Through the work of a volunteer coach, an initiative in Renfrewshire is giving young people the opportunity to try water polo.
OneRen, the local charitable trust providing cultural, leisure and sporting opportunities to help people enjoy active and healthy lives in Renfrewshire, offered water polo as part of a school summer camp in 2023, to not only provide a fun activity, but to help youngsters build water confidence and encourage those unable to, to learn to swim.
The camp provided young people aged 7-12 the opportunity to try water polo, and due to the overwhelming demand, a community club has been established with sessions taking place on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings for beginners through to those more experienced, as well as those with disabilities.
The initiative has given young people the opportunity to try the sport in a safe environment, with sessions happening in the 1.1m teaching pool at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley, with experienced lifeguards on hand, and participants encouraged to take up swimming lessons in order to progress.
Alan Scobie, OneRen volunteer said: said: “The novelty of playing a ball sport in water is one of the main attractions of water polo. Splashing about in the water, playing in teams with friends and new friends, and the simplicity of the rules makes for a really fun environment. There are a variety of new skills, techniques and tactics for players to learn, which makes it exciting.”
Programme pathway
Beginners start in the ‘Otterball’ programme, where participants are introduced to basic flotation, submersion and swim techniques to increase their water confidence, on top of learning the basics of water polo.
Once more competent, and having gone through swimming lessons, the young people move onto the ‘Splashattack’ programme with activities happening in the deeper pool and introduced to new techniques such as the ‘eggbeater’ required for players to be in a position for passing, shooting and blocking in the deeper water.
Alan continued: “Some of the players come to the first session and will pretty much stay close to the side of the pool for the entire time, but within one or two sessions they are moving all over the pool.
“All players are aware that in order to be able to progress to Splashattack they will need to be able to swim, which motivates them to sign up to swimming lessons.
“The progress of our participants has been truly inspiring. At the first summer water camp one year ago, we had players turn up with limited swimming ability, but by wanting to progress to the next lesson, and having taken swimming lessons, can now confidently play in the deep pool Splashattack programme.”
Volunteer champions
The success of the club is testament to the passion and quality of the volunteer coaches, as Chris Cleary, Active Schools Community Club Development Officer said:
“Over the past 15 months it has been great to see the rise of water polo in Renfrewshire.
"The dedication Alan shows to the sport is remarkable and this has a direct impact on the retention of players and the sustainability of the programme.
“Our retention figures are off the chart. Players have to re-register for the programme every ten weeks and without fail within 15 minutes most people have reregistered. Our programme is currently sitting at 43 players and a waiting list of 26!
“I think what we have created is a whole new demand for water polo as a sport, rather than as a minor discipline within swimming. Attracting participants at an early age who wish to take part in a fun, thrilling team sport, completely different from swimming has been great to see.”
The success has led to a third phase of the programme, with an inclusive water polo session for children with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment.
As the programme has grown, the sessions have increased from just Alan volunteering to five voluntary coaches. Another four coaches are being prepared to support due to its popularity and demand.
Find out more
- Join the water polo waiting list
- Learn more about the work of OneRen
