A little more than 150km east of Geraldton on Australia’s Indian Ocean coast is a sign that reads — You are entering the Australian Outback — a vast ocean of deserts and 5.6 million square kilometres of sparse scrub and fauna. Beyond that sandy divide on the other side of the continent lies Brisbane, host to the 2032 Olympic Games. The recent Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Perth boasted players who might one day represent their country on the international stage and take their place in those Olympics or the subsequent editions.
For 14-year-old Ava O’Malley, thoughts of making the Olympic team were far from her mind when she contested the national 16 and under championships as part of the 167-team Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Perth last month.
Daughter of team manager Bianca O’Malley, Ava was experiencing her first taste of national competition and her Geraldton team finished far from the medals.
“It was worth the training and effort that our team put in to get there. The games were tough, but it was good seeing the players from around the country and all the different skill levels. Being part of this team with these amazing girls and our coach Gilly was a really positive experience,” she said.
Geraldton is a port city of 42,000 people, shipping iron ore, wheat, lupin, talc, zinc, mineral sands and the like to the world. It also boasts a water polo competition of about 500 players.
This year, Geraldton sent three teams to the national championships, 420km south — 16 and under and 18 and under girls and an 18 and under boys’ team. Several others players competed for composite teams. It was one team up on the previous two years when it sent a boys’ and a girls’ team.
Jimmy Horsman is an older player at 17 with three years’ experience of the nationals and this year the team grabbed the bronze medal in the green division.
“For three years, most of us boys have played underaged in the 18s’ competition and for us to get bronze, it definitely shows how much we learnt and adapted to being in an older age group. Versing bigger bodies and smarter men definitely made us prepared for what was to come in the 2025 competition.
“I feel like the boys really stood up and grabbed the opportunity of being the older and bigger people in the competition this year. AYC is such a great competition to be a part of,” Hagan said.
It was a family affair with mother Amy Hagan refereeing across all age groups and younger sister Delta Hagan competing in the 16 & under age group.
These players are typical of what it means to travel vast distances in Australia and compete at the highest level in their age groups. Not all will go on to higher honours, but it typifies what our sport is delivering to players in regional centres.
In Western Australia, a boys’ team travelled from Port Hedland in the far north and two teams attended from Busselton in the south-west. It is showing the popularity of the sport and the urge to expose players to a higher level of play.
The AYC is the biggest water polo tournament in the southern hemisphere and the large number of teams travelling from the east coast made this the biggest of the two years it has been staged in Perth — a city with a glorious water polo past.
There were a staggering 565 matches played and many of those were played in Australia’s premier water polo venue — currently called the High Performance Centre — which has staged two FINA World Championships, a women’s water polo World Cup, four youth water polo championships and a men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Water Polo Australia chief executive officer Tim Welsford said: "The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is always a highlight on our annual calendar, and this year's event has been no different.
"On behalf of Water Polo Australia, thank you to all the clubs, officials, volunteers and supporters for making the 2025 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Perth such a memorable event.
"Our AYWPC teams and players also had the opportunity to cheer on and support our Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks in the three-test series against New Zealand, which was a resounding success.”
There were 57 teams from New South Wales, 43 from Western Australia, 37 from Queensland, 10 from Victoria, seven from Australian Capital Territory and five each from South Australia and Tasmania. There were three overseas teams.
There were 565 matches in 10 days of competition in eight pools at four venues. There were two divisions in each age group, except 12 & unders, while 65 referees and delegates controlled the matches.
Live streaming played a big part in the promotion of the event with 250 matches covered with cameras pointed on to three pools each day.
Typical of the spectators were parents who had made their mark on the sport, including Olympic champions and other former internationals, including four-time Olympian Thomas Whalan, who manned the clock for his child’s match.
The next two editions will be staged in Queensland with Brisbane securing the rights.
“Brisbane has proven itself time and again as a premier sporting destination. We’re thrilled to be returning for two more years, especially as we continue to grow momentum on the green and gold runway to the Brisbane Olympics," Wellsford said.
“Since the AYWPC launched in Brisbane in 2018, it has grown year on year and is now the pinnacle event for our clubs on the national water polo calendar and also has attracted interest internationally with clubs from New Zealand, and the USA also taking part,” he said.
The 2026 edition will be staged on April 8-18 and contain more players with Olympic aspirations.