NWPL Review Report Final

Review of the Australian Water Polo Inc.
National Water Polo League
Jackie Fairweather, Senior Sports Consultant, Organisational Development December 2010
The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that manages, develops and invests in sport at all levels. It was established in 1985 and operates under the Australian Sports Commission Act 1989. The Commissions national leadership role is achieved through the six operational areas: the Australian Institute of Sport, Sport Development, System Leadership, Community Sport, Commercial and Facilities, and Corporate Services. The Australian Sports Commission forms part of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio.
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Australian Sports Commission 2010
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Table of contents
Table of contents .............................................................................................................. 2 Executive summary ......................................................................................................... 4 The review process .......................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 10 Findings and recommendations................................................................................. 13 Aims and Objectives of the NWPL.......................................................................... 13
Original aims Current objectives Recommendation 1 13 13 15
Pathway role and alignment .................................................................................... 16

Competition Pathway Recommendation 2 Athlete development pathway Recommendation 3 Coaching pathway Recommendation 4 Recommendation 5 Official/referee pathway Recommendation 6 16 17 18 20 21 22 22 22 23
Issues and impediments to change ....................................................................... 24

Number and spread of members and clubs Resources Capacity of state bodies Pool space/ water access 24 25 26 26
Structure of the NWPL .............................................................................................. 27

Quality and competitiveness Recommendation 7 Timing of the League Recommendation 8 Maximisation of resources Recommendation 9 Recommendation 10 Options for NWPL structure Recommendation 11 Recommendation 12 27 31 32 32 33 34 34 35 39 39
Promotion and marketing......................................................................................... 40

Recommendation 13 40
Governance and Management................................................................................. 41

Recommendation 14 Recommendation 15 Recommendation 16 43 43 43
Appendix A: Scope and terms of reference ............................................................. 44
Review of the Australian National Water Polo League
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Appendix B: List of stakeholders interviewed......................................................... 47 Appendix C: List of attendees at the NWPL workshop .......................................... 49 Appendix D: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) ......... 50 Appendix E: Benchmarking of comparison sport national leagues ................... 51
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Executive summary
The National Water Polo League (NWPL) was created in 1990 as high level competition to prepare the national mens team for international competition. The League has evolved and expanded since that time and a womens competition was added in 2004. There are now 12 NWPL Clubs each with both a mens and a womens team. The competition is a two round, home and away (modified for cost effectiveness) format, conducted over a three month period, with a six team finals tournament usually held in April. The NWPL has now become an integral part of Water Polo in Australia, encompassing the development of athletes, coaches, referees, administrators and clubs, as well as being a key part of preparation for both mens and womens national teams. For many years the League was run with minimal input from Australian Water Polo Inc (AWPI), and the Clubs that made up the League defined and shaped it as its own entity. The human, financial and structural resources that the Clubs provide to be part of the League are now a significant asset to the sport and would be very difficult to replace. From around 2005 AWPI increased its involvement in the NWPL to have more input into the Leagues broader role within the sport. Five years on it was identified that a thorough, objective and strategic review of the NWPL was necessary in order to identify how to best optimise and integrate the NWPL as part of the sports development pathways. The purpose of this review then was to define the aims and objectives of the NWPL and make recommendations on the optimal competition structure, timing, management and delivery of the League within the context of the sport as a whole. Overall it was found that the NWPL is well run and highly valued by most clubs, athletes, coaches and officials within the sport. Consensus was strong that the aim of the League should be both to provide a vehicle for broad development of high performance athletes, as well as being a key part of national team preparation. The NWPL effectively fills a number of roles, at various stages of progression, along the athlete development pathway. Throughout the review process various models were discussed and analysed as to the best structure of the League going forward. The timing, structure and format of the League were generally seen as working well given the evolution, culture, status quo and challenges of the sport. While there was some conjecture about moving away from the current club-based competition, the conclusion was that reducing, limiting, quelling the NWPL Clubs and the passion, energy and resources they bring to the sport, would only be detrimental. The overwhelming sense throughout the review was the existence of a strong culture of striving for excellence, from NWPL Clubs through to national team programs. The finding of the review then, was the need to enhance and enable this culture of excellence by implementing a framework to support this. A key recommendation for the delivery of the NWPL going forward is a new Club Licensing system that inherently provides aspiration and guidance for improving both the NWPL and the clubs that compete in it. In addition the main areas of enhancement to ensure evolution and improved quality of the League were identified as: Improved leadership and direction from AWPI, with a commitment to run the highest quality domestic league possible, in partnership with the NWPL Clubs. The need for a dedicated General Manager of the NWPL to ensure the League is truly an integrated part of the sport as a whole, with this person facilitating quality partnerships and relationships, as well as managing League logistics.
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Improved governance, decision making and accountability for the NWPL. The need to better define the requirements of athlete development along the pathway and then to align coaches and deliverers (Clubs, National Training Centre programs, and National programs) to ensure training requirements are appropriately and effectively provided for athletes. Clarification of roles and responsibilities for various stakeholders within the high performance system, including the NWPL Clubs and their coaches. Improved coach and referee development pathways and support. Optimisation of resourcing and risk management to ensure the NWPL Clubs, and therefore the League as a whole, remains viable. Standards and guidelines of best practice that form a structure and framework to enable excellence in all aspects of the League. The need for ongoing monitoring, evaluation, flexibility and refinement to ensure the NWPL continues to meet the needs of the sport. The following recommendations are designed to evolve the NWPL to a higher standard so that it delivers its key aims as part of a truly coordinated and cohesive national high performance system. While the League is already well respected both within and outside the sport, it has the potential to rise to a new standard of excellence and provide a platform for the development of athletes capable of creating sustained international success for Australian Water Polo. Recommendation 1 Aims and objectives That AWPI clearly articulate the core aim of the NWPL and then determine well defined and measurable objectives to ensure achievement of the aim. This aim should encompass: provision of the highest quality national competition, to offer aspiration and opportunity for developing athletes, as well as being an environment to develop and prepare national team athletes for the international stage. Recommendation 2 Competition pathway To enhance the competition pathway, it is recommended that: a) All states with involvement in the NWPL accept the AWPI direction and align their first grade competitions to the new Premier League structure, running from October to December (or as appropriate to feed into the NWPL season). a) The National U18 competition should be state-based to provide the link between broad based under age competition and the National Training Centre programs, but with allowance for the stronger states to field more than one team. Recommendation 3 Athlete development pathway Under the direction of the National Head Coaches (eventually the National Technical Director), NTC and NWPL coaches collectively work towards enhancing the athlete development pathway by coordinating athlete training and competition loads through: a) Agreed roles and minimum standards around quality, quantity and type of training to be delivered by each level of coach at various times of the year; b) Development of communication, information sharing and athlete tracking systems across National Squad, NTC and NWPL Clubs;
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c) Consideration of restricting junior athletes to one age group rather than multiple; d) Working towards the development of a national player development framework including curriculum and testing protocols which can be used throughout the sport to inform the progression of development for all athletes. Recommendation 4 Club coach standards That it be a requirement of all NWPL Clubs to engage dedicated professional coaches of a minimum standard (i.e. minimum but high level of education and experience). Recommendation 5 Coaching pathway In order to improve the clarity and quality of the coaching pathway and optimise athlete development, a coach development strategy be created to communicate, coordinate and share information; mentor aspiring coaches; and actively recruit players to coaching. Recommendation 6 Referee pathway That AWPI support (with appropriate resourcing) plans, through the Australian Referees Commission, to implement a structured referee pathway of recruitment, development, assessment and guidance of technical delegates and referees, delivered primarily through the NWPL. Recommendation 7- NWPL and Club measures and standards To ensure that the NWPL is of the highest possible quality and competitiveness, quantitative and qualitative measures and standards should be established. These should then be used to provide evidence for any decisions on rule and/or structural changes to the League. Further, all Clubs should be treated equally with regards rules (including imports and transfers) and the guiding principle should be lifting all Clubs towards excellence and the highest common denominator, rather than limiting Clubs to a lower standard. Recommendation 8 Timing of the League The timing of the NWPL within the annual calendar is generally considered to be appropriate, however it is recommended that the Leagues manager consult with the National Head Coaches to ensure that the needs of the national teams are considered, with any adjustments to NWPL timing communicated to the Clubs well in advance. Recommendation 9 Roles and responsibilities That clear roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and inter-relationships be established for all high performance programs, partners and for the NWPL. Under the direction and coordination of the National Technical Director (with input from the NHCs), these should then be communicated and implemented through the SIS/SAS and NWPL coaches. Recommendation 10 Resourcing To support the viability and sustainability of Clubs, AWPI create mechanisms to identify best practices and ideas around the maximisation of resourcing for NWPL Clubs. These should then be used to generate models, standards and/or guidelines, to assist Club operations in areas such as optimising fund raising, valuing and retaining volunteers, and accessing of additional resources such as IT and media support Recommendation 11 Licensing Upon expiration of the current Team Agreements (30/06/11), AWPI create a new club licensing system with the following fundamentals:
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a)
A quota of Licences allocated per state (initially equal to current NWPL Clubs);
b) Clubs to bid for Licences based on strict eligibility standards; c) Allocation of Licences is reviewed and open to bids every two years; d) Regular review (and raising) of minimum and best practice standards; e) All underpinned by a NWPL Business Plan based on the aims and objectives of the League, and setting a clear vision and direction for clubs and the sport. Recommendation 12 - Structure That the structure and format of the NWPL should stay the same for the next two years (i.e. 12 team, two round, modified home and away), however the finals format should be modified to ensure the top two teams from the regular season gain some advantage from their performance. Recommendation 13 Promotion and marketing That AWPI as part of the creation of business models and best practice standard for the NWPL and Clubs, include strategies and standards for marketing and promotion of the sport. Recommendation 14 NWPL General Manager That AWPI employ an appropriately qualified, full time General Manager, reporting to the CEO, with the responsibility and accountability to lead, plan and run the NWPL. Recommendation 15 NWPL Commission AWPI create a renewed NWPL Commission consisting of four non-representative Commissioners, elected for four year terms (staggered two year, half board elections) by the NWPL Forum. The NWPL GM shall be the fifth member of the Commission. This Commission shall have the power to: oversee and determine the structure of the League; oversee and determine the licensing parameters, standards, allocations and approvals; and support the GM role and inform the AWPI Board. Recommendation 16 NWPL Forum That the structure and function of the AWPI Forum be amended to include representatives of each NWPL Team, male and female; a representative from each of the seven SSOs; and one from AWPI (32 in total). The function of the Forum shall be to: accept nominations and then vote for the NWPL Commissioners; approve the NWPL budget and Club contribution; and raise and discuss issues, ideas and innovations for the League, to be acted on by the GM, with the support of the NWPL Commission.
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The review process

