Water Polo Championships
ESSA Water Polo
The ESSA has been providing an opportunity for all schools in England to actively engage in competitive water polo since 1976. Water polo has become increasingly popular within schools for boys, and now girls since 2003, and there are now a significant number of competitions that reflect this.
Both boys’ and girls’ groups compete at U18, U15 and U13 age groups. The first phase of preliminary competitions is mostly regionalised.
Following this preliminary phase the U18 and U15 age groups split into three levels;
- the ‘Championship’, where the elite schools compete for the national title,
- the ‘Plate’ where the intermediate schools compete for their national title, and
- the ‘Bowl’ where the developing schools compete for their national title.
All schools enter the ‘Championship’ competition in the preliminary phase and it is then hoped that subsequent phases are a ‘standard appropriate’ level of competition for all competing schools. The U13 ‘Championship’ competition for both boys and girls is regionalised during the preliminary phase of competition.
The second phase of this competition takes into consideration the results from the preliminary phase, whilst still providing an opportunity for all competing schools to qualify for the ‘Championship’ final and compete for the national title.
Cadet competitions aim to attract new players into competitive water polo and to retain them. A school cannot enter a Championship team, and also a Cadet team, with the same pupils that have already competed in the Championship competition. There are now two age groups for the Cadet competition – U11 (Year 6 and below) and U13 (Year 8 and below). Teams can be single sex or mixed.
The Prince of Wales Cup (formerly the Duke of Cambridge Cup) is a one-day tournament for the best 60 boys and best 60 girls, nominated by schools and The Swim England Water Polo Talent Centres, from a specific age group (identified as at the start of the academic year by the ESSA Council). To be considered for this competition a pupil must attend School in England.
International honours can be achieved following selection by the ESSA Head Coach, usually at the Prince of Wales Cup (formerly the Duke of Cambridge Cup) one-day tournament and with support from the Swim England Talent Centre pathway.
Since 2015 International teams have represented the ESSA at tournaments in Malta, Hungary and in 2018 we welcomed Australia and Romania to England for a Home International tournament.
ESSA Australian Schools visiting tour 2018 Boys WP Team |
ESSA Australian Schools visiting tour 2018 Girls WP Team |
ESSA Water Polo 2024/25 Championships and Competitions
Entry information for the 2024/25 championships are now available below:
Entry this year is through on-line forms.
Open/Boys and Female (Mixed) https://forms.office.com/e/La8siJz2sJ Entry deadline Friday 7th September 2024
Female https://forms.office.com/e/iHKJRHUkr1 Entry deadline Friday 7th September 2024
Cadet https://forms.office.com/e/KYVvqASp6F Entry deadline Friday 7th March 2025
ESSA 2023/24 Finals Dates and Venues
| COMPETITION | DATE | VENUE 2023 ESSA Water Polo Finals | |
| U18 Boys Championship | Friday 22nd March | Liverpool Aquatic Centre, 3.30pm-9.00pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U18 Boys Plate | Monday 11th March | Eton College, 10.30am – 3.30pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U18 Boys Bowl | Monday 11th March | Eton College, 4.00pm-6.00pm | (4 teams, 6 Games) |
| U15 Boys/Mixed Championship | Wednesday 13th March | Haberdashers’ Boys’, 10.30am – 4.00pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U15 Boys/Mixed Plate | Tuesday 19th March | Northampton School for Boys, 9.00am – 2.00pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U15 Boys/Mixed Bowl | Tuesday 19th March | Northampton School for Boys, 2.30pm – 4.30pm | (4 teams, 6 Games) |
| U18 Girls Championship | Friday 22nd March | Liverpool Aquatic Centre, 3.30pm-9.00pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U18 Girls Plate | Monday 18th March | Marlborough College, 11.30pm – 4.30pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U15 Girls Championship | Tuesday 21st March | Northampton School for Boys, 10.30am – 4.00pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U13 Girls Championship | Wednesday 15th May | Northampton School for Boys, 11.00am – 4.30pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |
| U13 Boys/Mixed Championship | Thursday 16th May | Northampton School for Boys, 11.00am – 4.30pm | (6 teams, 11 Games) |