Water Polo ACT

Day 1 Complete ✅🤽‍♂️

A fantastic first day of our WPACT Referee Mentor Program is in the books! 👏

The day kicked off with World Aquatics World Cup referee Ash Kaesler, who shared her journey through refereeing and spoke about the experiences and opportunities the sport has provided throughout her career. 🌏

Participants then heard from AWL coach, AWL referee and NCAA referee Dragan Bakic, who covered the fundamentals of refereeing while sharing his own experiences and practical advice for developing officials.

After lunch, everyone headed to Stromlo Pool for an on-deck practical session, where Ash and Dragan provided live feedback and mentoring as our junior referees officiated WPACT Representative Team training games. It was a great opportunity to put the morning’s discussions into practice. 💪

We were also excited to have our friends from All in Sport with us throughout the workshop, capturing both days on film to help create valuable training resources that can be used to support referee development into the future. 🎥

We’re already back underway for Day 2, with Dragan presenting on Game Management, followed by a session from FIFA World Cup referee Ben Williams on balancing officiating with work and life.

A huge thank you to Ash, Dragan, Ben, All in Sport, and all of our participants for making it such a successful weekend. We can’t wait to wrap up the workshop today! 🙌

Sponsor Spotlight – Tirs Studio 🏡

As the proud sponsor of the Water Polo ACT 14&U Competition for the fourth season in a row, TĪRS continues to support the next generation of water polo athletes across the ACT. 🤽‍♂️🤽‍♀️

Tirs Studio is a Canberra-based residential design practice focused on creating practical, creative, and well-considered design solutions for local homes.

Established in 2019 by Amy Williams and Ansis Eversons, Tirs Studio was formed to offer affordable yet engaging residential design for Canberra homeowners. From concept design through to approvals and construction documentation, Tirs Studio works closely with clients to create homes that are functional, affordable, and tailored to the way people live.

We’re proud to have Tirs Studio supporting our 14&U competition, helping provide opportunities for young athletes to develop their skills, enjoy the game, and continue their water polo journey.

🙌 If you’ve played in our 14&U Competition over the past four seasons, we’d love you to show your appreciation by commenting on or sharing this post to thank Tirs Studio for their ongoing support.

To learn more, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

WPACT Referee Mentor Program – This Weekend! 📣🤽‍♂️

Our WPACT Referee Mentor Program kicks off this weekend at the AIS and Stromlo Leisure Centre, bringing together current and aspiring referees for two days of learning, mentoring and practical development.

We’re excited to welcome an outstanding lineup of guest presenters:
🌍 Dragan Bakic – Program Lead, AWL & NCAA Referee
🌍 Ash Kaesler – Australian World Cup Referee
⚽ Ben Williams – Football Australia Referees Committee and assessing / instructing on the A-Leagues.

Across the weekend, participants will take part in:
✅ 2-day referee workshop
✅ Game assessments and individual feedback
✅ Video review and real game scenario training
✅ Presentation from World Aquatics referees
✅ Referee communication technology (headsets and video)
✅ Completion of WPA Referee Accreditation

The program is free and designed to support referees at every stage of their officiating career, from those just getting started through to experienced officials looking to continue their development.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend and helping grow the next generation of referees across the ACT 👏


📸 Anastasia Kachalkova

WPACT Rep Teams – Swim for Polo Program 🏊‍♂️🤽‍♀️

Attention all WPACT Representative Players & Reserves (13&U–17&U)! 📣

We’re excited to launch our Swim for Polo Program, delivered by swim specialists Regan Harrison and Cam Boland.

Designed specifically for representative water polo athletes, these weekly one-hour sessions will focus on improving swimming technique, efficiency and endurance to help take your game to the next level. 💪

Please note, these sessions are designed to complement your regular club swim sessions or external swimming squads, not replace them.

🗓️ Starts: Sunday 9 August 2026
⏰ Time: 8:30am
💲 Cost: $85 for Term 3

This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop your swimming in an environment tailored specifically for water polo athletes.

🏊 Places are limited, so don’t miss out!

🔗 Registrations are now open via the link in our bio.


📸 Anastasia Kachalkova

Expressions of Interest open for World Aquatics Water Polo 4x4 Open World Championships – Water Polo Australia Water Polo 4x4 is a new, fast-paced discipline featuring fewer players, a smaller field of play, faster transitions, increased scoring opportunities and

WPACT Takes on the World Cup Finals! 🤽‍♀️🤽‍♂️

The World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals brought some of the best players in the world to Sydney, and it was fantastic to see so many members of the Water Polo ACT community there to experience it firsthand 👏

From athletes and coaches to parents, volunteers and supporters, WPACT members were well represented throughout the week, cheering from the stands and helping make this one of the biggest international water polo events Australia has hosted since the Sydney Olympics 🇦🇺

A huge thank you to everyone who made the trip to Sydney to support the event and our Water Polo Australia Stingers and Sharks. Opportunities like these allow our community to experience the highest level of water polo up close and be inspired by the best athletes our sport has to offer 💚💛


📸 Anastasia Kachalkova

So close to the podium. Nowhere near finished 😤

Our Ord Minnett are just getting started 💚