In mid 2010 the Board of Australian Water Polo Incorporated (AWPI) directed the Chief Executive to oversee a comprehensive review of the flagship Australian domestic competition, the National Water Polo League (NWPL). Subsequent to the 2010 NWPL Clubs Forum in August 2010, the AWPI Chief Executive approached the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) requesting that the review be undertaken by an independent expert provided by the ASC. The NWPL, which began in 1990 as a competition to prepare the Australian (mens) team to play in Europe, now plays an integral role in the high performance athlete, coach and officials pathway for Australian Water Polo. The league has evolved and expanded (with a womens competition introduced in 2004), however despite intent to review the role and structure of the league after the first three years, no formal review has ever been undertaken. The purpose of the review was thus stated as: To define and confirm the aims and objectives of the National Water Polo League and its role in the athlete development pathway of Australian Water Polo Inc. Then in order to achieve these objectives, the review will assess and make recommendations on the optimal competition structure, timing, management and overall delivery of the league. The full scope and terms of reference for the review are attached at Appendix A. The AWPI Board originally formed a Review Terms of Reference Committee to oversee the review. A representative from the ASC was added to this group, which became the review Steering Committee (members are listed within the terms of reference at Appendix A). A working group was also established, which consisted of the reviewer, Jackie Fairweather (Senior Sports Analyst, Organisational Development, ASC); Wanda Sipa, the ASCs senior sport consulltant working with Water Polo; and Peter Hobday from AWPI. Wanda and Peter provided the necessary background information and contacts for the review. The review commenced in September with background information gathered including NWPL history, statistics, agreements, handbook, meeting minutes and other relevant documents concerning the League, in addition to applicable information about the AWPI high performance system in general. On 20th September 2010 the review was announced on the AWPI website and by direct email to relevant stakeholders. Between 23 September and 4 November 2010, 60 interviews were conducted with a total of 74 individuals. Most were face to face, but a small number (9) were by teleconference. The interviewees included representatives from every NWPL Club, the national coaches, key AWPI staff and Board members, NWPL Commissioners and review steering committee members, representatives from state and territory associations and institutes/academies including the institute/academy coaches, as well as several athlete representatives. A list of those stakeholders interviewed is at Appendix B. In addition, general interested Water Polo stakeholders were invited to send in a submission, of which six were received. After the collation of all information from the stakeholder consultations, on 24th November a workshop was conducted in Canberra. The workshop included a diverse group of 12 stakeholders from across Water Polo (plus four observers from AWPI and ASC). The group was not meant to be representative of any Club or State, rather
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participants were chosen to ensure robust discussion encompassing a wide range of views and ideas. The list of attendees is at Appendix C. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the NWPL was compiled from information gathered during the review process. This SWOT analysis is at Appendix D and was used at the workshop and in the writing of the report as a background for forming recommendations. Also discussed at the workshop were: Aims, objectives and role of the NWPL; Key issues to be addressed; Impediments to change; Options and considerations for the NWPL; and Requirements/ parameters essential for NWPL teams. Subsequent to the workshop, all information was collated and this report was produced (and approved by the steering committee) with recommendations to enhance the NWPL as part of the national high performance system for water polo into the future.
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Introduction
While Water Polo in Australia is a relatively small sport in terms of participant numbers and media presence, it upholds Australias proud tradition of success in team sports. The 1948 mens Water Polo team was the first to represent Australia in a mainstream Olympic team sport. Since those Games, the Australian mens Water Polo team has qualified for all but one Olympic tournament, with the highest result being 5th in both Los Angeles (1984) and Barcelona (1992). At World Championships the teams highest placing is 4th (1998). Their best major international result was a bronze medal in the 1993 World Cup. The biggest win for a mens team was victory at the World Student Games in 2009. They are consistently in the mix of the top 8-10 teams in the world, against nations where Water Polo is well and truly a major sport. The womens game internationally has a much shorter history however the Australian Womens Water Polo team has been one of the most successful in the world over the last 25 years. The Australian team won both the inaugural World Championship in Madrid, 1986 and the inaugural Olympic Games in Sydney, 2000. They have subsequently won a silver (2007) and a bronze (1998) at World Championships; and placed 4th and 3rd in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, respectively. At the FINA World Cup (held every 2-4 years since 1979) Australia has won 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals, with only the Netherlands having been more successful. The National Water Polo League was established in 1990 primarily to provide more highlevel competition for the best players in our country to enable the National (mens) team to prepare for international competition. The Australian Sports Commission provided seed funding of $100,000 per year for the first three years. The early aims of the NWPL were stated as: 1. Provide high level, competitive matches in Australia during a period prior to the national teams leaving for the European summer. 2. Provide a vehicle for improving the profile of Water Polo within Australia by conducting a national competition over an extended period, played at as many venues as possible. 3. To give more talented players an opportunity to compete in the national arena by encouraging teams which represent population centres of approximately the same size: this instead of the broad entity: states. And as quoted from the 1993 NWPL Handbook: Coach of the Australian National Water Polo team, Charles Turner, has thrown his support behind the concept of the National League competition now in its third year. Turner believes it will be the main area many of Australias future young Water Polo players will develop from to the National team. He went on to say: Having the local National League is a tremendous benefit to the National team because were able to go overseas and be ready to play international standard Water Polo rather than it was in the past, when weve gone overseas in June-July, and the fellas havent played a hard match for two or three months. This has made it difficult with preparations. Besides, its wasting time and money. The League initially consisted of nine teams, with ten by year three, and has had between nine and twelve teams since that time (now capped at 12). Year one had teams from
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Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart and Perth; two teams from Melbourne and three from Sydney. By year three Hobart had been replaced by Adelaide and Perth had two teams. Since 2008 there have twelve teams: five from Sydney, one from Newcastle/Hunter region, two each from Brisbane and Perth, and one each from Melbourne and Adelaide. Teams in the League are referred to as NWPL Clubs even though only half of the teams are true stand-alone club teams. The others are either state teams (VIC and SA) or composite teams formed from three to four underpinning clubs. From the very beginning of the League this was the case with teams being a mix of pure club-based teams and state teams. Each NWPL Club now provides a team to both the mens and the womens Leagues. The presence of the NWPL initially added 90 high standard matches played across 10 weekend mini-tournaments. This added to the existing 20 national interstate championship games and the approximately 28 games played during the national interclub championships. The national interstate championships were suspended from 1995, due to the disparity in competitiveness between the states and in effect being superseded by the successful solution provided through the NWPL. The national interclub championships ceased after 1990, the first year of the NWPL. It continued to be held for women until being replaced by the commencement of the womens League in 2004. Since 2008, with the NWPL including 12 teams in both mens and womens concurrent competitions, there are 264 games in each competition (two rounds), plus a finals tournament. In the early years the League was played in (early) winter, right before the international season, but changes in the international calendar, along with a request from NWPL teams, saw the competition move back to earlier in the year from the late 1990s. Apart from the first three years when seed funding was provided from the ASC, and a further year of bridge funding from AWPI, the League has been self funded by the participating teams. Funding models vary considerably across the Clubs from sponsorship and benefactors, to active fundraising, through to the players themselves paying up to $2500 each per season to play. All Clubs contribute to a centralised pool, administered by AWPI, from which airfares (equalised across all Clubs), referees and administration are funded. In addition Clubs pay for accommodation, ground transport, pool hire and any costs associated with hosting rounds. Most Clubs now make some payment towards professional coaching of the teams. The total cost for each team in the League is reportedly a minimum of $35,000 per season. There have essentially been three phases in the evolution of the League, each under different management structures and personnel. During the first period (1990 1996) the NWPL was very much run by AWPI as a vehicle to prepare the Australian team for international competition. It was funded by ASC and AWPI with minimal cost to Clubs and a General Manager (GM) was employed by AWPI to run the League. From around 1996/97 there were a number of changes that resulted in the NWPL functionally, although informally, separating from AWPI. The end of the ASCs seed funding and the need for Clubs to be self-funding, coincided with a new GM who although still officially employed by AWPI, was effectively seen as funded by the Clubs through their contribution to the central pool. During this period the structure of the competition changed from weekend tournaments to home and away and the responsibility for the success of the League subtly but strongly shifted to the Clubs. The change in timing of the League was driven by the need of Clubs to maximise resources such as volunteers, coaches and referees, as well as pool access all easier to do in the summer months.
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Subsequently the GM worked directly with the Clubs and the Club culture and their sense of ownership of the NWPL grew. The third phase coincided with two significant changes in 2004. One was the loss of the AIS mens Water Polo program and the other was the introduction of womens teams into the League. With now twice the number of teams, the management and the governance (through the Clubs) of the League became more complex. Even though there were increasing numbers of mens national team players getting opportunities to play in quality European leagues, the loss of the AIS program meant a revitalisation of the importance of the NWPL to the development and preparation of the mens national team. From 2005 AWPI made changes to take back ownership of the NWPL, with the administration of the League brought back in-house, managed by the AWPI Operations Manager as part of his broader role. In mid 2006, effective for the 2007 season, each of the Clubs signed an Agreement to Participate with AWPI. This MOU set out the roles and responsibilities of the Clubs and AWPI, with the aim of formalising the structure and raising the professionalism of the League. The agreement essentially gave the Clubs a licence to be part of the League for a five year period ending 30 June 2011. Notwithstanding the changes and challenges associated with conducting the NWPL over the years, the sustainability of the competition is a testament to the many passionate and dedicated people involved, particularly at Club level. All Australian (amateur) team sports facing the same issues: a) large/strong Vs small/weaker states; b) the cost and logistics of travel within our vast but sparsely populated country; and c) limited resources. The NWPL is very highly regarded within the Australian sporting industry for its tackling of these issues. The longevity, structure, resourcing and cost-effectiveness, player development opportunities and even competitiveness of the NWPL are all considered enviable characteristics of the League. Further, it has become a vital part of the competition and athlete pathway in Water Polo. There is however, always room for continuous improvement and progression. With the end of the current team agreements nearing, this review is an opportunity to appraise the evolution and development of the NWPL and ensure that the future is optimal for all stakeholders. To this end the review considers the history and changing dynamics of the League over the past 21 years. It is important for the future to firstly revisit and clarify the aims and objectives of the NWPL, considering the needs of the national high performance program (including national team programs, under age teams and squads and National Training Centre (NTC) programs), the NWPL Clubs, and most importantly, the desired outcomes for the sport as a whole. The review is also timely with both participants and funding bodies demanding an ever increasing need for sports to deliver a quality and professional product. The review is an opportunity to ensure the NWPL continues to evolve in quality, competitiveness and overall excellence, while remaining sustainable, cost effective and maximising available resources. In order to do this the review considers key factors such as the place and alignment of the League in the athlete/coach/referee pathways; optimal structure and timing; governance and management; and overall delivery. Ultimately the review is about ensuring that the NWPL meets the needs of key stakeholders, and while being considerate of history, context and any limitations, produces the desired outcomes for Water Polo in Australia.
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Findings and recommendations

Aims and Objectives of the NWPL
Original aims
As outlined in the introduction, the original aim of the NWPL was to prepare the Australian (mens) teams for international competition. The previous national womens coach (prior to 2004) did not consider a NWPL as necessary for the preparation of the womens team. From very early on the second and third aims (as above) were: a national competition, played at as many venues as possible as a vehicle for improving the profile of Water Polo; and to provide more opportunities for talented players. Part of this third aim was encouraging teams from similar sized population centres rather than states as such, thus providing more evenly matched teams presumably by targeting similar sized player pools. While the overall aim of the high performance system in Water Polo is undoubtedly the quality and success of the national teams, the question to be asked is what role the NWPL now plays in achieving this success. Indeed it can be argued that despite an early lift in performances, the mens world ranking has not improved significantly since the introduction of the NWPL. This would be a simplistic view however, given the multitude of contributing factors in the constantly changing environment of international competition. The NWPL has had limited success in achieving the second and third aims. Despite some TV coverage in the late 1990s, when the NWPL produced its own package for TV, the League has not been the vehicle for promotion that many would have hoped. While there is still potential, this has not been capitalised upon for various reasons. The League has certainly provided more opportunities for a greater number of talented players however the ability of small states and regional areas to field competitive teams in the League is a significant challenge.
Current objectives
The current objectives of the NWPL, as listed in the existing Agreement to Participate are as follows: The Competition will be a core program and an integral part of the high performance athlete and officials pathway within Australian Water Polo Inc. The Competition will be a core program and an integral part of the high performance athlete and officials pathway within QWPI, NSWWPI, ACTWPI, VWPI, SAWPI, WAWPI, [Ed: not TWPI?] The Competition will remain a core program provided for the benefit of members of water polo associations across Australia while it is economically viable. The Competition is funded from members fees, player contributions, sponsorships, government contributions and gate takings and strives to keep the members contributions to a minimum. The Competition is designed to provide an opportunity for talented water polo players to express and develop their talent at the penultimate level of water polo excellence.
The Competition is a non-profit water polo competition and aims to be revenue neutral whilst minimising costs to participants. The Competition aims to present itself as a professionally run organisation. The Competition aims to provide an environment in which participants can develop their life skills. The competition aims to promote an environment of understanding, tolerance and respect to all participants. While all of these objectives are noble and reasonable at face value, in a practical sense they are neither measurable nor well defined and are therefore not true objectives. For example, the first three talk about the NWPL as a core program and an integral part of the high performance pathway, but give no context or indication of what part(s) of the pathway the League fills, how it links to the overall high performance program, or what role each of the entities listed fills. Some of the other objectives are merely aspirational statements, not objectives. In short it is impossible to objectively assess the quality of the League and its effectiveness in achieving the stated objectives. The key objectives should be designed to provide the definition of what success (for the NWPL) looks like. They are a breakdown of smaller-pieced key items that, if all are achieved, will ensure the League achieves its aims. The aims in turn should support AWPIs Strategic Plan. Currently there is no statement of the overall aim(s) of the NWPL. It is essential to first define and clarify the aim of the League, i.e. what role it aims to play within the sport. The current AWPI Strategic Plan provides limited direction here, as the NWPL is listed under the Key Result Area (KRA) of Operations and the key performance indicator is simple and somewhat vague: The National League is strengthened as an important stepping stone to National teams. The major question as part of this review is whether the aim of the NWPL is direct preparation for the national teams or a broader part of the pathway towards national teams. The Strategic Plan would indicate the latter. Similarly the Strategic Plan lists the NWPL separate from either the Participation or High Performance KRA, so presumably it is neither, or both. As part of the KRA of Operations, it is seen by AWPI as an activity, but the only indication of where it sits on the pathways continuum between participation and elite, is the statement that it is a stepping stone toward national teams. The question of the aim(s) of the NWPL was canvassed throughout the review consultation phase and further discussed at the NWPL workshop. Some of the comments on what the aim of the League should be included: To conduct the highest level of competition possible in Australia. Pure high performance (highest quality) Vs exposure and opportunities for a broader pool of athletes... which, or both and how to balance? Dual role of: aspiration and opportunity for developing athletes; and competition, experimentation and training for national team preparation. Good competition for national players in the off season. Player development, exposure, opportunity... The NWPL provides: o junior player development through opportunity and exposure to senior players; o late developers the opportunity to stay in the game and develop; o national team/squad athletes exposure to the experience of older, retired national players; o the opportunity to retain players who would otherwise be lost under a purely state based system (which gives the league added depth).
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To improve standards of water polo and give players exposure to the best players, coaches and referees. Vital pathway for selection into the national team provides an opportunity for National Coaches and selectors to see the players over the season. Experience with travel, multiple games, team bonding. Elite club competition which produces players for the national team, but not a vehicle to directly prepare the national team for international competition. Needs to provide broad player development without losing the flagship competition and opportunities to promote the game. The National League should belong to everyone who plays water polo in Australia, not just the 12 Clubs. To develop the sport and to produce elite athletes. The purpose is no longer to directly prepare the national team but rather is a development league to provide opportunity, pathway and incentive. The overall theme of the responses was similar and in effect the NWPL has come to encompass all of the points above. At the Workshop there was general agreement with the above points. It is clear that the NWPL plays an important role in the preparation of National Team, but it is only one part of the overall preparation within a periodised annual plan. The NWPL has come to play an important role as the competition component in preparing players to become part of the National Team. That is, it is a vehicle for developing players with the skills, experience and competencies to become high quality contributors to internationally successful Australian Water Polo teams. Ensuring the players who do not ultimately make the national team, are also of the highest possible quality (through the opportunities the League provides) is also important for the overall health of the League, the sport and the national team. So although the NWPL is no longer simply a competition to prepare the national team to compete overseas, it still needs to strive for highest standards in the provision of opportunities for a broad range of players to develop to their potential. Thus it is suggested that the aim of the NWPL could be best summarised as follows: The aim of the NWPL is to provide the best possible national competition, offering aspiration and opportunity for developing athletes, as well as being an environment to develop and prepare national team athletes for the international stage. It must be emphasised that in order to fulfil this aim, the NWPL must be linked to other parts of the pathway and aligned with athlete development programs (state and national squads and NTC programs); coach development and official/referee development. It is essential for optimal athlete development and the achievement of international success, that the competition, coaching and official pathways support the needs of each stage of athlete development. The objectives of the NWPL should reflect how the League will do this in order to achieve its aims and support the overall AWPI strategic plan.
Recommendation 1
That AWPI clearly articulate the core aim of the NWPL and then determine well defined and measurable objectives to ensure achievement of the aim. This aim should encompass: provision of the highest quality national competition, to offer aspiration and opportunity for developing athletes, as well as being an environment to develop and prepare national team athletes for the international stage.
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Pathway role and alignment

