Talent pool — water polo's grassroots revival kicks off in Nelson Mandela Bay
Organisers hope the new tournament will become the SA20 of water polo as it seeks to rebuild the sport from the bottom up.
On a winter's day this week in Nelson Mandela Bay, a group of kids from across the metro – some of whom only recently learnt to swim – clamber into the Newton Park Indoor Pool. They're here for water polo, a sport long associated with elite schools but now being reimagined for everyone.
From August 8 to 11 the very same pool will host some of the country's top water polo players in what organisers hope will become the SA20 of water polo – a fast-paced, high-energy tournament designed not just to thrill spectators, but to rebuild the sport from the bottom up.
'We want to put another event in the calendar which gives people more competitive water polo,' says Duncan Woods, a former national water polo player and one of South Africa Water Polo's (SAWP) founding committee members.
At the heart of it is the SAWP Winter Series, powered by Jendamark – the first official tournament launched under the newly formed SAWP banner – a breakaway body that's challenging Swimming South Africa's long-standing grip on aquatic sports in the country.
The formation of SAWP – and this inaugural Winter Series – marks the beginning of a new chapter for the sport, and potentially a new economic and sporting opportunity for Nelson Mandela Bay.
The new tournament – with four men's and four women's teams – introduces a national draft system designed to level the playing field. These teams won't be regionally bound, but blended – deliberately so.
The teams were selected through a position-by-position draft aimed at ensuring equal strength across the board. For each position – such as goalkeeper – players were ranked according to their highest level of representation, and then distributed evenly among the teams.
'You only get one chance to have your first one, and if we make a splash here and we really ignite something, I really think we are going to see… the start of potentially some serious growth,' says Siegfried Lokotsch, chairperson of Nelson Mandela Bay Water Polo and director of the Winter Series.
But this tournament isn't only about national players and coaching strategy. It's also about building from the ground up – in schools and communities where water polo has never been an option.
One of the most compelling aspects of the Winter Series is what's happening off the scoreboard: the series is tied to a broader, year-round development programme called Learn to Polo, which introduces kids from Northern Areas and township schools to swimming and water polo. With support from local schools and driven by passionate volunteers like Claudia Charles, the initiative includes swim training, transport support and monthly outings to the Eco Pool in Seaview.
The programme has already begun – bringing in kids from under-resourced communities and teaching them how to swim, then how to play.
The programme starts with swimming. From there, they are taught the basics of water polo.
Nolan Kemp, a regional committee member involved with development, echoes the sentiment, saying they want water polo 'to be available to everyone'.
'I spend a lot of time presenting at schools in the northern areas, so the kids know the opportunity is there for them,' he said.
The hope is that, in a few years, the next generation of South African water polo players won't just be coming from elite schools but from a broader, more diverse talent pool.
'For me, it's not just about the performance. I want everybody to be able to have access to it and be able to play. If I can get one player out of it, then we've done our jobs,' Lokotsch says.
A coaching development component has also been added to the tournament.
Lokotsch says the idea is to run the Winter Series in a way that showcases elite play while still making space for younger players and aspirant coaches to be part of the experience.
'Every franchise will have shadow coaches, and every kid playing at the development clinic will be exposed to seeing the top players in the country,' he says.
SAWP has also partnered with the Elevate programme to offer free online coaching accreditation to aspiring coaches in the region – nearly 90 people, from school leavers to parents, have already signed up.
The scale of the event will be unprecedented for Nelson Mandela Bay water polo. With 160 players and 16 coaches involved – plus referees, administrators and fans – the numbers quickly add up.
'If each person has one person coming to support them, or two people, you've now got 600 people coming,' Lokotsch says.
'I've been in the game a long time, and there's never been so much to be optimistic about as right now,' Woods adds. DM
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'To be absolutely clear: Water Polo South Africa [sic] is not affiliated to Swimming South Africa, nor is it authorised to organise competitions under our name. Claims that it may issue provincial or national colours, or facilitate international representation, are both misleading and unfounded. 'This responsibility lies exclusively with Swimming South Africa and is governed by our constitution and operational protocols, which do not provide for dual membership at any level of the sport.' Interestingly, SSA's post-judgment statement infers that SAWP (whom they misname as WPSA despite clear wording in the judgment, finding affidavits and other correspondence, adding to the general sense of incompetence) are passing themselves off as the governing body. It's an accusation that SSA themselves withdrew and that Judge Cloete found baseless. DM
