U16's

At Waikato Water Polo we have a strong Under 16 Boys and Girls team that competes in the Under 16 National Championships every year. As a club we welcome new and old players to the club and be part of the team to represent our region. To compete within the under-16 league, you must be 16 or Under as of midnight 31 December 2024.

Once registration for under-16s opens, we ask that all players interested register via the registration process - HERE.

2024 National Under 16 Tournament Dates/ Locations:

• Division 1: 3-6 October, Auckland
• Division 2: 28 September - 1 October 
  - Boys: Hawkes Bay
  - Girls: Rotorua

Team Entry:

• Division 1: Entries open 26 July
• Division 1: Entries close 24 August
• Division 2: Entries open 19 July
• Division 2: Entries open 17 August

Team and Player Eligibility:

• Players born on or before 1 January 2008

History of Under 16 National Championships in NZ

The Under 16 Club Nationals was first introduced in 1996 when it replaced the Under 16 Provincial Championships.
Previously all Champs were Provincial teams only except for the school events which had changed to Individual school events in 1986 some 10 years previously. The new Under 16 CLUB nationals were first held in Rotorua in 1996. They have subsequently been staged mainly in the Southern regions of Christchurch and Invercargill until the earthquakes changed the rotation system that was in place in 2011. Due to demand, the Division 2 event was added in the early 2000s.
The event was very popular and has now become more diverse among the growing number of clubs with a wider range of winners and medalists, especially from 2010 onwards.

Waikato has performed well at the championships within Div 1:

• 2023 - 
• 2022 - Boys 3rd, Girls 10th
• 2021 - Boys 6th, Girls 9th

Training

Trainings are held at Water World. Check out the current "events" calendar for all training sessions available. In May 2024 we have:

Boys

• U16 Boys:        Tuesdays, 6.00am - 8.00am
• Open training sessions: Wednesdays, 6.00pm - 7.30pm (welcome to attend)
• U16/18 Boys:   Wednesdays, 7.30pm - 9.00pm

Girls

• U16/ 18 Girls:   Tuesdays, 6.00pm - 7.30pm
• U16 Girls:         Wednesdays, 6.00am - 8.00am
• Open training sessions: Wednesdays, 6.00pm - 7.30pm (welcome to attend)