The NWPL has become an integral part of Water Polo in Australia. From NWPL Club to state to national level, it is the flagship competition and a critical part of the pathway for athlete, coach, referee and administrator development. In order for the sport to continue to evolve and achieve excellence (in both high performance and delivery of participant needs) it is important that the role of the NWPL (within the competition pathway and alongside the other pathways) is further defined with all pathways being aligned and complimentary. High performance
Comp pathway
Athlete pathway
Coach & Referee pathways
Participant base
Competition Pathway
The current competition pathway in Water Polo is clear, with a full range of under-age competitions and also state-based grade competition leading into the National League (see Figure 1 in the next section). The two biggest issues to emerge from the review regarding the competition pathway were: a) the role of club versus state based teams at various levels of the pathway; and b) the impact of the NWPL on state first grade competitions. At U14 and U16 level, national championships consist of club teams. The U16 championship has only recently changed to club based and this had been deemed very successful. The advantage of club based teams is that the national championship is a real goal for clubs around the country. As a result it inspires the clubs to develop their juniors and also ensures that young players dont become discouraged and leave the sport too early because they miss selection in a state team. It also avoids the problem of the larger states dominating and makes for a more even competition. At the moment there is debate occurring over whether the U18 national championships should be club or state based and both sides of the argument have merit. It is a critical age for retaining players in the sport (as they finish school), so narrowing the funnel too quickly from the broader base of U16s is dangerous. However it is arguably time to start to separate high performers from participants by selecting state teams, with the incentive and recognition that this provides. As a state based competition it would also be the link between under age competition and the NTC program. Inclusion of more than one team from the stronger states could somewhat alleviate the problem of going from 20 teams (U16) to six or seven states. U20 national championships are state based but are a smaller championship, the main purpose being to select the Australian team for the FINA U20 World Championships. There was some questioning of the value of this championship as it interrupts an already crowded season (held in mid-January) and the national U20 team could possibly be
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selected from seeing the players compete in the NWPL. It is suggested that consideration needs to be given to the resourcing and time cost compared with the benefit of this competition. An U23 national championship was held for the first time in 2010, as a privately run competition. It was held mid-year and did not affect the NWPL or local grade seasons. The NWPL is a hybrid of club, state and composite teams. From gathering information on the way the NWPL has evolved in each state indicates there are good reasons for the evolution of each type of Club. It is likely that to mandate one of the three options across the board would be destructive for the Clubs and League as a whole. It is believed that all three options can operate within the one League and that the choice leads to optimisation depending on the state/regional situation. There was much discussion throughout the review of the effect of the NWPL on state first grade competitions. The growth of the NWPL and its repositioning in the February to April period has meant it has overlapped with the traditional state league summer calendar which runs from October - March in most states. There is also a significant overlap with many of the clubs involved as most state first grade clubs either are the clubs in the League or feed into the (state or composite) NWPL Clubs. This means that the first grade competition is either a prelude to NWPL and only runs October December, or is significantly weakened once the NWPL begins in February. Either way, the strength of the first grade has diminished and the players who do not make the NWPL team are left to play a lower grade or level. The aim of AWPI is to bring every state in line, having a shorter first grade season, rebadged Premier League, ending in December (with other grades continuing as usual through until March). The reality seems to be that the NWPL has replaced first grade as the highest level of competition for the top clubs. Because most states have such a small number of first grade clubs it is probably not reasonable to expect the old first grade competition to continue to run at the level it once did. For example, the womens first grade competition in Sydney is the largest with seven teams and six of those seven are NWPL Clubs. All six of six Sydney mens first grade teams are in the NWPL. Most other states have only four or five first grade clubs and the players who are not of the standard to make the NWPL teams are in reality probably not first grade standard. This is not to say that every effort should not be made to strengthen and reinvigorate first grade, but this is difficult to do without a greater number and depth of first grade clubs, and also a more compelling reason and meaning to engage in first grade. A shorter more concentrated premier league seems the best solution at this point in time.
Recommendation 2
To enhance the competition pathway, it is recommended that: a) All states with involvement in the NWPL accept the AWPI direction and align their first grade competitions to the new Premier League structure, running from October to December (or as appropriate to feed into the NWPL season). b) The National U18 competition should be state-based to provide the link between broad based under age competition and the NTC programs, but with allowance for the stronger states to field more than one team.
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Athlete development pathway

Outside of the competition pathway, the athlete development pathway is less well defined. This is true for a lot of Australian sports as they have traditionally been structured around competition with athletes developed through competing. Additionally, since funding has primarily been for the elite end of the pathway very little formal athlete development has occurred beyond where professional support is available. In Water Polo, athlete development is organised at National Squad level and also generally at NTC level where the programs are supported by the State and Territory Institutes and Academies of sport (SIS/SAS). There is no clear development model or pathway at Club or State level, or direction on how these integrate with the NWPL. The result is confusion and frustration over who is responsible for the development of young athletes (states and/or Clubs); when and how athletes are developed (loads, skills, stages); and how playing and training loads of talented young athletes are managed. The fact that both NTC programs and NWPL Clubs have a role in coaching athletes from as young as 16 years of age, through to the national senior team and feeding into the preparation of the National Team program, means there is a high need for coordination and understanding of athlete development needs through this development span.
International Competition
NTC Challenge National Squad (AIS Womens Program)
National League State Grade competitions National U23
NTC
National 20s (State) State 20s
NTC
National 18s (State/Club) State 18s National 17s (Schools)
NTC/State
National 16s (Club)
National 14's (Club)
Club
Figure 1
Figure 1 is a slightly modified version of AWPIs Athlete Pathway diagram, showing a mix of competitions and concurrent squads. The central part of the diagram shows the national competition pathway. The NTC programs, run through the SIS/SAS, support athletes from as young as the national U16 squad, but more often from U18 or U20 squad level (with squads selected from national championships). Clubs also support the development of athletes through their involvement of state and national competitions and local grade competitions. Some of the most talented young athletes are also in demand for multiple state and school teams, which further complicates the coordination of their programs. There is a real danger for these athletes of being overloaded, not getting the right coaching, recovery and guidance and thus facing injury and/or burn out from the sport. For those not (yet) involved in NTC or NWPL, athlete development seems ad hoc at best, with very few States or Clubs (or schools) having the capacity to implement structured programs. In order for the development of each athlete to be optimised there is a need for each part of the collective system to understand their role and responsibility in coaching, developing and preparing athletes. If there is good cooperation and coordination across the National program, the NTC programs and the NWPL Clubs, the result will be higher quality, enjoyment and satisfaction across athletes, NWPL and the national team. It is important to note that the concept of optimising athlete development is not just about national team athletes. If the collective system supports giving every athlete the opportunity to optimise their individual potential then the quality and depth rises for all, as does enjoyment and satisfaction and even the broader appeal of the sport. This concept is the primary argument for retaining the development aim of the NWPL. Without striving for improvement and optimisation, then the NWPL is just another competition and has limited value for the development of the sport. There currently exists some direction from the national head coaches (NHC) as to what the requirements are for athletes in the NWPL and the NTC programs, with particular emphasis on national squad athletes. Certainly the NHC seem to have good relationships and understanding with NTC coaches, however the coordination with NWPL Clubs is variable. It is most challenging in Sydney where both travel time and pool space/ availability limit opportunities for training. Ultimately best practice is the development of a national curriculum and system of testing (skill as well as physical testing) and benchmarks underpinning a model where attributes of optimal international-level players are defined. A nationally driven, coordinated approach to identifying the steps to developing (position-specific) player attributes, supported by a progressive skill and competency curriculum, would give guidance to aspiring players and coaches from club level through to the NTC programs. Such a model could also form the basis for a schools curriculum, as well as linking to coach development and required competencies. Developing such a national player development framework takes time and resources, however it is possible to work towards the concept through coordinated coaching at the NWPL, NTC and National Program levels, along with ongoing communication/dialog (which is then documented and refined) on how to manage and develop players at various levels. Policies and processes around tracking and monitoring both workloads and competition, feeding into a national database, will also inform and enhance player development and management. Some of this structure is already in place, just not taken up and understood as a coordinated collective. The timing of the season allows for athletes to work primarily under the NTC coaches from the end of August through until December/January where
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the NTC coaches establish base fitness and skill and prepare athletes for the NTC Challenge. From January on, the best model seems to be that the NWPL Clubs then take primary responsibility for the daily training environment of athletes, working on match fitness and tactics, while the NTC coaches work with athletes more individually on specific skill development and anything else as directed by the NHC. This system is working well in many cases, however it is considered necessary to improve communication and coordination and to ensure NWPL Clubs are able to provide the appropriate training environment, and required quality and quantity of coaching for their athletes. Further to this, both mens and womens national programs are using electronic athlete tracking systems to monitor training load and injury/illness status. If these systems were extended to cover at least NTC athletes, it would be of benefit for athlete development. Adding to this, processes for tracking of training loads as well as injury status must also be developed for the NWPL Clubs to be able to improve working relationships and coordination with NTC and national head coaches. Finally, as part of optimal player development, it is suggested that AWPI should look at the best way to ensure talented young athletes are not playing in too many competitions. For example it is currently feasible that an athlete could be playing in U16, U18, U20, NWPL and schools competitions. Other sports restrict athletes to only playing in their own age group, or at least selecting only one age group (i.e. they may play a higher age group because they are more developed or skilled than their peers). The negative to this concept is that some smaller states may not be able to hold competitions or field teams in all age groups each year. In an increasing number of sports, a role of a National Technical Director (or similar) is tasked with the overall responsibility for setting the strategy for the high performance system, including ensuring management and coordination of the player development pathway. This person is the conduit for communication and dissemination of information (e.g. from NHCs) across the key stakeholders. They would also coordinate the development of a national player development framework as outlined above. It is understood that AWPI is working towards establishing this role in the high performance system.
Recommendation 3
Under the direction of the National Head Coaches (eventually the National Technical Director), NTC and NWPL coaches collectively work towards enhancing the athlete development pathway by coordinating athlete training and competition loads through: a) Agreed roles and minimum standards around quality, quantity and type of training to be delivered by each level of coach at various times of the year; b) Development of communication, information sharing and athlete tracking systems across National Squad, NTC and NWPL Clubs; c) Consideration of restricting junior players to one age group rather than multiple; d) Working towards the development of a national player development framework including curriculum and testing protocols which can be used throughout the sport to inform the progression of development for all athletes.
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Coaching pathway
Water Polo appears to have a number of good quality coaches throughout the system at national, NTC and NWPL Club levels. There is however reportedly a lack of consistency across NWPL Clubs and a lack of depth in high performance coaching in general. Australia has been able to attract some very high level coaches from overseas, especially eastern European countries where Water Polo is a major sport. These coaches are very knowledgeable, seem to have assimilated very well into the Australian culture and way of life, and are contributing strongly to the Water Polo high performance system. Even though there are also some excellent Australian coaches, the sentiment was expressed during the review that the sport has failed to harness the knowledge gained by the more recent generations of players who have trained under such high level coaches. Far too few of these players are using their knowledge and experience to become involved as coaches in the sport. There is little in the way of structured pathway or incentive to entice players to become high performance coaches in Water Polo. NWPL Clubs are continuing to recruit overseas coaches as increasingly Clubs are realising that in order to retain players and remain competitive in the League it is necessary to have high level, dedicated, professional (at least in behaviour but preferably also remunerated) coaches. As discussed above, it is also imperative for the optimal development of athletes, that very high quality coaches are in place at every NWPL Club to provide and coordinate appropriate daily training. Thus it follows that it is essential for every Club to have dedicated professional coaches (paid and/or minimum accreditation and experience) in order for the NWPL to fulfil its aims within the system. There has been very little opportunity for remuneration for coaches below those employed by AWPI as National coaches and those employed by the SIS/SAS as NTC coaches. Increasingly Clubs are remunerating coaches, although the salaries are not high. Overseas coaches usually find the salaries more enticing than local coaches as they are lured by the added bonus of coming to Australia. During the consultation process one Club described an innovation where NWPL team athletes coached junior athletes at the Club for a modest fee, which then offset their costs of playing in the League. Coaching in Water Polo is certainly moving in the direction of being more professional and financially rewarding, but it is important to understand and embrace the concept that coaching expertise should be paid for just like anyone with the experience, education and expertise in other industries. To this ends Water Polo should continue to encourage culture change towards professional coach remuneration. Despite the NHCs wishing to work with the NWPL coaches to ensure the appropriate quality and quantity of training takes place at Club level, the communication and coordination across coaches is ad hoc. It is important that all coaches in the system recognise their broader role in developing athletes, as well as improving the underpinning standard of coaching where possible. NWPL coaches need to have the time, experience and understanding to coordinate with National and NTC coaches and also to share knowledge with other coaches at their Clubs, thus up-skilling the next level of coach. This is critical for the further development of a pathway for high performance coaches. The issue of NTC coaches also being able to coach NWPL Clubs was raised regularly during the review. Again there are good arguments both for and against. The AWPI view is that NTC coaches can be utilised as National Team coaches (including for the various under age teams) and then should oversee and coordinate coaching at NWPL and development level in their state, in addition to their NTC coaching roles. Certainly if there is any perception of bias or conflict of interest then NTC coaches should not coach at
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NWPL level. However in some of the smaller states where depth and quality of coaching is an issue (e.g. SA) it is logical that the NTC coach should be able to fulfil a NWPL coach role in order to ensure the quality of coaching, standard of training and competitiveness of the team is as high as possible. The NTC coach should also be working towards mentoring and up-skilling other coaches in the state to be able to adequately fill the role of NWPL Coach. In short it should be the responsibility of each coach in the system (particularly the professional full-time coaches) to take on a role of developing and succession planning the next level below them. The coach pathway should align and compliment the athlete and competition pathways. Therefore the realisation of the factors discussed above regarding development, communication and coordination of the athlete pathway, coupled with a culture of supporting each other and succession planning, will set the platform for improvement in clarity of the coaching pathway, resulting in higher quality and depth of coaches. It is crucial that Australian Water Polo harnesses the existing experience and expertise of the best coaches to develop the coaching pathway, encourage athletes to become coaches and mentor other aspiring coaches.
Recommendation 4
That it be a requirement of all NWPL Clubs to engage dedicated professional coaches of a minimum standard (i.e. minimum but high level of education and experience).
Recommendation 5
In order to improve the clarity and quality of the coaching pathway and optimise athlete development, a coach development strategy be created to communicate, coordinate and share information; mentor aspiring coaches; and actively recruit players to coaching.
Official/referee pathway
Referees are a very important part of the game. The quality and experience of the referees can not only affect the outcome of a game, but they also affect the development of athletes and preparation of the national team for overseas competition. If games are not refereed to the highest (and current) international level, then athletes are not schooled in how to best play the game, nor prepared for how the game is played and controlled at international level. There is currently not a strong or clearly defined pathway for referees. Australia is however eligible for the maximum quota of FINA1 international Water Polo referees (seven at any one time) and has been able to fill this quota every year, illustrating the quality of Australias best referees. In fact the FINA referee slots have created somewhat of a bottle neck in the past as the same people have typically filled these positions ongoing, meaning other referees have had little opportunity or incentive to progress. The result is a lack of depth of good quality referees, which consequently causes reported inconsistency in NWPL games, with particularly the lower level Clubs reportedly experiencing lower level referee standards.
FINA (Fdration Internationale de Natation) is the International Federation for all aquatic sports including Water Polo.
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It seems that now the time is right for change with most of Australias highest level referees recently having stepped aside from FINA positions and showing the motivation and passion to collectively lead and create a positive pathway for Water Polo referees through the Australian Referees Commission. The NWPL is the major vehicle in which to develop and provide experience to referees. Varying quality and depth of competition across the states has meant little structured pathway at state level, affecting the opportunity for referees to progress. There is a strong belief from the Australian Referees Commission that working with the Clubs through the NWPL, would provide an opportunity to improve the quality and depth of refereeing alongside junior development, as the two go hand-in-hand. To do this it is necessary to create a more formalised structure within AWPI for developing, educating, mentoring and also providing more support and incentive for referees at all levels. The proposed structure would start with the Australian Referees Commission being made up of Australias most senior and experienced referees. They would actively work with NWPL Clubs to identify and mentor high quality technical delegates, who would then in turn assess, guide and provide quality assurance for referees. An assessment tool has been designed to provide structured feedback, quality control and the basis for ongoing improvement for each referee in each game. This would be done by the delegates. In addition, a rotation policy for the seven FINA referee nominations commenced in 2010. The policy is that the top four nominated Australian referees will remain constant, but at least one of the bottom three will be rotated each year to provide experience, incentive and a pathway to others aspiring to international level. This would also have the added benefit of ensuring more Australian referees have knowledge and experience of the game internationally, which will in turn improve the quality of referees in the NWPL. By providing improved access, support, feedback and overall mechanisms for learning and improvement at international and NWPL levels, the pathway, incentive and therefore quality at lower levels will also improve. The proposed pathway begins from U14 level right through to FINA referees. Some Clubs are already requiring players as young as U16 to undertake the basic referee training. Such initiatives taken up by all NWPL Clubs would further support the pathway and increase understanding and appreciation of the role of referees. As stated, a small group of four to five of the most experienced referees are ready to drive this process through the Australian Referees Commission. A modest amount of funding (approximately $10,000 per annum) would be required to ensure these referees could travel during the NWPL to mentor and support technical delegates and match referees. It is considered that this would be a very worthwhile investment in improving the quality of the NWPL and enhancing pathways for competition, athlete development and referees themselves. It would very probably also enhance the ability of coaches to guide athlete development.
Recommendation 6
That AWPI support (with appropriate resourcing) plans, through the Australian Referees Commission, to implement a structured referee pathway of recruitment, development, assessment and guidance of technical delegates and referees, delivered primarily through the NWPL.
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Issues and impediments to change

