The history of water-polo goes back to the Victorian English Society, as a by-product of the industrial revolution and love of sport. In the mid 1870’s, the English were moving to towns due to rapid industrialisation, while the construction of baths allowed them “to get washed” and “to learn swimming”. The game originated as a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball constructed of Indian rubber, probably from the 1850s onwards. This new game was called ‘Football in the Water’.The rules of water polo were originally developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson.
The game of Water Polo originated in Britain and it was one of the original sports featured at the first ever modern Olympic Games in 1900. It is a dynamic team game that requires all participants to have a high level of fitness as well as a large degree of stamina. Featuring fast and furious action, it is an exciting game both to play and to watch. Each match consists of four quarters and players use a combination of swimming, treading water, throwing, catching and shooting throughout the game in an attempt to beat the opposing team.
Much philosophy and debate surrounded the early formation of the Water Polo style and technique, and various developments contributed to the change of the game. The ‘dry pass’ was invented in 1928. This involved teammates passing the ball over the water to one another without ever letting it touch the surface, henceforth, the name dry pass’. Between 1877 and 1885 English Clubs introduced the game in swimming clubs and the English Swimming Association passed the first set of rules. In Scotland, the game had already begun to be played. In 1877, William Wilson, a Scottish Swimming Coach, drew up a set of rules for ‘Aquatic Football’ aiming to amuse the spectators during the annual competitions in the river. At that time ‘Aquatic Football’ had to be placed with the hands at a set point, Wilson decided to put goals-posts (similar to those used in football) into the water, thus allowing players to be able to throw the ball inside. The new sport was so successful that the London Swimming Association entrusted a commission with the task of drafting a specific regulation.
The first national championships were r held in 1886 in Scotland and in 1888 in England. Water Polo was an exclusively male competition and was a demonstration of crude strength and swimming skill. In 1890, the first Water Polo match took place between two National Teams: the Scottish won 4-0 against the English team in Kensington.
Between 1890 and 1900, Water Polo spread so rapidly throughout Europe that it triggered a number of tournaments in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Hungary, and Italy following the rules developed in England. In 1900, men’s Water Polo made its first appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris, the second edition of the Olympics. To represent the countries were teams, and clubs from all around the world. Participation in the second edition of the Olympic Games was an important step for the sport, and it raised it to be the most popular Team sport of the Olympic Program.
The object of Water Polo is to work as a team with a view to putting the ball into the opposing team’s net,. This is known as scoring a goal. Like many team sports, the object of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team, resulting in a win.
Each team consists of seven players in the pool at any one time, consisting of six outfield players and one goalkeeper. Positions are either offensive or defensive, with the offensive positions including a centre, forward, two wings who play on the flanks of the pool and a point, who is positioned around the 5m line.
I began to play Water Polo in Grade 8. With much love for swimming I knew I could not resist when Water Polo commenced at my College. Enthusiastic as I was I would not miss the ‘Haymen’, known to be one of the most attended Royal-Thomian encounters to date, which is also one of the reasons I began to play the sport. Missing all this due to the current prevailing pandemic, our teams still continues to hold our fitness levels using online sessions with our coaches. In conclusion, I impatiently wait for College to reopento jump right back into the pool again.
Mckyle Karunaratne
Grade 9, S.Thomas’College,
Mount Lavinia