Water Polo Structure
Understanding how age groups work and the structure of water polo in the United States
HOW AGE GROUPS WORK
Age group water polo in the U.S. revolves around the 'Junior Olympics cycle,' with a series of tournaments and leagues culminating in the massive National Junior Olympic tournament in late July of each year. To ensure that players do not change age groups during a JO cycle, USA Water Polo uses an 'age as of' date of August 1 of that year for the tournament.
Age groups are separated every 2 years, e.g. '14U' is 14-and-under, '12U' is 12-and-under, etc.
Example:
An athlete born on 8/1/2011 will turn 14 on 8/1/2025, and thus will be considered '16U' by USA Water Polo for the entire 2025/2026 season, even though he/she will not have turned 14 until the last day. That athlete would be ineligible for most of the important 14U tournaments and leagues that we play in as a club.
Another Example:
An athlete born one day later, on 8/2/2011, will still be 13 on 8/1/2025, and thus will be considered '14U' and eligible for the entire 2025/2026 season.
This is a nation-wide policy of USA Water Polo, enforced by its registration and age-verification system, and by the online rostering system for most important tournaments and leagues. There is no way for Whittier Water Polo Club to waive or over-ride the age restrictions for tournaments that use the USA Water Polo roster registration system.
There are a few tournaments in the Fall that use a different 'age as of' date, but since our club is geared towards building teams for JOs, our club adheres strictly to the USA Water Polo age group system throughout the year.
USA WATER POLO STRUCTURE
AGE GROUP TEAMS
Athletes practice and compete on a team in their age group. Some age groups have multiple teams and athletes are divided up based on their ability and the club's needs.
CLUBS
Clubs are the organizations that field age group teams in tournaments. They provide the structure to allow athletes to learn, develop, and compete in the sport.
ZONES
Each region of the country is split up into 'Zones.' Our zone is the Coastal California Zone (CCA).
WHAT IS...
ODP
The Olympic Development Program (ODP) serves as the primary feeder system for the USA Water Polo Youth, Cadet, and Development National Teams. The foundation of ODP is a systematic, long-term approach to athlete, coach, and referee development through a year-round training program.
CCA
This developmental league is open to all USA Water Polo zones. Broken into two sessions, Fall (FAGL) and Winter/Spring.
FUTURES' LEAGUE
Futures WPL's mission is to showcase, through its highly competitive environment, the collective talents and efforts of all those who are involved and to continue to foster the development of our sport's future.
JUNIOR OLYMPICS
The USA Water Polo Junior Olympic Championships is the largest age group water polo tournament in the Nation. Athletes and teams come from across the country to compete on the national stage. The Junior Olympics Tournament consists of three divisions, the Championship Division, Classic Division and Invitational Division dependent upon the number of teams wishing to compete in that age group. Teams compete over a 4-day period within their respective age category.