Before discussing the options for any changes to the NWPL it is worth outlining some of the key issues and challenges facing Water Polo in Australia, as these are possible impediments to changing the NWPL structure and delivery. At the very least understanding of the issues and challenges provides context for recommendations around enhancing the NWPL going forward. (The SWOT analysis at Appendix D provides further context). [Note that these issues are outside the scope of the current review and therefore no recommendations are made in direct relation to them.]
Number and spread of members and clubs

There are between 10,000 and 12,000 registered Water Polo players in Australia, making it one of the smaller participation team sports in Australia (similar to Volleyball and Softball). There are probably the same number again playing in schools competitions but most are not captured as longer term players. Across the sport, the male to female ratio is approximately 50:50. This of course means that the available pool of players for higher level competition is limited however a smaller player pool does not necessarily mean lower quality. Smaller numbers could mean that only the dedicated and talented chose to pursue the sport. Also if the number of quality coaches is high in proportion to the number of players, then a greater number of players may have access to these coaches and subsequently be well developed in their skill acquisition. It is difficult to judge whether or not this is the case for Water Polo in Australia. What is perhaps more important is that the small membership base means a small number of clubs, with only approximately four to six clubs with first grade teams in each state. Losing more than one club in each state would potentially have a big impact on the health of the game. It is worth considering therefore, what drives the viability of clubs. What is it that keeps the players involved? And what is it that inspires the volunteers to continue to give so much of their time and energy? Throughout the consultation process for this review, it was clear that there are some very passionate and high quality people putting a great deal of time and energy into their clubs, the NWPL and the sport as a whole. It is important to retain and harness this asset. It is also worth noting the geographic spread of members and clubs. NSW, and especially the Sydney metropolitan area, on its own constitutes at least one third of the overall Water Polo membership. The next biggest Water Polo state is Queensland, with almost three times the number of females to males due to a very strong Water Polo competition in the girls private schools. The smaller states, South Australia, Tasmania along with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) struggle with only a few hundred members each. It is worth noting that both Tasmania and the ACT previously had teams in the NWPL but were unable to sustain them and were not competitive. South Australia is still in the League, but struggles to be competitive despite producing a constant stream of quality players (and coaches), who are typically lost to the bigger and better resourced states. There has been a trend away from smaller states and regional areas in Water Polo in the last 15-20 years. Parallel to that, the NWPL is increasingly concentrated in big city centres with very little opportunity for small states or regions to become part of it. Given the fact that across all Australian sports, as many as 60% of the most talented and well performed athletes have traditionally come from regional areas, it is worth considering
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the ramifications of continuing to narrow the reach of Water Polo to the bigger cities versus putting energy and resources into regenerating the game in the smaller states and regional areas. It is noted that resources and facilities may be the limitation to this. A final point on the club structure in general is that there is a huge history and pride within many of the clubs. The strength of this club tribalism is the backbone on which the NWPL survives and even thrives. Some clubs have a history going back 100 years or more, and involve generations of families. The history and social aspect of the clubs and their tight knit communities must be considered and valued in any analysis of the sport. The clubs and the people involved are the heart beat of Water Polo.
Resources
As alluded to above, volunteers provide a significant human resource for the Clubs, NWPL and the sport overall. Even at the level of State Sporting Organisation (SSO) and the national body, a large amount of work is done by volunteers, not only on boards and committees but also in administration, coaching and officiating. This is true for the majority of amateur sports in Australia, however in smaller sports, with fewer volunteers to draw from, it is even more important to value and retain them. Australian Water Polo Inc derives approximately 60% of its funding from the ASC/AIS, with the majority of the $1.75 million grant earmarked for high performance (national team) outcomes. There is also an AIS program, with a budget of $500,000 to support the national womens team. There was an AIS mens program from 19852005. In addition the SIS/SAS support Water Polo with NTC programs in NSW, WA, QLD, VIC and an Elite Development Centre (EDC) program in SA. There are also small EDCs in the ACT and TAS but with no SIS/SAS involvement. AWPI contributes to the salaries of SIS/SAS program (NTC) coaches and the SIS/SAS contributes resources and funding to the daily training environment, sport science and sports medicine and possibly some competition travel. The NWPL is almost entirely funded by the Clubs involved. AWPI contributes $15,000 in kind towards management of the League and almost $15,000 in sponsorship. Both the mens and womens high performance programs contribute $20,000 of un-tied funding. Estimates for the cost of the entire NWPL are in excess of $1million per season. Each team contributes approximately $18,000 to the central pool to cover airfares, referees, signage, web/media, meetings and administration. Teams then raise at least double this amount to fund accommodation, ground transport, pool hire, coaching and other NWPL expenses. This does not include daily training costs. Clubs raise these funds through sponsorship, benefactors, fund raising and/or player levies. It must also be noted that there are a number of highly successful, passionate business people involved in Water Polo clubs and it has been suggested that there is an opportunity to better connect and leverage this network to further utilise the skills, expertise and resources they bring. Because of the policy of a central pool for travel costs, the six Sydney (one Newcastle/ Hunter) Clubs effectively subsidise the other Clubs who have higher travel costs. Replacing the human and financial resources currently provided by the club-based NWPL would be very difficult. It would be almost impossible to raise the funds through a statebased system. Using the SIS/SAS resources would leave no funding for NTC (and would probably not be accepted as a model that SIS/SAS would fund). Funding the League through AWPI would seriously deplete an already under-resourced sporting organisation. As has been the case in the past, the future of the NWPL depends on the passion, energy and resourcing of the club system. The key is establishing parameters and guidelines to make it less onerous for the Clubs and less of a risk for the sport as a whole.
Capacity of state bodies

The capacity of the SSOs in Water Polo is seen as a limiting factor in the growth of the sport. Compared with Clubs and NTCs, the SSOs play almost a secondary role in each state. The four big states all have full-time Executive Officers and two or three other employees (mix of full and part-time). SA, ACT and TAS Water Polo are all run on a parttime and/or volunteer basis. It is felt the SSOs have inadequate resources or expertise to run organised programs to develop athletes, coaches or referees and that their major role is to organise the local grade competitions. In the four larger states underpinning talented athlete programs have recently been established through the SIS/SAS, and delivered to varying degrees by the relevant SSO through full-time Development Officers. Certainly the SSOs have very little involvement or ownership of the NWPL and Clubs. The Clubs for the most part run independently of the SSOs and very much run their programs in-house. Their liaison, if any, is more likely to be with the AWPI Operations Manager for the running of the League and/or with the NHC or NTC coaches regarding daily training environment of the athletes (especially those involved in national squads or teams). The SSOs work around the NWPL and National Championships program when designing their own State Leagues and any state trials or squads they may have. The fact that National Championships are club based at least until U18 further diminishes SSO responsibilities in favour of the strong clubs.
Pool space/ water access

Raised continually throughout the review and arguably the biggest issue limiting the sport of Water Polo in Australia, is accessing pool space or water time. Water Polo fights for pool space with the core Australian sport of swimming, the more recently popular sport of Triathlon, and the increasing multitude of commercial water-based activities that are demanded by present day councils and lessees. In addition to competing for pool time and space, Water Polo has the added issue of needing a minimum pool size and depth. For mens competition the pool should be 30m long x 20m wide and at least 1.8m deep. For the women the dimensions are 25x20m and also 1.8m depth. While the length of the pool can sometimes be an issue, the depth is usually the problem. Many community pools have been built at least partly shallow, where standing is possible for the purposes of teaching swimming. The result of this is that most Water Polo clubs are limited in their choice of pools. Then they must compete with other users for pool time. Because of the set up time and the fact that Water Polo takes up the whole pool, the use of the pool is usually expensive and Water Polo is given off-peak times (often late at night), when the pool is not in demand by others. Even within the NWPL there are pools used that do not meet international standard. This arguably takes away from the quality of the game and the marketable product appeal. There are a number of clubs who have negotiated, or are in the stages of negotiating, preferential or even exclusive deals with pools. AWPI is also developing a resource to assist clubs in lobbying and negotiating, however there seems to be more need for a unified effort for the sport as a whole. It is certainly the case that if adequate pool space and time cannot be accessed then there are limits on the number of possible games and practice sessions, and the growth potential of the sport. Combining strategies, contacts and lobbying power would seem to be a vital approach for the sport going forward.
Structure of the NWPL

One of the primary aspects of the review was to consider the structure of the NWPL with the objectives of: ensuring the League is of the highest possible quality and competitiveness; that the timing of the League is appropriate in relation to other competitions and with regards to the annual cycle of athlete progression and periodisation, including for national team preparation; maximisation of resources: human, financial and partnerships (e.g. SIS/SAS); and meeting the aims of the League within the boarder context of the sport. The aims of the League have already been covered in this report, but discussion of findings in each of the other areas follows, concluding with options and recommendations for the NWPL structure.
Quality and competitiveness

