Dear Water Polo players, officials, and stakeholders,

Well, the season is underway!

It was my pleasure to be down on pool deck yesterday along with staff members Oli, Mia, Renee, and Warren, to watch games being played in 4 different pools at HBF stadium concurrently.

Basically, Water Polo took over the stadium!!

Players of all ages, referees (some who had just played or were about to), young timekeepers learning the ropes, spectators and several HBF staff in attendance to help make things run smoothly and to set up the pools.

Apart from some lighting issues at the outdoor eight lane pool (currently being investigated), it all seems to have gone quite well. We will continue to review process, grading etc. over the next week or so and make final adjustments as needed.

My thanks to everyone for their efforts on the night and in the lead up.

National State Championships 15&U Boys and 17&U Boys

A little over a week ago, our 15&U Boys and 17&U Boys teams competed in the NSC In Melbourne.

Although no medals were won in the end, the teams competed very well, and we saw several of the players being selected in the national Cadet and Youth Squads.

Congratulations to everyone for making the national junior squads, but also for representing WA and doing us all proud.

A particular thanks to the coaches and managers for looking after the players and for creating opportunities for our players to perform at their best.

Some feedback from the players:

It was great being able to travel interstate as a team and play water polo at a high level. Lots of a fun and a lot of great polo.
Jake Stanley – Captain 15 Gold

National State Champs is a fast and furious competition. The team relished the opportunity to play water polo against the best young players in the country. We never lost sight of the fact that it was an honour and privilege to represent Western Australia. I look forward to next year.
Zac MacDonald – Captain U15 Black

Australian Youth Squad representatives from WA

Edward Handley (UWA, WA)
Ethan Kelly (UWA, WA)
Owen Lilleyman (UWA, WA)
Timothy Lonnqvist (UWA, WA)
Charlie Reynolds (UWA, WA)
Harry Sheppard (Melville, WA)
Harry Tucker (UWA, WA)

Australian Cadet Squad representatives from WA

Thomas Dreverman (Melville, WA)
Ben Marris (UWA, WA)
Callum Pugh (UWA, WA)
Alex Woolfe (Sydney Northern Beaches, WA)

A special mention goes to Alex Woolfe who played as a draft pick for the 15&U Black team. Thanks Alex for supporting our team and doing such a great job.

During the NSC in the Gold Coast and Melbourne, we were not just represented by players and coaches but also by some outstanding referees!

I suspect there will be hundreds of other photos that were taken during the championships. If you have some you’d like to share with us, please send them to marketing@waterpolowa.asn.au along with a caption detailing who is in the photo etc.

We are also interested in any other photos taken during the year along with stories, so please submit these using the e-mail address above and you might well feature in one of the future newsletters!

Notice of AGM

The WPWA AGM will take place 29 October. A formal notification will be distributed tomorrow.

Communications

Now that the office team is settled, I would like to streamline communication and ensure that questions are directed to the staff member best able to answer them. The office team will do its best to inform club administrators of important news so that members can obtain necessary information directly from their clubs.

If you need to speak directly with a staff member, please refer to the information below and we will do our very best to assist you.

Oliver Fonda – Manager Club Development and Pathways
Officials, Rev Sport, Coach Development
clubs@waterpolowa.asn.au
0419 222 600

Mia Buswell – Manager Growth and Participation
Participation programs, associated grants, regional development, National Integrity Framework
managerparticipation@waterpolowa.asn.au
0478 619 892

Renee Rechichi – Office Growth and Participation
Participation programs, associated grants, regional development, National Integrity Framework
officerparticipation@waterpolowa.asn.au
0401 001 736

Warren Kyte – Coordinator Competitions
Competitions, grading, venues
competition@waterpolowa.asn.au
0456 155 852

Natalie Eastwell – Marketing and Promotions
Events, social media content (please be advised that social media channels are not monitored full time, so emails are preferable to DMs)
marketing@waterpolowa.asn.au

Kevin Knapp – General Manager
Grants, strategic planning, fundraising, governance, general operations (if you are unable to get hold of one of my team)
generalmanager@waterpolowa.asn.au
0437 908 599

Please note that any emails sent to info@waterpolowa.asn.au will automatically be redirected to me (Kevin), as will messages left on the office landline. I would encourage the use of the individual contact information provided to ensure you speak to the right person and have the best chance of receiving a timely response to your question/request.

Please note that Oli and I (Kevin) work full time but everyone else is part time. We will endeavour to respond to any request the same day (during working hours). If the matter is urgent, please send me a message.

Reflection

Words from a very great woman:

“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”

Cheers,

Kevin Knapp