Swim England London

Aquatic sports in the London region

Water Polo in London

Water polo is a action-packed, exhillierating team sport which builds great camaraderie with your team mates. The game is made up of four quarters in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into their opponents’ goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match.

A team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper in the water at any one time. In addition to this, teams may have substitute field players and one substitute goalkeeper who are not in the water.

Water polo is typically played in a deep pool (usually at least 1.8 m deep). The players require stamina and endurance to play the game.

Water polo is a contact sport; minor fouls occur frequently and exclusion fouls (in which a player is suspended from the game for 20 seconds) are common.

Special equipment for water polo includes a water polo ball (which floats on the water), numbered and colored caps, and goals which are attached to the side of the pool.

The game consists of swimming (with and without the ball), using a special form of treading water known as the eggbeater kick, throwing, catching, and shooting the ball. All this must be done using a single hand.

Find out more about water polo on Swim England’s Water Polo Hub.

Get involved with water polo in London

There are more than 20 Swim England clubs who play water polo in London, across a wide range of age groups and abilities.

Anyone wishing to get into Water Polo Coaching needs to first gain the relevant coaching qualifications which can be done through the IoS (Institute of Swimming).

 
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