Throughout the consultation process there were mixed views regarding the quality and competitiveness of the League. Quality can be defined by both the perceived standard of games as compared to international Water Polo and the depth of the League i.e. competitiveness across all teams. Just in the last few years the NWPL Commission and AWPI have introduced a policy of capping the number of teams in the League at 12 per gender to ensure the quality and competitiveness does not become too diluted through too many teams. There remains conjecture as to whether 12 teams is still too many to field highly competitive teams compared to the membership base and number of clubs around the country. Some stakeholders felt that the League was becoming more competitive all the time, with less heavily one-sided games, while others felt the opposite was true. No one produced any concrete analysis or data as evidence for either view, and indeed it would be difficult to do so conclusively. It was generally (but anecdotally) agreed by a majority of stakeholders including the NHC that the womens NWPL is considered the strongest domestic league in the world and regularly attracts very high level international import players. It was felt, however, that there was a considerable gap between the three or four strongest teams and the three or four weakest. The fact that up to a dozen of the best Australian males play in Europe each year affects the quality of the domestic mens NWPL. It was broadly accepted that playing in Europe is a positive for those involved and for the national team in general. Unlike in some other sports with a strong international pull, the number of players involved is relatively small and the NHC is active in case management of athletes so each get an experience that will enhance their development. It was noted that this year and possibly beyond, there will be considerably less opportunities due to economic pressures in Europe. Apart from those playing overseas, it is felt that the best players in Australia are playing in the NWPL. Using information available on the AWPI website, an analysis was conducted of the success rate of teams in making the top 4 in the NWPL (i.e. playing in the medal rounds) over the period 1999 2010 (12 years) for the men, and 2004 2010 (7 years) for the women. The most successful mens Clubs have been Fremantle Mariners, Sydney Uni Lions and Balmain Tigers, who between them have 59% of the top four placings. Of the
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other Clubs, all but Adelaide Jets and Hunter Hurricanes have made the top four. Adelaide has made the top six (elimination final) just once in the 12 years. Hunter have only been in the League for five years. In addition UniWA has only made top four once, but top six a further three times. All other teams have medalled in the League. (Refer to Table 1 for details). [Note: Canberra, Hobart and AIS (grey highlight) never made top six but are no longer in the League]. Table 1. Summary of Mens NWPL results 1999-2010
1999-2010 Fremantle Mariners Sydney Uni Lions Balmain Tigers Victorian/Hawthorn Tigers Cronulla Sharks KFC Queensland Breakers Brisbane Barracudas UNSW Wests Magpies Perth/WAIS/Uni WA Drummoyne Devils Adelaide Jets Hunter Hurricanes Canberra Hobart Hammerheads AIS Finns
4 3
5 3 2 4
2 1 5
11 9 9 4
1 2 2 4 4 2 3 1 3 1 1
12 11 11 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
2 1 2 1 1 2 1
3 4 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
12
12
12
12
48
24
72
In the seven years of the womens League, the dominant Clubs have been Freemantle Marlins, Balmain Tigers and Brisbane Barracudas with 63% of top four appearances between them. There have been a few changes in womens Clubs over the seven years, with Canberra, St George and Southern Stingrays no longer in the League having never made the top six. Of the current teams, none of UniNSW Killer Whales, Adelaide Jets, UWA Torpedoes and Hunter Hurricanes have made the top six. Drummoyne Devils have
No seasons 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 3 12 5 5 4 3 60
Total top 6
Elim Final
Bronze
Fourth
Top 4
Silver
Gold
only made the top six on one occasion, but have only been in the League for two years. (See Table 2 for details).
Table 2. Summary of Womens NWPL results 2004-2010
2004-2010 Fremantle Marlins Brisbane Barracudas Cronulla Sharks Balmain Tigers Sydney Uni Lions Victorian Tigers KFC Queensland Breakers Drummoyne Devils Adelaide Jets UNSW Killer Whales Hunter Hurricanes UWA Torpedoes Canberra Dolphins St George Dragons Southern Stingrays
4 2 1 4 1
3 2 2 1 2 1 2 1
7 5 3 5 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 2 2 3
7 7 7 7 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 42
28
Additional analysis that may be useful in determining competitive depth would be to examine closeness of match scores over the years, or maybe simply the trend of goal differences for each team, each season. This would be a big task and there is only data available on the AWPI website for the past four seasons. The analysis should be done if deemed worthwhile by AWPI, however there are a number of variables which may affect closeness of games so the results may not elicit a valid and reliable measure of competitive depth. It would certainly be useful for the sport to determine a measure of
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No seasons 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 2 7 7 4 4 4 4 2 59
Total top 6
Elim Final
Bronze
Fourth
Top 4
Silver
Gold
competitiveness as evidence for future decision making on League structure and team inclusion. On results alone, there is a level of justification for the elimination of some Clubs from the League. The obvious under performers, across both mens and womens Leagues, are the Adelaide Jets and the Hunter Hurricanes. Losing Adelaide would mean losing the last of the small states, leaving only New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Adelaide has been a strong contributor over the years to the national teams and continues to develop very good junior players. The NWPL Club, backed by the South Australian Sports Institute, is the pathway and aspiration for young South Australian players. However the reality is the Adelaide Jets struggle to retain talented athletes beyond U16 level, at which time they are usually offered attractive opportunities from inter-state Clubs. There is the feeling that if Adelaide could retain a critical mass of talented young athletes, they could develop competitive mens and womens teams. The key would be that enough young athletes together felt they had high quality coaching, support and the environment to excel as a team. Regardless, the consensus was that it would not be a positive for the sport overall to lose the Adelaide NWPL Club as it would mean the loss of a pool of talent and further narrowing of the sports national reach. The Hunter Hurricanes are similar to Adelaide in that being the only regional Club in the NWPL they tap into what is considered a very talented player base in the Newcastle/ Hunter region, who may otherwise be lost due to the difficulty of regular commuting to Sydney. The NWPL Club is drawn from five local clubs and has only been in the mens and womens Leagues for five and four years respectively. With the additional benefit of having good pool access and the promise of a higher quality coach in place for 2011, Hunter are considered to be a developing Club with future potential that again, most stakeholders see as important to retain. When considering each Club and their continued place in the League and/or the consolidation of Clubs, there are many variables to take into account. Different Clubs have different roles in the system (e.g. Adelaide and Hunter increase the reach of the sport to potential talent) and different strengths, ideas and innovations. The number of Clubs in the League, and inclusion or not of each Club, should be judged on a number of factors, each of which contribute to the overall aims and objectives of the competition. In addition, any decision on structure and team composition should be based on a strong framework of performance measures and tangible evidence. A few points raised by various stakeholders that are worth considering in relation to the competitive depth of the League: In every competition there are weaker teams and teams go through their highs and rebuilding cycles. Losing the bottom couple of Clubs would not actually change the quality as the best players would still be in the League. It would merely cut out some of the lesser (younger?) players and reduce the total number of games. There is sometimes merit in having easier games as it gives the opportunity to experiment with different strategies, player positions, etc. It can be beneficial for a strong player (even national team) to be in a weaker team as they have to step up, work harder and show leadership, whereas in a strong team it is possible to coast and not play to potential. One further aspect of the NWPL that can influence quality and competitiveness is the use of imports, transfers and player drafts. In the early years of the League a draft system was established with the aim of providing weaker teams with opportunities to improve the
quality of their roster. There were rules around draft players, free agents, transfers and imports. The fact that the NWPL was and still is primarily an amateur league meant that a true draft system to equalise teams could not work as players could not be made to relocate to another Club. In the early rules a player could choose to transfer as a free agent or be drafted. Naturally players chose the certainty of negotiating as a free agent and the draft system was abandoned. There are currently rules surrounding players transferring between Clubs, however they are mostly around timing to ensure that players cannot change Clubs mid-way through the season. While the NWPL is still essentially amateur, the reality is that some Clubs are in a better position than others to offer enticements to players to transfer. While this is sometimes in the form of financial reward, it can also be opportunities for work or study or simply to be part of a highly regarded Club with high quality coaching. Additionally there is a very real perception that being part of some Clubs gives athletes a much better chance of being noticed by the national coaches than being in lesser teams. This simple perception is a significant hurdle for some of the weaker Clubs to overcome to retain their talented players. More structured regulation of player transfers was canvassed during the consultation process with the conclusion that in an amateur (or even semi-professional) league it is not possible to restrict players rights to play with the Club of their choice. The better solution is to try to assist the weaker Clubs to offer a more attractive proposition to entice players to stay or become part of their Club. In the early years of the League, Clubs were allowed up to five import players, with imports defined as players not holding permanent resident status. A further rule was that no more than two could play in any game. The more recent rule is simply a maximum of two imports per team however for the coming season, in an attempt to help strengthen weaker teams, the NWPL has decided to allow three imports for the bottom six teams from last year and only two for the top six. While this seems a good idea and was voted for by the Clubs, a large number of those interviewed did not agree with the rule change. The point was raised that most of the bottom six Clubs do not have the resources to attract three high quality imports that would significantly improve their teams. It was also the consensus that even though the concept of equalisation is noble, it brings the standard down rather than raising it up, so all Clubs should be treated equally but with guidance towards achieving excellence. The general feeling with imports is that it is important that they be players that add value to the Club and/or the League as a whole, either as high quality players, to give Australian players exposure to a certain style of play, or to provide broader services within the Club (e.g. coaching or mentoring).
Recommendation 7
To ensure that the NWPL is of the highest possible quality and competitiveness, quantitative and qualitative measures and standards should be established. These should then be used to provide evidence for any decisions on rule and/or structural changes to the League. Further, all Clubs should be treated equally with regards rules (including imports and transfers) and the guiding principle should be lifting all Clubs towards excellence and the highest common denominator, rather than limiting Clubs to a lower standard.
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Timing of the League

As outlined in the introduction, the NWPL was originally conducted over ten weeks leading into the international season, held in Europe in June-July. As the League grew and as the Clubs took more ownership (due to their increasing investment), the competition was moved back to earlier in the year. It now runs from the start of February (or late January) through until mid-April. The majority of stakeholders consulted during the review felt that the current timing of the League within the calendar is about right. A small number of stakeholders questioned the timing, but not with strong views that it was not right or proposals for alternatives, apart from a return to the original timing to allow for the regeneration of a full local first grade. There are two significant challenges associated with running the NWPL in winter months. Firstly it puts added pressure on an already stretched volunteer base by elongating the Water Polo season. In summer it is relatively easy to engage volunteers, officials and referees as they are already actively involved in the clubs as part of the usual summer season. Secondly, a large number of the pools used for Water Polo in Australia are outdoor and, while they may be heated in winter, training and competition outdoors in winter is a negative for supporters, volunteers and officials, as well as for the social and fund-raising activities that typically go along with Water Polo competition in the summer. Since the NWPL commenced in 1990, the international season has also changed and expanded. The womens national team now heads to Europe as early as May, right after the conclusion of the NWPL. The mens team leaves a little later and has a shorter international season, but the current timing is generally considered ideal for preparation. International competition dates can vary from year to year, especially in years when there are major competitions such as the Olympic Games or FINA World Championships. While both NHCs are generally happy with the timing of the League, they expressed a strong desire to have input into the timing and scheduling of the NWPL each year in order to ensure the timing best supports national team preparation. While this is rare, the placement of the League in the calendar has been changed in the past to cater for national team needs. It is certainly in the interests of the sport that the timing of the season in 2012 should support the teams preparation for the London Olympic Games. The sentiment throughout the consultation process, which was unanimously endorsed at the workshop, was that Clubs fully support this as long as decisions about timing are made well in advance of the season so there is time to adjust if necessary. The current AWPI Operations Manager was also supportive of receiving NHC input. It was noted that there may be times when the mens and womens national programs have differing preparation needs for international competition and therefore may want slightly different timing adjustments for the NWPL. It is anticipated that on most occasions good planning and communication will allow a coordinated approach. Any variation in timing between the mens and womens program needs should only be a couple of weeks and thus would only affect the finals tournament.
Recommendation 8
The timing of the NWPL within the annual calendar is generally considered to be appropriate, however it is recommended that the Leagues manager consult with the National Head Coaches to ensure that the needs of the national teams are considered, with any adjustments to NWPL timing communicated to the Clubs well in advance.
Maximisation of resources
As outlined in the issues and impediments to change section, the major resources for the high performance program are: AWPI staff and funding: significant funding from the ASC; an AIS womens program; SIS/SAS support in NSW, QLD, VIC, WA and SA; both paid and volunteer coaches, officials and administrative staff; SSO HP development programs; and the NWPL and other competitions. In turn resources for the NWPL include: the Clubs themselves; funding sourced from sponsors, benefactors, fund raising, athletes; some funding, sponsorship and administrative support from AWPI; coaches; officials; high quality business people and other volunteers associated with Clubs. The major questions around maximisation of resources are: Are we best utilising and integrating each of the programs, partners and activities, i.e. the national teams programs; SIS/SAS programs and partnerships; the NWPL Clubs and the NWPL itself? Are we maximising financial resources? Are we maximising human resources? As outlined in the previous section, the timing of the League is generally considered appropriate within the calendar and periodisation plan for the athletes. However, as outlined in the section on the coaching pathway, better coordination is required to ensure most effective delivery of quality and quantity of coaching to athletes, and maximisation of the coaching resources. Certainly in order to maximise the use of each program, partner and activity, it is essential to have clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities around the aims and objectives of each component and how they interrelate and inter-depend. The current best practice in terms of periodisation of the Water Polo training and competition year (for both men and women) and optimisation of program, partner, activity and coach roles seems to be as follows: National Team Program and NHC are responsible for direct preparation of the national senior team for international competitions. This includes the overall planning and periodisation of national team athlete programs and oversight of the daily training environment year round including when in other training environments (i.e. SIS/SAS or Club). SIS/SAS programs and NTC Coaches take responsibility for daily training of national team athletes around September (or after a one month break from the international season), and along with other NTC athletes (under age national squad or development athletes), NTC coaches establish base fitness and technical/skill training of these athletes through until December/January. This includes preparation for the NTC challenge tournament and during this time the NTC program is the primary program for these athletes. From January through to April, the NTC coaches take a secondary role to NWPL Club programs, but provide specialist one-on-one technical and skills coaching. Similar to the NHC role with national team athletes, the NTC coaches should ideally plan, periodise and oversee, year round, the daily training environment for NTC athletes. SIS/SAS also support NTC athletes with sports science and sports medicine support. NWPL Clubs are responsible for the daily training environment of NWPL athletes during the NWPL season (January to April), preparing athletes for competition through match fitness, team tactics and integrating skill development into applied competition skill. Clubs typically start working with athletes from around
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September, however this should be secondary and complimentary to the NTC programs at this time. NWPL aims and objectives should be as discussed earlier in this report and should be incorporated as part of the overall high performance program. As outlined in the resources section of Issues and impediments to change, it would be impossible for AWPI to replace the human and financial resources that the NWPL currently provides. Changing the League from club-based to state based or even regionally based would almost certainly result in significant loss of human and financial resources (as well as energy and passion) for both the League and the Water Polo high performance system. The fact that Australian Water Polo relies on clubs, volunteers and fundraising to run the national competition, is however a significant risk. It is essential that AWPI put a support structure and policies in place to ensure the NWPL and the Clubs involved are viable and sustainable. During the review consultation process there were numerous examples presented of good practice and ideas around improving resourcing of NWPL Clubs. These included ideas for raising funds, ways of valuing and supporting members and volunteers, networking opportunities Water Polo can present, ideas for accessing and leveraging expertise in information technology, promotion, media and marketing of the sport. AWPI should work to identify and collate the best practices and ideas to create models, standards and/or guidelines for NWPL Clubs, which ensure each Club is not reinventing the wheel. This process should also ensure that each Club has the best possible chan ce of remaining viable, while minimising stress and pressure on Club personnel.
Recommendation 9
That clear roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and inter-relationships be established for all high performance programs, partners and for the NWPL. Under the direction and coordination of the National Technical Director (with input from the NHCs), these should then be communicated and implemented through the SIS/SAS and NWPL coaches.
Recommendation 10
To support the viability and sustainability of Clubs, AWPI create mechanisms to identify best practices and ideas around the maximisation of resourcing for NWPL Clubs. These should then be used to generate models, standards and/or guidelines, to assist Club operations in areas such as optimising fund raising, valuing and retaining volunteers, and accessing of additional resources such as IT and media support.
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Options for NWPL structure

