AUSTRALIA’S GOLD COAST TO HOST WATER POLO QUEENSLAND JUNIOR COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Published Mon 07 Nov 2022
Water Polo Queenland’s (WPQ) newest event, the Junior Country Championships will be hosted by Australia’s Gold Coast in 2022 thanks to an event partnership with Major Events Gold Coast.
The WPQ Junior Country Championships was established last year as a participation and pathway event for athletes, coaches and officials from regional Queensland. Now in its second year, the event will be held from 2-4 December, 2022 at the Gold Coast Performance Centre, Runaway Bay. The Gold Coast Performance Centre is a premier sporting facility located on the northern Gold Coast boasting an Olympic standard 50m pool, a large spectator grandstand and an unrivalled destination for sporting teams to train, stay and play at the one venue.
This three day event will cater for Boys and Girls in 12&U, 14&U, 16&U and 18&U age divisions and provide a unique opportunity to play against other athletes and teams from throughout country Queensland. The event also provides capacity and capability opportunities for referees, coaches and officials.
The event will attract approximately 350 participants including players, coaches, managers, referees, and officials and over 550 spectators from right across Queensland and from as far west as Toowoomba, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay in the north and all areas in between such as Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast as far south as Alstonville in northern NSW and of course the Gold Coast .
Water Polo Queensland CEO Mel Woosnam, said “our organisation is thrilled to be partnering again with Major Events Gold Coast and we are excited to have Australia’s Gold Coast as the host of this event in 2022. The Gold Coast is a strong area for water polo, with a long and proud history and we are looking forward to bringing our Junior Country Championships to the Gold Coast and contining to grow, develop and promote the sport within this vast region”.
Mayor Tom Tate, City of Gold Coast, said “Welcome to the Gold Coast – famous for its beaches, theme parks, hinterland and of course, sport.
We live and breathe sport in this city, enjoying post 2018 Commonwealth Games legacy with new events happening right now – and plenty more on the horizon.
Sport is worth $787 million annually to our economy and it’s great to see the 2022 Water Polo Queensland Junior Country Championships here at Runaway Bay.
Water polo is intense, physical, and thrilling so to host the junior championships is a huge coup.
I welcome competitors from right across Queensland as well as administrators, sponsors, families, and friends.
You have come to our city at a great time of the year, and I encourage you to stay a little longer, play a little harder and enjoy everything we have to offer.
2023 will see our sports and events calendar grow with a range of national and international competitions planned throughout the year so I hope to see you back again”.
Gold Coast Water Polo Association President – Jason Sheridan, said “Gold Coast Water Polo is very excited to be able to host the 2022 Junior Country Championships. This event is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase this amazing sport to the local Gold Coast community. We offer programs and competitions for juniors and seniors that focus on fun and enjoyment. There is a lot of support for water polo on the Gold Coast and we are looking to expand our competitions, programs and school engagement in 2023 and beyond ”.
