Water polo has been played in Canada since the early 20th century, and since 1907 Canada has held a national club championship, the Goulden Cup. Until the 1960s, however, only Eastern-Canadian teams participated in the event. In 1964 the Canadian Water Polo Association was officially founded and had as its first president Frank Medek of Montreal. That year Canada hosted its first truly national club championship, which featured teams from Vancouver, Calgary, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The tournament, held in Gravenhurst, was won by Toronto. The following year the national championships left the east for the first time and were held in Edmonton. From 1966 to 1976 Dr. John Richardson was president of the Association. During this era Richardson oversaw Canada's participation in 3 Olympic Games.^[3]

During the 1970s and 1980s water polo in Canada grew significantly and its national team programs expanded. Today, water polo is played in all ten provinces. In 2014 Water Polo Canada founded the National Championship League (NCL), a national domestic league which features 13U, 15U, 17U, 19U, and senior categories.

Water polo can be enjoyed at the recreational level and at the competitive level by both male and female players.

The National Championship League (NCL) was created in 2014 to bring the domestic club age group programs under a country wide umbrella that promotes the development of the sport.   The NCL offers four categories of play: Senior, 19U, 17U, and 15U.

Senior   edit

The Senior category runs from December to early May and features a format of separate event weekends. The country is split into Eastern and Western conferences and the standing from each event weekend determine who qualifies for the Senior National Championships, where the Canadian champions are crowned.  

Eastern events will be divided into two tiers. The tiers will maximize the number of meaningful games that are played through the course of a season. Promotion and relegation opportunities will exist at the end of each event and a playoff into the Senior National Championship qualifier will take place.

19U edit

The 19U category will be a single event to act as National Club Championship. 19U teams are recommended to be joining the Senior divisions to access league play. Beyond that, Provinces and clubs provide 19U competitions of their own throughout Canada run independently of Water Polo Canada.

17U edit

The 17U category runs from November to May and features a format of separate event weekends. The country is split into Eastern and Western conferences and the standing from each event weekend determine the rankings going into the Conference Championship weekends. These Conference Championship weekends, one for the Eastern teams and one for the Western teams, serve as the qualification for the 17U National Finals weekend with the top four teams from each Conference qualifying hosted in May.  Eastern events will be divided into two tiers. The tiers will maximize the number of meaningful games that are played through the course of a season. Promotion and relegation opportunities will exist at the end of each event and a playoff into the 17U Eastern Finals will take place.

15U edit

The 15U category, consists of two Championship events, an Eastern National Championship and a Western National Championship. The top 15U teams from each province, as determined by each Provincial Sport Organization, qualify for either the Eastern or Western National Championships depending on their region. The Eastern National Championship and Western National Championship are hosted by WPC in April/May of each year and determine the top 15U team in each half of the country.

The Canadian water polo senior men's club championship, the Goulden Cup, is one of Canada's oldest amateur sporting events, having been contested since 1907. Water Polo Canada also stages national club championships for senior women (since 1977), junior men (since 1927), junior women (since 1985), 18U men (since 1985), 18U women (since 1987), 16U men (since 1995), and 16U women (since 1995).^[4]

National teams edit

Canada fielded its first national team in 1963. This squad, coached by Jeno Ats, participated in the 1963 Pan American Games. After Brazil dropped out, Canada was afforded a place in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Coached again by Ats, Canada placed 16th. As host, Canada participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Led by Dezső Lemhényi, assisted by Ivan Somlai, it placed its best-ever 9th. Due to the iron curtain boycott, Canada got a spot in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Coached by Gábor Csepregi, Canada finished 10th. In 2008, coached by Dragan Jovanović, the Canadian squad placed 11th. Canada's men's national team is based at the Olympic Pool in Montreal and is coached by Pat Oaten.

Canada has fielded a women's national team since 1978. The women's squad participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the first to hold a women's water polo competition. At this tournament Canada placed fifth. The squad also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and placed seventh. Canada qualified for its third women's Olympic appearance and competed in Tokyo in 2021, finishing seventh. Canada's women's national team is currently based at the Olympic Pool in Montreal and is coached by David Paradelo.

Canada also fields junior and 18U national teams.

Water Polo Canada adheres to the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS - Canadian Safe Sport Program (sirc.ca))

Offering a safe environment to all our athletes and to all the various individuals who contribute to the Sport of water polo - whether they are coaches, officials, volunteers, staff, parents or only fans/spectators - is an absolute priority f or Water Polo Canada. There are several components to consider in order to make this a reality, and this is what this SAFE SPORT section is all about.

As stated in our Code of Conduct:

All Registrants are responsible for maintaining and enhancing the dignity and self-esteem of Registrants and other individuals by:

• Demonstrating respect to individuals regardless of body type, physical characteristics, athletic ability, age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, disability, family status, marital status, socioeconomic status, gender identity, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientation
• Focusing comments or criticism appropriately and avoiding public criticism of athletes, coaches, officials, organizers, volunteers, employees, or Registrants
• Consistently demonstrating a spirit of sportsmanship, sport leadership, and ethical conduct
• Acting, when appropriate, to correct or prevent unjustly discriminatory practices
• Consistently treating individuals fairly and reasonably
• Ensuring adherence to the rules of Water Polo and the spirit of those rules

Safe Sport includes other components such as Insurance, Anti-Doping Program, and appropriate Concussion Protocol, and you will also find here the relevant information on these different elements.

The Water Polo Canada NCCP Operating Manual has been developed for the purpose of regulating the program standards and planning for coach development, training, and evaluation.

Water Polo Canada NCCP Operating Manual (October 2014 edition)

Water Polo Canada will allow coaches under the age of 16, but not less than 14 years of age, to access NCCP training and certification.  Coaches must be at least 14 years of age as at the date of the event.  The Minimum Age Policy will be in effect as of March 31, 2010.

1.  Coaches at least 14 years of age, but under 16 years of age, will be identified on the NCCP   Database as U16;

2.  Coaches at least 14 years of age, but under 16 years of age, are only eligible to be trained and evaluated as the Competitive Coach and Community Club Coach;

3.  Coaches assigned the U16 designation will have that designation automatically removed upon their 16th birthday;

4.  Coaches under the age of 16 are allowed to access NCCP training.

5.  Coaches under the age of 16 can access NCCP evaluation, but will not be recorded in the NCCP Locker as certified.

About the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC)

The CAC unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence.  Through its programs, CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches.  Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.