A key part of the review was to look at options for the overall structure of the NWPL. Currently the League is a 12 team, two round, home and away format (but modified to make it as cost effective as possible), with a six team, four to five day finals tournament. A wide range of possible options for format changes were presented throughout the review. Many of the concepts were canvassed across stakeholder consultations and all were discussed at the final workshop. A benchmarking exercise was also undertaking to compare national league structures with other sports. Sports were chosen based on similarities with Water Polo, with the main criteria being amateur (or semi-professional) league. There was variation in the turnover of the National Sporting Organisation (NSO) and membership numbers and these were noted in the comparison. The sports and leagues included were: Basketball WNBL, and new second tier league (underpinning the NBL); Hockey leagues (mens and womens); Volleyball (mens and womens); Softball; Touch football; Football (soccer) Womens (W) League; and Womens Cricket. A summary of the comparisons is attached at Appendix E. In addition, throughout the stakeholder consultations those with knowledge and insight into various national Water Polo Leagues in Europe, provided some interesting comments and comparisons. The major options for the NWPL competition structure are as follows, with brief comments on strengths and weaknesses of each option drawn from the consultation process and comparisons with other leagues. 1. Two divisions top 6 and bottom 6 teams. Strength: concentrates quality in top six teams which would be highly competitive; second tier also more evenly matched; aspiration through promotion-relegation; similar to European model. Weakness: high possibility that the strong teams will get stronger and weak teams get weaker; may lose (weaker) Clubs; lose smaller states and regional teams; uncoupling of mens and womens teams; narrow the opportunities and aspiration for many athletes; longer term potentially decrease depth due to weaker second tier; less games. 2. Two equal divisions (East and South-West?). Strength: possibly more cost-effective; retains all teams. Weakness: logistically difficult to split and would end up being more expensive; probably wont improve competitiveness and may lessen it; would only work if equal spread of strong teams across the country. 3. Split league after first round into top 6 and bottom 6 (various models).
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Strength: retains all teams; all start equal; second half of season provides close competition at the two levels; more pressure/incentive to play every game well; aspiration through promotion-relegation. Weakness: possibility that the strong teams will get stronger and weak teams get weaker; may lose (weaker) Clubs; logistically difficult; probably more expensive; uncoupling of mens and womens teams. 4. State-based, possibly building on the NTC Challenge. Strength: Gives states ownership and a stronger role; maximises use of NTC coaching expertise. Weakness: Lose NWPL competition; lose Club resources (human and financial) and dilute SIS/SAS resources; less teams with only 3-4 strong teams (and 2-3 weak); loss of quality players outside of NTC programs will decrease overall quality and depth. 5. National Clubs finals system of clubs qualifying through state league (with a quota per state e.g. NSW four teams, SA one team). Strength: lifts emphasis of state leagues; similar structure to current; should retain Clubs; opportunities for other clubs; possibly less teams. Weakness: less certainly for Clubs regarding whether they will be in the League each year; less time to prepare and fund-raise; quality players miss out if their Club does not qualify; possibly less NSW teams which will increase costs and decrease quality; reduced ability for AWPI to set Club standards and quality control parameters. 6. Regional structure with consolidation of teams (e.g. Sydney North, Sydney South). Strength: reduced number of teams with concentration of talent; possible higher quality; possible consolidation of venues (in Sydney). Weakness: practically and logistically difficult to force consolidation; lose passion and resources of the current Clubs; weaken organisational structure by going from clubs to composites; loss of link between Clubs and NWPL; still some weaker teams; possible loss of Clubs; 7. Team licensing system, with quota per state. Clubs bid for licence based on strict eligibility standards. Ongoing opportunities for Clubs to bid and raise standards. Strength: start with opportunities for current Clubs; can retain same structure (Clubs, cost effectiveness, resources), but raise standards and quality control; ability to continue to evolve the structure and raise the standard of Club quality and operations; high level of aspiration (existing and future Clubs); direction and support for Club excellence. Weakness: no immediate increase in quality of the competition (although long term possibilities of increased quality and competitiveness); challenge in setting standards that apply across all Clubs. Throughout the review every model canvassed had supporters and detractors, strengths and weaknesses. The NHCs favoured a more concentrated competition (options 1, 3 or 6), however the Clubs were understandably opposed to these structures as they almost certainly mean some Clubs will miss out. Apart from the NHCs whose priority was highly competitive matches (currently meaning the top six or so teams), the large majority of stakeholders felt 10 to 12 teams was about the right number. At the workshop, options 2, 4, 5 and 6 were readily dismissed.
Clearly the structure and the Clubs that have evolved provide the best solution in terms of the significant human and financial resources and passion they bring to the sport. Losing any part of this would be a setback for the League and the sport. An excellent point that was raised on several occasions was that if you cut people out, impose limits, or try to force reductions you risk stifling growth, innovation and the energy that is the strength of Water Polo. In addition, given the small number of clubs in the sport overall, losing any clubs within the system a setback. Options 1 and 3 above are the only options guaranteed to raise the quality of the League, as they concentrate the competition to the top six teams. Certainly a two division (or more) promotion/relegation type league works well in European Water Polo and also in some other sports. However, because Australian Water Polo is small and because of the systemic issues raised earlier, there is a high level of risk and knock-on impacts with any major changes in the structure of the League. For option 1 to work for the sport as a whole and fulfil both aims of the NWPL, there would need to be more clubs and more depth in the system to ensure clubs are not weakened or lost. This is actually true for all of the first six options. Concentrating the quality in the short term will make the League more competitive, however in the medium to longer term it risks discouraging and eroding an already small base. The majority of the stakeholders were largely satisfied with the current structure. Ideal would be a true home and away format, with away trips being just two to three days (weekends), however all stakeholders conceded that this would not be cost effective. Retaining the most cost-effective structure possible was a high priority and it was noted that it is a delicate balance trying to get the schedule right each year to try to make it as fair as possible, keep long trips to a minimum and keep the costs as low as possible. The best, win-win solution then is the final option which is about raising the standard, providing strong aspiration and opportunity but providing flexibility (which is not in the current structure) to evolve the structure and format into the future. Option 7 builds on the current structure, but takes it to a new level of professionalism. This option was discussed and debated at the stakeholder workshop and the main elements of were identified as follows: With current agreements expiring 30/06/2011 there is the opportunity for new agreements/ licences including clearer and more definite minimum standards for all clubs in the League. AWPI needs to set the vision, direction and develop an overall Business Plan for the NWPL. What does the League need to look like? Identify the strengths of current NWPL Clubs/ Teams. From this build a model of best practice that all clubs should aspire to meet. Set minimum standards (benchmarked against the best practice standards) that clubs must meet in order to qualify for a NWPL Club Licence. The competitive strength of a club must certainly be a major component of the required minimum standards, as should financial sustainability. (See below for suggested elements). Allocate a number of Licences per state. Initially the allocations are: 6 for NSW, 2 each for QLD and WA, and 1 each for VIC and SA. Licences are issued for a two year period. Clubs then bid for a Licence, showing that they meet the set standards. Any club can bid for a licence, even those not currently within the League. Every two years the allocations and the Licensees can be reviewed (depending on the quality of clubs and competition for Licences in the state). It is possible that not all Licences will be allocated, if there are not enough clubs in a state to fill the allocations (in which case the number of allocations would be reviewed).
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There is to be regular reviewing of minimum and best practice standards It is hoped that the bar will continually rise due to competitive innovation. A system of continuous monitoring, evaluation, feedback and improvement must be implemented and Clubs held accountable. If any Club fails to maintain the minimum standard, they have 12 months to ensure they are meeting standards or their Licence will be revoked. Initially the format of the League should stay the same (however optimal preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games should take precedent). It is recommended that for at least the first two years, the 12 team, two round, home and away format be retained. It is hoped that the guidance and direction provided by the setting of standards, along with the fact that in theory any club in Australia can gain a NWPL Licence, will provide significant incentive and aspiration to lift the standard of more and more clubs. In effect this system provides a business model for clubs to follow, which then offers the opportunity to improve the strength and depth of clubs as well as their viability. If the sport is then strengthened as a whole, there will be a better basis from which to consider different League structures such as the two tier, promotion and relegation model. One issue which was raised, but by surprisingly few stakeholders, was the length of the NWPL season. It would seem there could be a case for a shorter season if necessary for national team preparation (e.g. in an Olympic year). Under the current structure this may be difficult, although one option could be a one round competition followed by a longer finals tournament. The finals format was the major aspect of the current structure that did come under criticism throughout the review. There was overwhelming consensus that the format needs to be improved. In particular there should be reward for the highest ranked Clubs in the regular season competition. It was pointed out that currently it does not matter where a team finishes as long as they are in the top six and from there every team has an equal chance in the finals series. It should be noted that the dominant model for finals across the other national leagues benchmarked, was a four team McIntyre format where the winner of the first match between the top two teams progresses directly to the final. The stakeholders in Water Polo value a six team finals format and an intense finals tournament. Notwithstanding this, there are a number of options for finals formats which would reward the teams that performed best throughout the season. The NHC and other qualified persons should have input into improving the finals format. Finally, there was information gathered during the consultation process, which was presented and discussed at the workshop, regarding the required minimum standard elements for NWPL Clubs. The main outcome from the workshop discussion was that Clubs may not have to meet all standards, or there may be a points system where elements, and/or levels of standards within elements, are ranked and weighted according to importance, with an overall minimum total required. Certainly more thought and some modelling needs to go into this but as a starting point for further discussions and refinement, the required elements included: Professional standards Business model, running of the club, presentation of the team and of the game on game days. Demonstrated financial viability (that club can fund NWPL teams for x years). Standards around minimum quality of player pool and team competitiveness. Plan for club development (what is club doing to develop itself). Minimum water access. Links with other clubs and/or regions NWPL Clubs should be a leader in development of the sport.
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Minimum standard and remuneration of Club coaches. Minimum standards for Daily Training Environment, linked to the direction of NHC and NTC coaches. Minimum number and quality of training sessions. Reporting system. Under age teams (U14, U16...) either directly or from feeder clubs. Mandated development program. Possible minimum number of members in Club or underpinning clubs. Provision and availability of delegates and referees. Media and marketing plan and media officer. Venue minimum seating, presentation standards, PA system, etc. Availability of human resources volunteer pool etc.
Recommendation 11
Upon expiration of the current Team Agreements (30/06/11), AWPI create a new club licensing system with the following fundamentals: a) A quota of Licences allocated per state (initially equal to current NWPL Clubs); b) Clubs to bid for Licences based on strict eligibility standards; c) Allocation of Licences is reviewed and open to bids every two years; d) Regular review (and raising) of minimum and best practice standards; e) All underpinned by a NWPL Business Plan based on the aims and objectives of the League, and setting a clear vision and direction for Clubs and the sport.
Recommendation 12
That the structure and format of the NWPL should stay the same for the next two years (i.e. 12 team, two round, modified home and away), however the finals format should be modified to ensure the top two teams from the regular season gain some advantage from their performance.
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Promotion and marketing

The issue of promotion, marketing, sponsorship and general public awareness of the sport, through the NWPL was consistently raised by stakeholders during the review process. One of the initial aims of the League was to improve the profile of Water Polo within Australia, however it has generally failed to do so. Even with the success of the womens team at the 2000 Olympic Games, Water Polo remains a minor sport with very little media coverage or sponsorship (outside of dedicated Water Polo companies). In the four or five years leading into the Sydney Olympics the League did receive some television coverage, however the production was paid for by the Clubs, it took a lot of work, and the coverage was small. Now with an increasing number of digital TV channels, there may be opportunities for smaller sports like Water Polo to gain more TV coverage, but it will still be necessary to self-fund the production. AWPI has developed a reasonable online video product. There is still some work to do around defining the optimal market niche for the product in order to generate adequate revenue and ensure viability. Even with an experienced media manager, AWPI and the NWPL struggle for media coverage. With so many NWPL games week in week out, even in local media there is not enough of a story to generate media interest on a regular basis. The best opportunities probably lie around the finals tournament and new media. The reality for most small sports is that media is either local special interest stories or national team success. Sponsorship is also very hard to access without a compelling story or point of difference. Apart from the biggest, main stream, well televised sports, most sports in Australia struggle to gain any significant sponsorship. The reality is that the best avenue for sponsorship is through who you know, i.e. people from the sport, with a passion for it, who have the opportunity through their business to financially sport the sport. There are a few NWPL Clubs who are currently reaping the benefits of this kind of situation. Nonetheless there is a strong feeling that AWPI should be doing more to generate sponsorship for the NWPL and that perhaps a full time League GM with marketing experience could generate enough sponsorship to at least fund his/her position. Certainly the way the sport is presented affects the ability to attract fans, followers, media and sponsorship. Even the ability to attract spectators to local games is dependent on the atmosphere, standard and attraction of the event to entice people to be part of it. If Water Polo is serious about improving the promotion and marketing of the game, then part of the onus is on the Clubs, and standards of presentation should be set as part of the League Licensing standards. The Clubs can also have significant impact if they individually and collectively make an effort to promote the game and their Club in their local community and beyond. Ideally each Club should have a dedicated media manager and a media and marketing plan. One idea worth exploring is to use students studying media and/or marketing, either as part of their practical experience requirements or simply as volunteers because they are interested in the sport. Having the involvement of students and/or young people to implement marketing and promotion through social media could be well worthwhile.
Recommendation 13
That AWPI as part of the creation of business models and best practice standard for the NWPL and Clubs, include strategies and standards for promotion and marketing of the sport.
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Governance and Management

