The Australian Water Polo League (formerly known as the Australian National Water Polo League) is the premier Australian domestic water polo competition. The men's league was established in 1990 with the women's league following in 2004. The league is administered by Water Polo Australia, and is contested by eleven clubs, each fielding a women's and a men's team. As of 2024 five clubs are based in Sydney and one each in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Fremantle, Newcastle and Perth.[1]
 | |
| Formerly | Australian National Water Polo League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Water Polo |
| First season | 1990 |
| Organising body | Water Polo Australia |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Men: Drummoyne Devils (1st title) Women: Queensland Thunder (8th title) |
| Most titles | Men: Fremantle Mariners & UNSW Wests Magpies (7 titles) Women: Queensland Thunder (8 titles) |
| Official website | https://www.waterpoloaustralia.com.au/wpal-events/ovo-awl |
Seasons of the AWL run from January to April and include a 28-round regular season, followed by a finals series playoff involving the six highest-placed teams, which culminates in a grand final match.[1]
Competition Format
Regular season
The regular season runs during the Australian summer, from January to April of each year. The competition consists of 28 rounds, with each team playing every other team twice. Each match sees the teams awarded points based on the following scale: [1]
- Win in Normal Time: four points
- Win in Penalty Shootout: three points
- No result (game cannot be conducted due to uncontrollable factors): two points each
- Loss in Penalty Shootout: one point
- Loss in Normal Time: zero points
- Disqualification/Forfeit: zero points
All games require a result, and as such it is impossible for a game to result in a draw.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top six placed teams from each of the men's and women's divisions will progress to the finals series, with the position of each team determined by the highest number of points accumulated during the regular season. The remaining four teams are awarded final placings based on the number of points accumulated over the course of the regular season. If two or more teams are level on points, the team which won the game between those two teams will be determined as being higher ranked. If three or more teams are level on points, the following criteria are applied in order until one of the teams can be determined as the higher ranked:[1]
- The points of the games among the tied teams;
- The goal difference (excluding goals from a penalty shootout) among the tied teams;
- Total goals scored among tied teams;
- The games played between the tied teams;
- The results against the highest placed team;
- Toss of a coin.
Finals Series
The top six clubs at the conclusion of the regular season progress to the finals series. The finals series culminates to the Australian Water Polo League grand final, where the winner is crowned AWL champion. The club that wins each grand final is presented with the AWL Champions Trophy.[1]
The finals series consists of six teams who are placed by rank, as determined at the end of the regular season. The finals series runs over four days. In the first day of fixtures, the third-through-sixth ranked teams play a single-elimination match, with the two winners of those matches competing on day two to play off against the loser of the day two match between the first and second ranked teams on Day 3. The two winners of the those matches meet in the grand final on Day 4.[1]
Competition Venues
AWL games are played across a total of 22 approved venues throughout the season. The following venues were accredited for use for the 2024 season.
Clubs
The Australian Water Polo League is contested by eleven clubs from across Australia.
Men's Champions
As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, 11 different clubs have competed in the men's division of the AWL, with eight having won the championship trophy.
| Team | Championships | Year(s) won |
|---|---|---|
| UNSW Wests Magpies | 7 | 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 |
| Fremantle Mariners | 7 | 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| Victorian Phoenix | 6 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2013 |
| Cronulla Sharks | 5 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 |
| Sydney University Lions | 4 | 2002, 2003, 2005, 2018 |
| Queensland Thunder | 2 | 2004, 2007 |
| Drummoyne Devils | 1 | 2024[24] |
| UWA Torpedoes | 1 | 2016 |
| Hunter Hurricanes | 0 | – |
| Adelaide Jets | 0 | – |
| UTS Balmain Tigers | 0 | – |
Women's Champions
As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, 11 different clubs have competed in the women's division of the AWL, with five having won the championship trophy.
| Team | Championships | Year(s) won |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland Thunder | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2024[24] |
| Fremantle Marlins | 5 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2014 |
| Sydney University Lions | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2023 |
| Cronulla Sharks | 2 | 2006, 2012 |
| UNSW Wests Killer Whales | 1 | 2018 |
| UWA Torpedoes | 0 | – |
| Victorian Phoenix | 0 | – |
| Adelaide Jets | 0 | – |
| Hunter Hurricanes | 0 | – |
| Drummoyne Devils | 0 | – |
| UTS Balmain Tigers | 0 | – |
