Northwest Water Polo
SSSL Water Polo
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League Information - FAQs
What is the league?Who is eligible to play?
How old do you have to be to play?
Do the regular season games determine who makes the playoffs?
What age groups can a player compete in?
What divisions are there?
How is the game schedule determined?
Is there an All City Champion or other awards?
How are the games officiated?
Where do I go if I have questions or concerns about the league?
What is the league
The league started about 10 years ago to bring the exciting sport of water polo to the area. It is comprised of six teams from the northern section of the summer swim league and four teams from the south. The emphasis of the league is strictly on having fun, teaching skills and providing opportunities for enjoyable competition.
Who is eligible to play?
Each team sets its own membership rules. Some restrict players to pool members only, while others are open to those who are not members of the pool. The only league requirement is that any player that belongs to either a Seattle or Midlakes pool that offers water polo, must play with that pool's team. You cannot belong to one club that offers the sport but play with another club.
The only qualification to this rule is that members of a Seattle summer league pool without water polo are restricted to regular season games - they cannot participate in the playoffs or championship games. This limitation exists to provide an incentive for the development of water polo programs at all the summer league pools.
How old do you have to be to play?
Again, each team decides how young the players can start. The age for determining a player's age group is their age as of June 15th. That means that June 15th is the worst possible birthday, while June 16th is the best. On the older end, the league is open to all players through the summer after they graduate from high school as long as they are not older than 19.
Do the regular season games determine who makes the playoffs?
No, playoffs are open to all teams. The only requirement is that each team must compete at least twice during the regular season. To meet this requirement, a team fielded in a division (10 & unders, 12 & unders, etc.) must have at least six players for the game. Fewer players will count as a forfeit and will not be counted towards the two-game requirement. The purpose of this rule is to encourage participation and prevent the entry into the championships of teams that have not really been a part of the league. A forfeit, however, does not mean the game will not be played. Usually, players from other teams fill the holes so that everyone gets a chance to compete. The regular season record will be used to determine seeding in the playoffs.
What age groups can a player compete in?
Because numbers are sometimes low, many players end up playing in their own age group and sometimes in the older groups as well (for example, a 10-year-old playing in the 12 & under or even 14 & unders). Unfortunately, this is often necessary so that games can be played. The league encourages players to only play up one division, but recognizes that sometimes this is impossible. During championship week, however, this is a requirement. This is not to punish younger players but to improve the quality of the play for the older age groups and to make sure that smaller, younger players are not hurt.
What divisions are there?
Each year, it seems to expand. Currently, there are coed divisions for 10 & unders, 12 & unders, 14 & unders and 18 & unders. There are also girls-only divisions for all of these except the 10 & unders. We do however, play a limited number of games for the 8 & unders and 10 & under girls.
How is the games schedule determined?
Generally, the older age-groups (14 & under, 18 & under) play Thursday evenings and the younger groups on Friday morning in the north and Saturday morning in the south. Check the league website for details. Each Sunday, we try to have the schedule for the week posted on the website. The reason it is not done sooner is that some weeks clubs can field certain teams and other weeks they cannot (vacations, camps, etc.). So, the schedule has to adapt to these changes.
Is there an All City Champion or other awards?
Ribbons are provided during championships for the top four teams. Individual trophies go to the winner of each division. Additionally, there is a large, rotating trophy for the winner of each division. New this year, we will crown an All City Champion. This will be determined by assigning points to the first through fourth place teams in each division (kind of like a swim meet). Then, we will total them up and crown a champion.
How are the games officiated?
First off, realize that the game of water polo is probably the most difficult game on the planet to referee because it is a contact sport in which nearly all the contact takes place below the surface of the water. That said, we do our best to create a safe, controlled game. For the younger divisions, we use a combination of coaches and high school players to officiate the games and call them tightly. In the older divisions, we hire some high school referees as the schedule permits and supplement that with coaches.
For information on the game and some insight into how the referees call the game you can see the links at our website.
Where do I go if I have questions or concerns about the league?
The best place to go for all league related info is our website, http://www.northwestwaterpolo.com/SSSL/.
To contact the league president, email Thor Tyson at thortyson@comcast.net