By Siya Cele.
Cape Town water polo stars, Karabo Mamaregane (left) attempts to block the pass from Adam Brown (right) during this past weekend’s Elevate Water Polo Training Camp at St. Cyprians School Aquatics Centre in Cape Town. Photo Credit: GalloImages.
Energy, ambition, and rising talent came together this past weekend as Elevate Water Polo hosted a high-performance training camp at St Cyprian’s School Aquatics Centre in Cape Town. The camp brought together some of South Africa’s brightest junior athletes and top coaching minds in a final push before several international trips to compete in Europe.
The camp served as preparation for the Under-16 girls and boys squads heading to the BIWPA Summer Cup in Lloret De Mar, Spain, from 20 – 30 June, and the Under-19 teams bound for the prestigious Next Generation Cup in Barcelona this September. The teams are set to face top European clubs, as well as elite teams from Australia, the UK, and the USA.
“These international club tournaments are absolutely vital for the growth and development of water polo in South Africa,” said Lwazi Madi, assistant coach for the U16 boys and goalkeeper specialist, who is also the recent captain of the SA men’s national team. “They offer our young players an incredible opportunity to experience the game at a whole new level – faster, more intense, and highly competitive.”
“The more chances we give them to compete internationally, the more inspired and motivated they become. And that excitement and hunger for success are exactly what we need to take the sport to new heights in South Africa.”
Through its innovative programmes, Elevate Water Polo’s long-term vision is to be part of the transformation of the national landscape of the sport by making skills development and international competition more accessible to players and coaches worldwide.
The Cape Town camp emphasised technical refinement, game plan execution, and team cohesion, providing athletes with a rare opportunity to train together in a high-performance environment. This structured preparation addresses previous challenges for outbound touring teams where players often have had little time to gel.
“It’s critical,” said Jono Swanepoel, head coach of the U16 boys’ team and one of the top national men’s players in the country. “Water polo is a team sport, where team chemistry and consistent high intensity matches play a crucial role. Without regular international competition and training time like this, it’s impossible to improve and compete against other nations.”
Throughout the weekend, coaches emphasised the importance of consistent preparation, with players learning to communicate more effectively, adapt to different game scenarios, and commit to high standards of discipline and teamwork, both in and out of the water.
The coaches all reported noticeable improvement in technical execution, mental resilience, and collective understanding.
“The growth is incredible,” said Delaine Mentoor, head coach of the NGC women’s team, who made history in 2021 when she became the first woman to coach a water polo team at an Olympic Games, overseeing the SA women’s side.
“On the technical side, players are more disciplined and confident. But what stands out is the mental and emotional maturity, understanding what it means to operate in a high-performance environment and becoming more accountable. Players start to see themselves not just as students who play water polo, but as athletes.”
Elevate Water Polo’s camps, which form part of a broader multi-month training cycle, are already yielding results.
“Taking our U19 team to Spain last year was a game-changing experience,” said Madi. “In just a few days, we saw incredible growth… many of those players are now training with the U23 squad, driven by a renewed passion for the sport.”
For many of the coaches, the initiative is deeply personal. “Elevate recognises the untapped talent we have in South Africa,” said Madi. “They’re helping unlock that potential and pushing us to become more competitive internationally.”
Mentoor added: “Being part of a programme that puts water polo, and the players first reignited my passion for coaching… That’s what happens when a group of people work toward the same goal, to better, to improve, to inspire.”
All these efforts have been carefully thought through by the founders of Elevate Water Polo to have real tangible impact that not only improves the standard of the elite game but also contributes to the broadening of the skills and knowledge base at the grassroots of the game.
“One of our key drives from inception has been our emphasis on developing more water polo coaches and providing them with a library of accredited courses so they can be upskilled and accredited to then be recognised as qualified coaches by schools and provinces,” explained Head of Performance and co-founder Duncan Woods.
“This addressed a big vulnerability in the water polo community where no formal coach accreditation was previously available, and coaches were appointed on perceived competence and experience, but without ever being formally trained.”
Elevate are an independent body, which makes them able to move fast and dynamically to create impact in the sport, but the success has not been achieved alone.
“We are blessed with incredible collaborations from the water polo community, both locally with the South African Schools Federation (SWPSA), local academies, clubs and provinces from all over South Africa, and partnerships with a key partner in the Barcelona International Water Polo Academy (BIWPA), “said Woods.
These groups can all see the growing interest and popularity of the sport in the whole of Southern African schools, including non-traditional water polo schools.
“Many of these groups share the vision of developing our increasing numbers of homegrown talent into being internationally relevant, and they have wholeheartedly supported what we are trying to achieve. We are extremely grateful for their generosity of support,” he added.
“It will take a village, and in this case, the whole water polo village playing their part in making that shared dream a reality where the whole landscape of water polo is lifted.”