SA Water Polo hopes its new Winter Series tournament makes a big splash
The tournament takes place at the Newton Park indoor swimming pool in Gqeberha from 8 to 10 August.
South African water polo player. Picture: @SwimSouthAfrica/X.
JOHANNESBURG - Water polo in South Africa is preparing to enter a new era ahead of the start of the new national franchise tournament set to take place in Nelson Mandela Bay in August.
The competition will be the first competition hosted by the sport's newly formed governing body, South Africa Water Polo (SAWP), following their victory over Swimming South Africa in the Western Cape High Court in June, which gave the organisation the green light to operate independently.
The inaugural edition of the South Africa Water Polo Winter Series will see 112 of the country’s best players divided into four men’s teams and four women’s teams, with each squad consisting of 14 drafted players. The draft system is similar to the one used for the highly successful SA20 cricket tournament, and will see talent spread more evenly and curtail the dominance of Western Province and Gauteng teams in inter-provincial tournaments.
Tournament director, Siegfried Lokotsch, said adding a new franchise event to the national calendar would reinvigorate senior competition and extend the season beyond the traditional autumn finish.
"This franchise format creates a fresh dynamic that’s both exciting to watch and allows players to compete strength for strength. Our sport is not going to get stronger if only the top provinces are getting stronger," said Lokotsch.
The tournament takes place at the Newton Park indoor swimming pool in Gqeberha from 8 to 10 August.
There are plans to expand the new Winter Series format to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban next year, if the inaugural edition proves to be successful.