our high-performance programs as we aim for gold at Brisbane 2032.”
Water Polo currently faces a shortage of facilities suitable for training and competition at both the community and elite level, a gap that has made it difficult to grow participation and support athlete pathways across the state and the country. A purpose-built home within the National Aquatic Centre would help address this long-standing need.
Today’s announcement of the appointed architects is the first step in seeing the National Aquatic Centre come to life. Water Polo Australia is looking forward to working with GIICA and the architects to ensure the National Aquatic Centre not only meets the needs of Brisbane 2032 but creates a lasting legacy for the sport and the wider community.
“The reality in Australia is we don’t have enough pools to support our local communities but also for our high-performance sports,” Welsford said. “That’s why today’s announcement of the appointed architects is the first step in seeing the National Aquatic Centre come to life. Our goal will be to continue to advocate for pools that can support all sports, including water polo and diving.”
Water Polo Australia looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Queensland Government, GIICA and Brisbane 2032 delivery partners throughout the design and development of the National Aquatic Centre, to ensure water polo is genuinely reflected in the finished venue.
