Swim England Water Polo Hub
The Water Polo Talent Games
March 1, 2023We are delighted to launch the Water Polo Talent Games. A competition between the Swim England Water Polo Talent Centres designed to give selected players from the Talent Centre program the opportunity to play full matches under World Aquatics conditions.
The inaugural Talent Games during March were a major success.
The Talent Games on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July will see the North (Bolton), South (Bristol), London (Croydon), Midlands (Hucknall) Talent Centres competing for the gold medals.
The competitions are:
- U14s Boys
- U14s Girls
- U16s Boys
- U16s Girls
The event will again feature a number of educational workshops for players, coaches and families.
- Classroom player workshop – Sports Psychology
- Classroom player workshop – The Importance of being a clean athlete – an introduction to athlete drug testing.
- One pool-based player workshop – led by the GB coaches
- A parents introduction to nutrition for aspiring elite athletes
- Coach workshop
The second Talent Games will take place at The Alan Higgs Centre, Coventry at the end of the second term on the Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July 2023. Spectator tickets are available for £10.
Itinerary
| 09:30-10:00 | U14s player registration on the balcony |
| 10:20-11:30 | U14s Girls & Boys (Group 1) pool workshop U14s Girls & Boys (Group 2) class workshops |
| 10:30-11:00 | U16s player registration on the balcony |
| 10:50-11:20 | Coach workshop- U16s coaches |
| 11:30-12:40 | U16s Girls & Boys (Group 1) pool workshop U16s Girls & Boys (Group 2) class workshops |
| 12:00-12:30 | Coach workshop- U16s coaches |
| 12:40-13:50 | U14s Girls & Boys (Group 2) pool workshop U14s Girls & Boys (Group 1) class workshops |
| 12:40-13:50 | U14s parents workshop - Nutrition |
| 13:50-15:00 | U16s Girls & Boys (Group 2) pool workshop U16s Girls & Boys (Group 1) class workshops |
| 13:50-14:30 | U16s parents workshop- Nutrition |
| 15:00-16:15 | U14s Boys- Bristol vs Croydon- pitch 1 U14s Boys – Bolton vs Hucknall- pitch 2 |
| 16:15-17:30 | U14s Girls – Bristol vs Croydon- pitch 1 U14s Girls- Bolton vs Hucknall- pitch 2 |
| 17:30-18:45 | U16s Boys – Bristol vs Croydon- pitch 1 U16s Boys – Bolton vs Hucknall- pitch 2 |
| 18:45-20:00 | U16s Girls- Bristol vs Croydon – pitch 1 U16s Girls – Bolton vs Hucknall – pitch 2 |
*Please note all times are subject to change
| 7:15-8:30 | U14s Boys – 1st place play-off – pitch 1 U14s Boys – 1st place play-off – pitch 1 |
| 8:30-9:45 | U14 Girls – 1st place play-off – pitch 1 U14 Girls – 3rd place play-off – pitch 2 |
| 9:45-11:00 | U16 Boys – 1st place play-off – pitch 1 U16s Boys – 3rd place play-off – pitch 2 |
| 11:00-12:15 | U16 Girls – 1st place play-off – pitch 1 U16 Girls – 3rd place play-off – pitch |
*Please note all times are subject to change
Table official course
If you would like to gain and develop a new skill whilst at the Talent Games, we are providing a table official course free of charge for those interested. Any interested parent who would like to learn more about water polo would be an ideal candidate for this opportunity. This will involve a Zoom session on the evening of Wednesday 5 July between 7pm-8:30pm followed by the practical session at the Talent Games weekend on Saturday 8 or Sunday 9 July.
Request for volunteers
We have a fantastic network of volunteers in water polo and most of volunteer roles don’t require any previous knowledge of the sport. We would love your help at this event:
- Merchandise shop
- Entry desk / spectator tickets
- Runners
- Refreshments
- Scoreboard operators (only basic computer literacy required and training will be provided)
- Stewards
Spectators tickets
Please note that spectator tickets are priced at £10. Tickets are limited so to avoid disappointment, we recommend purchasing as soon as possible.
Children under five can attend free of charge with a paying adult. No other concessions apply.
Event merchandise
A limited stock of event-specific merchandise will be available to purchase at the Talent Games. Please note that this is a cashless event.
The new Talent Centre year will start in September 2023 followed by three Talent Games at the end of each term (December 2023, March 2024, July 2024).