City counts down to water polo first

COME mid-January, members of the Ballarat Water Polo Club will be back in the pool after a brief Christmas break, with their sights firstly set on the Victorian Country Championships at Albury in February.

There, Water Polo Victoria officials will be selecting talented athletes to represent the state in the 2026 Australian Country Water Polo Championships – which Ballarat will host over 6-9 May.

The keenly anticipated national event will be supported by Water Polo Queensland, in partnership with the City of Ballarat, and is expected to attract hundreds of participants and spectators to the region.

Hosting the national championships at Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre is a significant first for the city and will boost the sport’s profile locally, Ballarat Water Polo Club president Melinda Childs said.

“It’s a really exciting time for us because it just shows we have positioned ourself as a regional city that can host such a great event, and it gives exposure to our club,” Ms Childs said.

“We’re relatively new. We started a couple of years before COVID, but we have such a great facility. We can definitely host events like this.

“It’s probably one of the best facilities regionally for a water polo space in Victoria and it will be good to have some amazing athletes coming out here.”

Ms Childs said the Ballarat club has several athletes who are in the top level category and who will be likely contenders for selection as part of the Victorian team to compete in May.

The local club has men’s, women’s and junior divisions and trains Wednesday nights at BALC with juniors training from 7pm to 7.45pm and seniors from 7.30pm to 8.45pm.

“We play mixed tournaments and as a club we go to Geelong and play on a Monday night,” Ms Childs said.

“We welcome anyone. We are not a learn-to-swim program though. People should be able swim 100 metres freestyle and we teach everything else.

“It’s a great team sport. There’s a lot of strategy involved. It’s also a sport you can play for a long time. It’s a great workout and you’re not likely to do a knee.”

Initially known as the Ballarat Barbarians, the club more recently renamed as the Ballarat Belugas, a moniker which reflects its friendly spirit.

Those interested in joining can email [email protected] or attend training.