National leagues and competitions can and do survive without good leadership and management, however they dont thrive. There was strong criticism that the NWPL has lacked strong leadership in the last four or five years, since coming back under the AWPI umbrella. The Clubs feel they have lost some of their sense of ownership, but that AWPI has not really stepped up, taken responsibility and claimed true ownership. Throughout the review stakeholders were asking for AWPI to provide clear leadership, direction and management of the League, but with the Clubs as partners and together having ownership and responsibility to create an enhanced national league that is the cornerstone on which the sport thrives. The creation of an enhanced Licensing system, underpinned by a quality Business Plan, will go a long way to achieving this. If done correctly, with the input of the Clubs, the system will assist Clubs to operate for effectively and efficiently as well as hold both AWPI and the Clubs accountable. Certainly one of the biggest issues hampering AWPIs leadership of the NWPL is the fact that since 2005 the League has been managed only on a part-time basis, by an AWPI staff member who has the broader Operations Manager portfolio. Prior to this, while the role was technically part-time, the Leagues General Manager was dedicated to the role. He did not have other AWPI responsibilities and had more time to dedicate to running the League. Since 2004, with the inclusion of womens teams the size of the NWPL has doubled, further increasing the logistical workload. The consensus from stakeholders during the review was that while the NWPL was being managed well enough to run effectively, a part-time manager lacked the capacity to truly lead, plan, engage with the Clubs and bring the vibrancy and professionalism to the League that most desired. Subsequently it was stated throughout the review and strongly endorsed at the workshop, that for the NWPL to run professionally and to be held to a higher standard, it must be run by a dedicated, full time GM. The Clubs agreed that they are prepared to contribute the extra funds to ensure this happens, however the expectation is that the GM would be of the quality that in time they would generate additional revenue. Working to a robust Business Model and answerable to the AWPI CEO, the GM must be given the authority and accountability to run the League. The governance structure was also widely reported to be dysfunctional. Roles, responsibilities, communication and inter-relationships were unclear between the management, the Board/Forum and the NWPL Commission. Even across the relevant AWPI documentation: the AWPI Constitution, Team Agreement and annual NWPL Operations Manual, the relative roles and functions are unclear and inconsistent. The League is supposedly governed by a Board which consists of the 12 Clubs, which each have one vote per team (mens and womens teams). In addition AWPI has one vote and the NWPL Commission has one vote, for a total of 26 votes. This Board meets once per year at the NWPL Forum. At this Forum issues are raised and debated and theoretically the Forum has the power to change the competition format and rules. In addition the only way a new Club can be allowed to join the League is to be endorsed by this Board. This structure is not unique to Water Polo as several other team sports have, or have had governance structures made up of their constituent Clubs. Most have now discovered that the significant inherent conflict of interest, coupled with the size of these Boards makes them ineffective in making decisions that are best for the League as a whole. Certainly in the case of the NWPL Forum, it was reported that it was difficult to come to any decisions as discussions were reactive, not always well considered or informed and with each representative expressing their own individual view from the basis of their Club experience.
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The NWPL Commission is an attempt to put a governance structure in place to: oversee the conduct of the League; advise the AWPI Board on League matters; and provide leadership and direction to the League (according to the AWPI constitution). According to the NWPL Agreement to Participate, the role of the NWPL Commission is to use its best endeavours (to) regulate, organise and promote the Competition.... In reality, the Commission is unanimously reported (even by Commission members) to be a toothless tiger. It has only been meeting once per year and has unclear decision making ability at best. The NWPL Commission is made up of three commissioners elected by the NWPL Clubs and two appointed by the AWPI Board. The Chair person then becomes a member of the AWPI Board and if this is one of the Club elected commissioners then they effectively become an AWPI person. Regardless, it was reported that it is not a particularly attractive proposition to become a Commissioner and so it is difficult to attract the best people to the role. The result of the current governance and management structure is that there is no clear leadership, no clarity in who ultimately makes decisions and no accountability. Subsequently there is mistrust between the Clubs and AWPI and no ability through the governance and management for proactivity or inspiring of excellence. The only avenue for innovation and excellence in the League is through individual Clubs. If the NWPL is to improve in its quality, competitiveness and its ability to fulfil its aims for the sport as a whole, changes are needed in governance and management. In particular, if a new, more professional standard of Licensing is to be successfully implemented there must be clarification of roles, responsibilities and decision making abilities. First and foremost, as outlined above, AWPI must lead the League through excellent management and planning to truly value-add to the League. At the NWPL Workshop, there was proactive and thoughtful discussion about the best way to govern the League. It was proposed that a new NWPL Commission be created, with four high quality independent commissioners (that is not representative, but simply the best possible people for the role) plus the League GM. The role of the Commission should be to: Oversee the establishment (and ongoing revision and updating) of the minimum and best practice standards for the NWPL Licences (this may involve wider consultation and/or a working party, but the Commission oversees the process). Judge the applications for Licences every two years, with the addition of the relevant SSO executive officer for each states Licences. Determine the ongoing Licence allocations across the country, using evidence gained from the quality and competitiveness of Clubs and their applications, between and across states; and also with consideration to what is best for the sport overall in terms of distribution of Licences. Be the ultimate decision maker on any changes to the structure and format of the League, with of course the ability to seek appropriate input and advice. Support the GM and inform the AWPI Board. In order to form such a Commission in time to put the processes in place for the allocation of 2012/13 Licences, it is suggested that an interim NWPL Commission be coopted as soon as possible, with the first elections to take place at the 2011 Forum and thereafter elections every two years for half the Commissioners (with four year terms). Further it is proposed that the annual Forum continue, but with a slightly different role and make up. The Forum should still consist of a representative from each Clubs team
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(i.e. mens and womens teams, two representatives per Club). AWPI should also have a vote. An additional vote/representation should be given to each of the seven SSOs. It is seen as important into the future to involve the states more, improve their capacity and capability so they can grow in their ability to assist in the delivery of the sport. The total number of votes/representatives at the Forum then will be 32 and its role should be: to accept nominations and then vote for the NWPL Commissioners; to approve the NWPL budget, particularly the annual Club contribution; and to raise and discuss issues, ideas and innovations for the League, which will then be solved, decided on or actioned by the GM, with the assistance of the NWPL Commission as appropriate. These changes to governance and management will require approval by the AWPI Board as well as changes to the AWPI constitution. It was the strong consensus throughout the review process and the final workshop that these changes and the other recommendations contained within the report will see significant strengthening and improvement in both the NWPL and the sport of Water Polo in Australia as a whole.
Recommendation 14
That AWPI employ an appropriately qualified, full time General Manager, reporting to the CEO, with the responsibility and accountability to lead, plan and run the NWPL.
Recommendation 15
AWPI create a renewed NWPL Commission consisting of four non-representative Commissioners, elected for four year terms (staggered two year, half board elections) by the NWPL Forum. The NWPL GM shall be the fifth member of the Commission. This Commission shall have the power to: oversee and determine the structure of the League; oversee and determine the licensing parameters, standards, allocations and approvals; and support the GM role and advise the AWPI Board.
Recommendation 16
That the structure and function of the AWPI Forum be amended to include representatives of each NWPL Team, male and female; a representative from each of the seven SSOs; and one from AWPI (32 in total). The function of the Forum shall be to: accept nominations and then vote for the NWPL Commissioners; approve the NWPL budget and Club contribution; and raise and discuss issues, ideas and innovations for the League, to be acted on by the GM, with the support of the NWPL Commission.
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Appendix A: Scope and terms of reference

Review of Australian Water Polo Incs National Water Polo League (NWPL)
Purpose The purpose of the review is to define and confirm the aims and objectives of the National Water Polo League (NWPL) and its role in the athlete development pathway of Australian Water Polo Inc (AWPI). Then in order to achieve these objectives, the review will assess and make recommendations on the optimal competition structure, timing, management and overall delivery of the league. Scope and Terms of Reference 1. Review the aims and objectives of the NWPL, with consideration of historical, current and desired aims and objectives; as well as how these aims and objectives inter-relate and align with the aims and objectives of: The national high performance program; National Team selection and preparation; State high performance programs; NWPL Clubs. 2. Assess the role of the NWPL in the AWPI Athlete Development Pathway. Concurrently assess the role of the NWPL in the Coach Development Pathway as part of alignment of athlete, coach and competition pathways. 3. Benchmark the structure/ format of the NWPL against international best practice and relevant similar Australian sports, with consideration given to: Organisation turnover and league funding models; Organisation membership and geographical spread; League competitiveness and role in the national pathway. 4. Identify the views of relevant stakeholders including: The Australian Institute of Sport Australian Sports Commission Australian Olympic Committee State Institutes and Academies of Sport (SIS/SAS) State Water Polo Associations NWPL Clubs Coaches Players through the Athletes Commission Referees through the Referees Commission Event hosts, facility operators, sponsors and suppliers. 5. Examine the contribution of each of the above organisations to the NWPL and the athlete and coach pathways; determine how they inter-relate; assess the resources that exist across the system; and make recommendations for the best alignment of the organisations and use of resources for the NWPL.
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6. Identify the gap between what currently exists in terms of NWPL structure and delivery and what is the most desirable model to meet the aims and objectives of the League and the sport of Water Polo in Australia. [Note: consideration will be given between a blue sky model Vs practical realities of limited resources, time, opportunity, etc.] 7. Make recommendations as part of a review report, for the future of the NWPL including the following: Confirm the aims and objectives of the NWPL; Outline the role and position of the league in the elite athlete (and coach) development pathways and National Team preparation; the structure, format and timing of the NWPL; the governance and management structure of the NWPL; resourcing of the League; the role and inter-relation of national, state and NWPL Club coaches; the desired role of the SIS/SAS; effect on and relationship to other national and/or state competitions; implementation strategies for any changes to the league. 8. Other factors that may be considered within the review: Any impediments to AWPIs ability to deliver the competition due to any existing structures of arrangements relating to the sport; Any differences in aims, objectives or pathway between the male and female sides of the sport; Optimal number of clubs (and/or tiering); Timing and role of the League relative to international competition opportunities (of both National Teams and individual players); Use of AIS or ASC high performance funding; Prizemoney; Draft systems; Rules and regulations including transfers, imports, substitution; Any minimum standards required of NWPL Clubs; Cost equalisation; Promotion, media, licensing; Risks and opportunities. Methodology 1. Announcement and promotion of review, after approval of Terms of Reference by AWPI Board. 2. Conduct a desk top review of current NWPL, as well as national and state high performance plans and programs, and other relevant information. 3. Benchmark Water Polo Leagues of main Water Polo nations, as well as relevant Australian national leagues of comparative sports. 4. Seek written submissions (or questionnaires if appropriate) and conduct one-onone interviews with key stakeholders (as outlined above), to identify key issues and seek solutions for the NWPL. 5. Convene stakeholder forum(s) if necessary.
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6. Conduct a Gap Analysis and use program logic methods to analyse information gathered and form recommendations. 7. Produce a report on the review with recommendations for an optimal NWPL. Timing The review to commence in September and to be completed by end of December 2010.
Steering Committee A committee of the AWPI Board has been established to oversee the Review. Members of the Committee: David Martin (AWPI Board) Phil Scales (AWPI Board) Warren Hawtin (NWPL Club elected commissioner to NWPL Commission) Trent Franklin (Athletes Commission Director) Chris Harrison (AWPI CEO and NWPL Commission) Peter Hobday (AWPI General Manager of Operations) Rob Clement (GM, Organisational Development, ASC)
Working Committee Jackie Fairweather (Project Manager/ Reviewer) Wanda Sipa (ASC Senior Sports Consultant) Peter Hobday (NWPL General Manager)
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Appendix B: List of stakeholders interviewed

Brett Adams Jeff Barrow John Birch Alan Black Phil Bower Ross Cogan Simon Daley Barry Dancer Phil De Gail Mike DeFina Eddie Denis John Fox Trent Franklin Suzie Fraser Michael Hahn Jon Harmer Chris Harrison Noel Harrod Michael Hart Warren Hawtin Greg Heathcote Amy Hetzel Tom Hoad Peter Hobday Phil Howden Peter Hughes Toby Jenkins Pat Jones Bill Jones Les Kay Peppi Kearney Damian Kelly Peter Kerr Bronwen Knox Keith Long Gill Manson Daniel Marsden David Martin Sunshine Coast Water Polo Coach of Vic Tigers NWPL Commission - AWPI + Board WAIS Coaching Group Manager Balmain; NWPL Commission; Olympic Referee First GM NWPL (and ED NSWPI) NTC Coach QAS; RSA National Team player QAS High Performance Director UNSW Wests Referees co-ordinator EDC Coach SA (former AIS and Vic) National Men's Coach Chairman Athletes' Commission + Board; 2x Olympian NWPL Commission - AWPI; Olympian Drummoyne SAWPI CEO; National Team Manager; player and coach AWPI - CEO Ref & former NWPL Gen Mngr FINA Referee NWPL Commission - Chairman + Board (UNSW) NSWWPI CEO Board Member - Media; Nat Squad 2004-08; Qld Breakers Life Member; 4x Olympian as player then 4x as coach (Melville) AWPI Operations Manager Brisbane Barracudas President City Beach Athletes' Commission; Olympian; (Breakers and Barras) AWPI Life Member (Cronulla) AWPI President 1993-96 (Cronulla) NSWIS Ass M coach and EAP; Scotts College Coach UNSW Killer Whales Melville WP Club Manager Board Member - President (Cronulla Club) Athletes' Commission; Olympian (Breakers) QWPI CEO VWPI CEO 2x Olympian (Captain); now coach Board Member - Governance; Previously AWPI Commission
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Nick Martin Dalibor Maslan Greg McFadden Doug McGhie + Ray & Richard Russell McKinnon Michael McNeill Ryan Moar David Neesham Paul Oberman Mick O'Brien Steve O'Keefe Aleks Osadchuk Steve Rippon Andrew Ryan Phil Scales Scott Schweickle Annebelle Sides Russell Small Ray Swinnerton Peter Szilagyi Simon Tiverios Charles Turner Jordan Votan Mike Westdorp Thomas Whalan John Whitehouse Les Williams Danielle Woodhouse Chris Wybrow Andrew Yanitsas John Zagame Brendan Cullinan, Liane Tooth, Sam Shields
Adelaide Captain; played 200+ NWPL games NTC Coach VIS (was Drummoyne) AIS & National Women's Coach UWA - President (+ parents) AWPI and NWPL Media Manager Chair Referees Commission NTC Coach NSWIS (former AIS, Syd Uni) Former player (3x Olympian), Coach (Melville) NTC Coach WAIS (M); Olympian and AIS Hunter Hurricanes; former player, coach and admin NWPL Commission - Elected (City Beach) NTC Coach QAS; 20years as professional player in four countries Brisbane Barracudas NWPL Judiciary Chair Board Member - General; Chair WAWPI (Dolphins) Natioanl Development Manager; player, coach, referee President of VWPI and former player Inaugural NWPL Commission Chair; former player UNSW Wests; former player and coach NTC Coach WA; Aust U20 F coach; Former Hungarian player and coach WAWPI CEO CEO NSWIS; former national team player and coach KFC QLD Breakers - co-captain + committee Commentator/ Presenter; Former player Athletes' Commission; National Team Captain; 3x Olympian AWPI Executive Director 1991-2009; FINA rep; now HPM Sunshine Coast Water Polo NWPL Commission - Elected; 2000 Olympian; WAIS physio NTC Coach NSWIS; 3x Olympian NSWIS Coach (M assist) + UNSW W Cronulla Club President WA Department of Sport and Recreation (High Performance Section)
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Appendix C: List of attendees at the NWPL workshop

24 November, 2010. Canberra
Workshop participants Phil Bower John Fox Jon Harmer Noel Harrod Phil Howden Peter Hughes Damian Kelly Gill Manson Greg McFadden Ryan Moar Russell Small Ray Swinnerton Observers Chris Harrison Peter Hobday John Whitehouse Melissa Backhouse Facilitator Jackie Fairweather ASC Senior Sports Analyst, Organisational Development AWPI CEO AWPI Operations Manager AWPI Executive Director 1991-2009; FINA rep; now HPM ASC Sports Consultant, Sports Planning and Development Balmain; NWPL Commission; Olympic Referee National Men's Coach SAWPI CEO; National Team Manager; player and coach Referee; Former NWPL General Manager Brisbane Barracudas President City Beach Melville WP Club Manager VWPI CEO AIS & National Women's Coach NTC Coach NSWIS (former AIS, Syd Uni) Inaugural NWPL Commission Chair; former player UNSW Wests; former player and coach
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Appendix D: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

