Water Polo Australia launches Annual Awards

Water Polo Australia is pleased to announce a new annual awards celebration, that will be officially launched at 2022 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

The Water Polo Australia Awards are designed to recognise the contributions and achievements of players, coaches, officials and volunteers at both a community and high performance level.

Water Polo Australia CEO Richard McInnes said the Awards present a great opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the water polo community.

“We have some great water polo talent in Australia both in and out of the pool, and the Awards are a great way for us to celebrate our people,” McInnes said.

“The Awards will also be a checkpoint for our community to reflect on the past 12 months and set the focus for the next 12 months.

“We know in our sport it's the people that really make it successful whether that's at a grassroots level or guiding our performance programs.  These Awards are about celebrating the everyday work that goes into Club level, through to the hard work of our coaches and athletes put .

“The Awards will provide a wonderful opportunity to bring our community together, to celebrate the progress made, and embrace the journey ahead to achieve our 2030 vision.

“While we had hoped to launch the Awards in 2021, the current COVID restrictions around indoor events promoted us to hold off until a time where we could all be together to celebrate in style,” he said.

Awards will be presented across 12 categories, recognising significant contributions to our sport.

“I’m looking forward to coming together at the 2022 Water Polo Australia Awards Night, to be able to celebrate the best of our sport from the grassroots through the elite,” McInnes said.

Nominations will be open to the water polo community, with Clubs and Coaches and supporters encouraged to start to consider worthy nominees.  Awards nominations will be made available via the Water Polo Australia website.

The eligibility period for the 2022 Awards is December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021 - with nominations to open later this year.

COMMUNITY CATEGORIES

Water Polo Club Coach of the Year

Criteria: Club coaches who have made a significant contribution to their club program outside of the competition arena, with a focus on improving community sport through encouraging participation, fairness, integrity and making water polo safe and inclusive during the eligibility period.

Young Achiever of the Year

Criteria: This award recognises a young athlete who has achieved excellence outside of the competition arena, through giving back to the sport as a coach, referee or in other ways, community service, and/or academic achievements, along with their water polo performances during the eligibility period.

Program of the Year

Criteria: This award recognises a Club/School/State program that is innovative in their approach to advancing water polo during the eligibility period. The program should demonstrate innovation in developing athletes, clubs or attracting new participants to the sport. 

Official of the Year

Criteria: Water Polo officials who have demonstrated excellence in their role as an official during the eligibility period.  In addition to demonstrating excellence, this person should represent Water Polo Australia’s “Think.Act.Play” values and promote these throughout their role, making a broader contribution to their local Water Polo community.  This award is open to current Referees, Delegate and Table Officials.

Volunteer of the Year

Criteria: Recognises a volunteer within the Water Polo community who volunteers their time to advancing water polo within their community.  This category is open to any Club or State based volunteers and should reflect the contribution made for the period during the eligibility period.

PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES

Male Performance Coach of the Year

Criteria: This award recognises coaches who have been able to lead significant improvement with players, and or teams in a way that aligns with the Think.Act.Play policy and who have demonstrated a commitment to their own personal and professional development as a coach during the eligibility period. It is open to coaches who have one or more of the following roles:

• National Age Group Coaches
• National Institute Network Coaches
• AWL Club Head Coaches

Female Performance Coach of the Year

Criteria: This award recognises coaches who have been able to lead significant improvement with players, and or teams in a way that aligns with the Think.Act.Play policy and who have demonstrated a commitment to their own personal and professional development as a coach during the eligibility period. It is open to coaches who have one or more of the following roles:

• National Age Group Coaches
• National Institute Network Coaches
• AWL Club Head Coaches

Outstanding Achievement (Athlete)

Criteria: This category recognises athletes who have overcome the odds to achieve excellence in the pool while also achieving outside the pool in their chosen profession, vocation or education during the eligibility period.

Senior Female Athlete of the Year

Criteria: This category is open to female athletes who have represented their Country within a senior team, achieving excellence at the highest level.  This athlete has not only achieved strong performances on the sporting arena, but outside of competition demonstrates strong work ethic towards their sport, positive attitude, and teamwork during the eligibility period..   

Senior Male Athlete of the Year

Criteria: This category is open to male athletes who have represented their Country within a senior team, achieving excellence at the highest level.  This athlete has not only achieved strong performances on the sporting arena, but outside of competition demonstrates strong work ethic towards their sport, positive attitude, and teamwork during the eligibility period..   

Junior Female Athlete of the Year (20U as at June 30, 2021)

Criteria: This category is open to female athletes who have represented their Country within a junior team, achieving excellence at the highest level.  This athlete has not only achieved strong performances on the sporting arena, but outside of competition demonstrates strong work ethic towards their sport, positive attitude and teamwork.   

Junior Male Athlete of the Year (20U as at June 30, 2021)

Criteria: This category is open to male athletes who have represented their State or Country within a junior team, achieving excellence at the highest level.  This athlete has not only achieved strong performances on the sporting arena, but outside of competition demonstrates strong work ethic towards their sport, positive attitude and teamwork.