Winter classic brings beach water polo to popular Sydney beach

Friday night. The wind is howling and a polar blast is forecast to hit the Sydney coast in the morning. You might think plunging into the waters off Botany Bay for a beach water polo tournament would be the last thing on anyone’s mind, but for Scott Nicholson and the rest of the Beach Water Polo Fours tournament organisers, the icy forecast just added to the thrill.

Played last Saturday, in the midst of the Australian winter, the inaugural Beach Water Polo Fours Winter Classic saw 40 keen participants don their booties and wetsuits for a day of fast-paced four-a-side beach water polo action.

Matches were played using inflatable water polo fields and goals from Packaworld, and hot tubs were brought in to help players stay warm during downtime.

“The Packaworld goals and fields were quick to set up and the steaming hot tubs were the perfect spot for players to stay warm and watch the action,” Mr Nicholson said.

“We were expecting a lot of people to complain about the cold but it was the total opposite – we didn’t see a single person without a smile on their face all day. Fortunately, we had a perfect four-hour period for the tournament where the wind stopped and the sun was shining.”

Six mixed teams registered for the event, with players ranging from first timers through to Australian women’s team representatives fresh off their beach water polo bronze medal winning exploits at the FINA World Championships.

The all-women team ‘CHILL-dren at Heart’ emerged as the eventual winners, beating ‘Fired Up’ in a nail-biting penalty shootout. CHILL-dren at Heart included three Australian Beach Water Polo national team representatives and were deserving winners, Mr Nicholson said.

The Winter Classic also saw the debut of another Packaworld innovation – the Packanet – to stop wayward shots on goal and to provide additional support to portable beach water polo fields when they are used in strong winds.

Developed by Packaworld in consultation with Beach Water Polo Fours, the Packanet is an add-on that can keep beach water matches flowing.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said it was fantastic to be able to trial a new product at the tournament.

“We’ve worked with Beach Water Polo Fours to develop the Packanet and it was great to see it in action for the first time. The pop-up net serves two purposes – it helps to stop balls drifting away and it helps keep the shape of the field when exposed to high winds.”

Mr Roberts congratulated the players and organisers on an outstanding event and said he was looking forward to seeing the fields and goals being used at New South Wales beaches during the Beach Water Polo Fours summer series.

The next Beach Water Polo Fours event will take place on 26 October, during the Sand and Sea Festival at Jervis Bay, 2.5 hours’ drive south of Sydney.

PHOTO CREDITS: Beach Water Polo Fours

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