New water polo format builds momentum with help of inflatable equipment

A Rhode Island organization is growing interest in a fresh four-a-side format of water polo – Water Polo 4x4 (WP4) – with the help of portable goals and fields that allow the game to be played in non-traditional locations, including beaches, rivers and lakes.

Sport non-profit RIOW, also known as Beavertail Open Water, ran its inaugural Rhody Water Polo Tournament on the Narrow River near North Kingston in July and has big plans to take the fast-paced version of the sport to more locations across the East Coast of America.

The WP4 format is also gaining momentum internationally, highlighted by the recent World Aquatics’ inaugural Water Polo 4x4 Open Championships from 31 August to 6 September in Croatia – featuring 24 teams from 18 countries.

RIOW President and Founder Patrick Reyes said the Rhode Island tournament brought a passionate group of people together to enjoy water polo in a beautiful location while also raising money for marine conservation.

The Rhody Water Polo Tournament was hosted using two inflatable Packaworld Packagoals and a portable water polo field to provide a high-quality playing experience – allowing Reyes and the RIOW team to set up and pack down in minutes without leaving a trace.

Reyes said the standard of play was top-level, with 10 teams of current and former college water polo players and masters teams participating, including one member of the USA national team. Reyes himself competed at the highest level of inter-college athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The tournament supported the organization's wider mission of growing open water sport in Rhode Island while caring for its aquatic environment.

“We hold events like this to allocate science and research grants to marine conservation. We raised enough at the inaugural tournament to be able to give out another one of these grants.”

Reyes said he hoped to use Packaworld water polo equipment to hold more WP4 tournaments in iconic locations in 2027, including National Harbor in Washington DC and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

“I have relationships and connections that could see us hosting water polo tournaments in the Hudson River with the iconic George Washington Bridge and New York City skyline in the background.”

Packaworld provides portable adult and junior water polo goals that float on the water, as well as inflatable water polo fields that are ideal for WP4 and beach water polo matches.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said was exciting to see organizations like RIOW building a grassroots movement behind WP4 and swelling its popularity.

“Pat and RIOW have proved that WP4 and grassroots events like the Rhody Water Polo Tournament don’t need a multi-million-dollar swimming pool or purpose-built stadium to host world-class water polo play.

“As more accessible formats like WP4 develop and grow across the globe, we expect our portable goals and fields to play a key role in supporting more people to experience the joy of sport in many more breathtaking locations.”

Video: Rhode Island Water Polo Tournament 2026 highlights