Strengths Twenty year history of sustained NWPL. The quality of people in the system volunteers, coaches, referees, business people. Club tribalism, passion and sense of community. Club-based revenue generation (= investment) and problem solving (= innovation and ideas). Rivalries which challenge and raise the bar. League is aspirational for younger players, plus provides training games for elites. Current format gives opportunities to more: o Juniors to play with seniors o Late developers o Current national players to play alongside and learn from former national players o Players to be retained in the game. Involvement of smaller states and a regional area. Aspiration of other clubs to be involved if given an opportunity. Strength of underpinning U14 and U16 age groups. Weaknesses Lack of definition and clarity around NWPL objectives and its role in the system. Lack of strong leadership of the NWPL no clear ownership, authority or risk management. Limited involvement and capacity of the SSOs. Perceived lack of depth in the competition. Varying standard of NWPL coaches. Varying standard of NWPL referees. Limited pool access for majority of clubs. Sydney centric, and narrowing to big cities. Lack of coordination and optimisation of players training across National, NTC, NWPL and Club programs (plus state and school for some). Limited accountability of Clubs/teams. Lack of structure underneath the NWPL. Small overall member base and number of clubs (trend of losing clubs, especially in regions and small states). Very little sharing of ideas or modelling best practice. People working in isolation. Governance structure of the NWPL. Threats Continuing inability to access more pool space/ time (or further decline!). Loss of Club passion, innovation and resources (financial and human). Loss of clubs themselves. Decrease in SIS/SAS support. Decline in quality and quantity of young players being developed and coming through. Over-crowding the calendar causing conflicts, confusion and decreasing the importance of any one pinnacle competition. Emergence of private competitions. Failure to coordinate player workloads causing under-development and/or burn out of both younger and older players. Impact of forced change (e.g. forced mergers).
Opportunities Accessing/creating/leveraging dedicated WP pools and/or increased water time. Leveraging the business knowledge and networks within the AWPI members. Increased cooperation and competition across clubs leading to higher standards. Improving the quality of imports and targeting imports to provide specific benefits/outcomes. Improving links with schools to improve quality and quantity of player pool (also potential fan base at NL games). Leveraging broader networks e.g. media, marketing or IT students to support the League and Clubs. Increasing quality of the presentation and professionalism, leading to improved marketing and promotional opportunities. Sponsorships and partnerships.
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Appendix E: Benchmarking of comparison sport national leagues

League NSO Turnover Membership No. Teams WNBL 2
nd
Tier Basketball
Mens/Womens Hockey Hockey Australia $6,500,000 (HA) 176,100 participants 118,000 members
Mens/Womens Volleyball Volleyball Australia $ 2,900,000 AVF 12,040 Members AVF 5 (note: No Mens Teams from Qld and SA in 2010 competition) Clubs (smaller clubs have input from SSO i.e. ACT) Looking to work towards all SSO teams. User pays ($5000) Uni Teams have subsidised fees. AIS teams do not charge players.
Basketball Australia $7,100,000 BA 388,000 participants 170,000 BA members 10 Mix of private, SSO aligned, regional association aligned and university aligned. User pays. Clubs pay to compete in the league. Franchise/ Licensing system. 16 Club teams
8 SSO controlled, state representative teams.
Type of Teams
Funding
User pays. Clubs pay to compete in the league (licence/ central pool + team costs).
Bottom up. SSO pays majority, with balance picked up by players (including fund raising).
Role of SSO
Limited. ACT and WA play a role in management but otherwise no formal tie.
Each state is allocated a number of licences. SSOs then vet applications and oversee quality control against licence criteria. No role
It is essentially the state open age rep team, so SSOs have full responsibility.
Player registration, running of venue for round if in their state.
Role of SIS/SAS
No role
Varies. In some states linked to NTC so coaching resources through SIS/SAS. NSO subsidises costs through sponsorship arrangements (i.e. flights, accommodation).
Minimal. SASI and QIS have a relationship with local clubs.
Other resources 3 full-time employees
No subsidy from sponsorship. Resources used to fund promotion of the league internally. Looking at 5 year plan to commercialise.
Review of the Australian Hockey National Training Centre System
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League Format
Home and away season.
Home and away season with clubs split into 2 conferences of 8 based on geography Some cross over matches. Promo/ relegation with state leagues. April-September
Changes from year to year depending on international schedule and wishes of each NHCs. Generally a 2-3 round, round robin style tournament. Has traditionally been February-March, however this year was June-July to lead in to Commonwealth Games. Nothing specific, however HA has a media person who would do some promotion. Limited print media exposure.
3 weekends (two round weekends of 3 games and a finals weekend).
Timing
October-March
Mens Oct (some overlap with international season which effects those participants) Womens April-July. Driven solely by SSO and Clubs for teams. AVF resources online media streaming of content for their website of finals and live text commentary of all games on the site. ?? Mens hampered by International competition taking players in that time. Womens Comp is the highest level achievable in AUS. Minor role in Mens league due to AIS program. Womens league is selection forum for national team.
Promotional/media
Have a part time media person within BA that looks after the WNBL. Benefit from free to air coverage on ABC with 1 game per week shown and live finales. Largely club driven in their own markets. Excellent. In top 6 competitions in the world.
Will now come under BA, but onus will be on clubs to market and promote in their local area. Some webcasting.
League Quality
Was previously quite good as narrower SEABL competition, but new format will lift the level to underpin NBL competition. For players in the regional associations it is the pinnacle. Forms a stepping stone for players to move into the NBL, or platform for fringe NBL players to drop back and develop their game. Reasonable.
Excellent. In the top 2-3 leagues in the world. 8 teams would appear to be enough for a good spread of talent. Feeder competition for national team selection. Also provides competition for developing athletes, to play alongside national team members gain experience.
Role in Pathway
Varies between being pinnacle for some and part of TID for national team selection. AIS team compete to improve competitiveness.
Coaching Quality
Excellent. All national program coaches coach at WNBL level. A collaborative relationship exists where the club coaches understand what development their national squad players require.
Generally good, but ranges between funded (SIS/SAS) and non-funded (volunteer) coaches. Strong link to national coaches who have strong influence on game style etc. This can vary depending on national coach and state
Min Level 2 Womens league has National Coaches coaching. Ad hoc contact between National Coach and league for the mens. Womens has formal gathering and pass on of information at the National
Links with National coaches
Not relevant.
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coaches. Links with NTCs AIS fields a standalone team for development against more mature and experienced players. None Travel (flights only) AIS fields a standalone team for development against more mature and experienced players. None Some travel AIS program is linked strongly with the Australian team. AIS athletes are released into the system and play for their state. N/A Applies so WA, NT etc pay the same to compete as other teams. N/A
Training Camps involving all League coaches Womens NTC
Draft system Cost equalisation
N/A Travel costs equalised based on pre formatted formula N/A
Player contracts
All players are contracted and have them lodged with the league. Licence agreement for clubs sets out the operational framework
Not required.
Club guidelines/ Quality Assurance
Licence system being developed, with strict guidelines and standards for clubs to gain a licence. No issues in player movement. Limit of imports/marquee players. 2 category A (import or player that has played x minutes in previous NBL season) and 1 category B (lower minutes in NBL). Revising Each conference has a McIntyre final 4. Only recently have had a championship game, however conference titles are considered more prestigious than championship due to history.
Apply, with a set of guidelines that apply in relation to policies of the NL that teams must agree to and comply with. Players not selected can play for another state, but are free to move back to their home state. Otherwise, can transfer but requires sign off by the home state. Teams can have up to 2 imports. Changes from year to year, but generally semi finals in the top and bottom 4, with st rd th play offs for 1 , 3 , 5 and th 7 .
Conditions of entry control quality.
Transfers/ subs/ imports
Once player is out of contract is a free agent. Limit of 2 imports per team.
Player release system from SSO to transfer for a 6 month period. Some imports playing in the league (Womens mostly) but more due to external factors such as study.
Finals Format
Top 5. 4 v 5 elimination final. Then McIntyre final 4.
th
th
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League NSO
Touch Touch Football Australia $3,785,000 (TFA) 155,875 Members 384,600 Participants
W League Football Federation Australia $85,000,000 (FFA) 472,600 Members (FFA) 73,200 Female (ERASS org/non org) 7 Managed by SSO (except Adelaide) but are aligned to an A League club and carry that branding (except Canberra who are stand alone). FFA provides support in things like travel and equipment. Also provide $20K to bring in fly-ins, imports etc. SSO tips in some money and club must come up with the balance. Manages the club. Provides human resources for club use out of SSO program. Provides a number of squad members, and also provides other resources like coaching, SS/SM etc.
Womens Cricket Cricket Australia $146,500,000 (CA) 605,000 Members 14,000 Female Participants 7 (parallel competition T20/ODI) SSOs
Softball Softball Australia $2,500,000 30,700 Members
Turnover Membership
No. Teams Type of Teams
8 TFA owns all elite 8 teams. Rough regional alignment (3x QLD, 3x NSW Metro, NSW country, the rest)
6 (all states excl/ NT and Tas) State representative teams.
Funding
User-pays. Players pay to attend national league (subsidised by minimal sponsors, fundraisers etc) Currently NTL regions pay a Bond to TFA, unknown if 8s have similar system. Minimal as Touch is a hybrid unitary model, but some debate between NSW and QLD over the process. None. Trying to become involved with ARU academy.
Funding from CA into general cricket program, some specific funding to womens cricket outcomes. (ACT expenditure $125150K). All 7 managed by SSO
User pays. Teams pay to compete.
Role of SSO
Teams are the shopfront of the SSO.
Role of SIS/SAS
Cricket Academy system works strong in aligning coaches (mentoring system) through the league and up into the national teams in both mens and womens
Provide varying degrees of input, but largely provide players, coaches etc. General alignment of SIS/SAS and State teams.
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along with player support for development (driven by national coaches). Other resources N/A Investment from Foundations (e.g. Kerry Packer Foundation) via scholarships and support for semi professional player base Home and away season. Each competition weekend teams play 2x T20 and 1 x ODI. 6 weekends in all 3 rounds of round robin play, with additional games in round 3 that exclude NZ. The NZ team who form part of a separate competition run parallel to the Gillies Shield. Round 1 is over 3 days in mid Nov. Round 2 is over 3 days in mid Dec and round 3 is over 4 days in early Jan. NSO provides minimal. Nothing specific.
League Format
4 day carnival held biannually with NTL (regional annual competition). SOO held alternate years.
Timing
Held in March. In the process of attempting to align with the Trans-Tasman series/World Cup HP pathway. Nothing significant.
November to February.
Oct-Feb (around international matches where needed) Minimal promotion/media at CA merged with mens. National team gets predominance of national exposure (SSOs responsible for local exposure, varied results) T20s being played as warm ups to Mens comp. Finals T20 played in line with Mens Final with Foxtel coverage recently
Promotional/ media
FFA provides some internal support. Broadcast of 1 live match per week on ABC1. Promotion is largely club driven in local market.
League Quality
Former NTL was lopsided between top teams and bottom teams. Undertaking structural change that is attempting to introduce 2 tiers; 1 designed to be elite and 1 designed to be representative standard but at participation level. Elite to be held bi-annually.
Very good and improving. Is lifting the standard of womens football generally and seeing an increasing number of international players looking to play in Australia.
Feeder for the National Team. Comparative to Eng. County/NZ. Prov. Issue level beneath league is removed and needs development over coming years.
Fairly good. Not too big, but big enough that all talented players can have opportunity to be TIDd
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Role in Pathway
Currently an informal feeder for SOO. National teams, currently selected from NTL will be developed from 8s and SOO but work being done to better align this. Reasonably good. Regions responsible for appointing their own coach, but most have national team backgrounds. Nothing formal. There is some alignment but this will vary depending on the coach.
Largely the pinnacle in the pathway. Players move into W League after being in NTC and it is used as a selection pool for national team selection. In line with standards set by the FFA.
National coach has input and contact with state coaches for development of players.
Used as basis for selecting national side.
Coaching Quality
Each state has regional academies utilised to develop coaches and players through the formal pathway. As above.
Generally good. Minimum criteria.
Links with National coaches
Very good. National coach plays a role in ensuring that national squad members are the first players signed to clubs. Players are allocated throughout the league. Initially there was a draft of national squad members. The second season saw a smaller draft and it is diminishing now.
Some link, but states effectively run their own show.
Links with NTCs
Nothing, but are attempting to formalise a relationship with the ARU training academy. TID was run in 2010 NTL. Players IDs as being in elite 8s. Players then drafted to teams depending on geographic location; 3 QLD, 4 NSW (1 country team), 1 the rest.
As above.
Players released back to their states. In place for specialist positions (i.e. pitchers).
Draft system
No formal system, players go to areas that offer personal and career opportunities. All teams have interstate players (fly-in/non domicile). Make up of teams a combination of TID and natural movement/needs of individuals.
Cost equalisation
Players are not paid, so no salary cap required.
Yes, as above, FFA picks up tab of travel for 18 members of touring squad for each away game. Professional players are under contract, amateurs under agreement, but all are contracted. Players looked after by the player union.
Formal equalisation system in place based around travel expenses. Has some issues due to lack of guidance on min/max spend. Player contracts in place, wide variance on condition of remuneration dependant on the budget of the team. Minimum wage price set by Aus Cricketers Ass. (ACA) (i.e. per game/per night away
Travel component.
Player contracts
Not applicable. (players are not eligible to play NTL if they are registered with the Elite 8s).
No
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payment) Club guidelines/ Quality Assurance Requirements exist for teams as part of the conditions of entry into the league such as; appropriate working with children policies, all players must be financial, uniforms approved, insurance cover etc Nothing formalised yet. Major issue to be addressed. Large amount of QA in place. FFA owns the brand and monitors it closely, issuing fines for breach. Standards and conditions set via CA, ACA and ICC guidance policies that cover competition entry, uniforms, player welfare, medical etc Applies, but fairly basic.
Transfers/ subs/ imports
Fairly open transfer system. 3 imports allowed per team.
International players present in the league. TID manages player movement and pooling. As league is still in development phase talent has equalised naturally due to opportunity/player welfare/TID
Free movement.
Finals format
McIntyre final 4.
Currently 1 v 2 (could broaden to top 3 with new team from Tasmania Top team hosts final.
Follows round 3 and played on the Saturday. All teams qualify with complicated format that does not adequately reward performance during the regular season.
Page 57 of 57

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Review of the Australian Water Polo Inc.

National Water Polo League

Jackie Fairweather, Senior Sports Consultant, Organisational Development December 2010

Australian Sports Commission 2010

Pathway role and alignment .................................................................................... 16

Issues and impediments to change ....................................................................... 24

Structure of the NWPL .............................................................................................. 27

Promotion and marketing......................................................................................... 40

Governance and Management................................................................................. 41

Appendix A: Scope and terms of reference ............................................................. 44

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

The review process

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Findings and recommendations

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Pathway role and alignment

Coach & Referee pathways

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Athlete development pathway

NTC Challenge National Squad (AIS Womens Program)

National League State Grade competitions National U23

National 20s (State) State 20s

National 18s (State/Club) State 18s National 17s (Schools)

National 16s (Club)

National 14's (Club)

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Issues and impediments to change

Number and spread of members and clubs

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Capacity of state bodies

Pool space/ water access

Structure of the NWPL

Quality and competitiveness

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Table 2. Summary of Womens NWPL results 2004-2010

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Timing of the League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Options for NWPL structure

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Review of the Australian National Water Polo League

Promotion and marketing