After the Stingers’ race to Olympic silver in Paris, captain Zoe Arancini wants to make water polo a sport for everyone

With both her parents and aunt representing Australia in water polo, it was always a reason for Stingers captain Zoe Arancini to delve into the sport.

But the three-time Olympian and silver medallist in Paris says not everyone gets the chance to play this fast-paced and sometimes brutal sport.

Although water polo is played all over the country, it is one of the most exclusive and expensive sports to play at the community level, with some leagues charging over $500 for entry fees.

To register as a junior player (under 14 to under 18) for the 2024/25 summer competition at Ryde Water Polo Club in Sydney’s north-west, parents will pay just over $680.

Parents and players must also pay for pool attendance on game days and practices, uniforms and more than $150 in fees to national and regional sports associations.

Arancini told AAP that water polo was neither accessible nor affordable.

“It’s getting harder and harder to decide how much it costs, and the cost of living makes it even harder,” she said.

Water polo is one of the few sports in Australia that you have to pay to enter, meaning that the entry fee does not cover the use of the pool.

According to Arancini, this is because there simply aren’t enough swimming pools.

“There is also access to the pools, especially in Sydney. You are competing for space with swimmers and other water programs,” she said.

According to Arancini, it is not only the cost that prevents young people from taking up the sport, but also the accessibility and location.

There is no water polo club in Western Sydney. The nearest is the Blue Mountains Water Polo Club in Glenbrook, 63 km west of the Sydney CBD.

Arancini is concerned about this, as he wants more young people to play water polo after the success of the Stingers, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

She said Water Polo Australia needs to work with former Olympians and players to make the sport accessible to all.

“But why don’t we join in, you know? I’d like to be part of that progress,” Arancini said.

“How can we make it (water polo) more accessible to more athletes? I think other countries are a bit better at that (than Australia).

“I think it’s very much about talking to athletes and Water Polo Australia needs to get input from the clubs in the region.”

In its 2023 annual report, Water Polo Australia reported that there were just over 20,100 active members nationally, with the highest membership numbers in New South Wales and Queensland, followed by Western Australia.

Water polo is played in every state and territory except the Northern Territory.

MONKEY