Information from the Zone Chair

Creating a Midwest Water Polo League

The main issue within the current Midwest club system is the lack of a concrete objective for our teams. The National Championships at most levels have ceased to be an event that properly showcases the best talent in the country nor does it encourage development of new teams. Consequently teams play with short-term objectives such as winning individual tournaments. The Midwest Zone therefore needs to create a club system that does three things:

  1. Creates an incentive to play and train for every state in the zone.
  2. Provide an administrative support system to maintain the quality of each championship.
  3. Develop and produce multiple players and teams capable of competing and winning on the National Level.

The solution for these problems is the establishment of a Midwest Zone League at every age level. Its design would encompass the entire Zone and would utilize the existing state and city hot beds for geographic competition.

League Guidelines

The Midwest Zone would be set up in leagues by age group and gender. Each age group league would have to abide by the following guidelines:

  1. Teams must play in a minimum of two regular season tournaments to qualify for the Zone championship tournament.
  2. Leagues may be divided up into smaller divisions by state for regular season competition.
  3. Athletes on each team may only compete in the Zone Championship Tournament if they have played in a minimum of two tournaments, one of which may be the Zone Championship.
  4. League entry fee and costs for each member team to participate in league tournaments is to be determined by each age group league.

Creating a Midwest Water Polo League

The leagues would be divided up as follows:

12 & under boys 12 & under girls
14 & under boys 14 & under girls
16 & under boys 16 & under girls
18 & under boys 18 & under girls
19 & over boys 19 & over girls

Age Groups will be determined using the most recent definition of the “born on” date as dictated by USWP.

In order for each league to survive and function properly, a minimum of 6 teams must be entered per age/gender group. All league tournaments will be operated under league rules and games will be played using current USWP playing rules. Host sites will be responsible for collection of tournament fees that will include payment of officials as outlined in our league manual and payment of any other expenses as dictated by the league.

Once the regular season is completed, teams will have been seeded according to won/loss records. Teams would then compete in a playoff system to determine a champion. The playoff system can be as extensive as necessary and must include a championship bracket and a consolation bracket.

The Zone Champion from each age bracket would them advance to the National Championship as the Zone Representative in age brackets where a National Championship exists. This would be defined within each age group league. The Zone would pay the National Championship entry fee for the Zone Champion from the proceeds of the league entry fee providing the league champion agrees to go.

Team Awards for 1st, 2nd & 3rd will be given to the top 3 teams from the zone championship tournament. 15 Individual medals for each of the top 3 teams will also be given (13 players and 2 coaches).

Creating a Midwest Water Polo League

Officials will be assigned tournament sites by the League Referee Assignment Chair (Our current Midwest Zone Referee Committee Delegate would fill this position) and there would be a pre-season USWP clinic (or clinics) conducted by the Assignment Chair (or designated USWP certified clinician in the event the Assignment Chair is not one already) to league certify all referees. All fees associated with this clinic would be at the expense of the referees wanting to officiate games in the league.

Coaches and players would also have the opportunity to participate in Midwest Zone pre-season clinics by area. The current Midwest Zone Chair in association with USWP coaches and player clinicians would arrange a preseason clinic or clinics by area (if the need called for this) in which players and coaches could have the opportunity to receive proper training prior to the seasons 1st tournament. All fees associated with this clinic would be at the expense of the coaches and players wanting to participate in the clinic.

Finally, we would have player and coach’s recognition with all Zone teams. Depending on the number of teams participating in each league, a minimum of a 1st team and honorable mention team would be selected (10 players to each team with a goalie guarantee on the 1st team). We would also give out a “Top Coach” Award. Voting methods for these awards will be determined at a later date. All player awards would be certificates and the coach’s award would be a plaque. If we can maintain good statistics for each tournament with all score sheets correctly filled out, league statistics will also be kept and updates year to year.

That’s my proposal for your review. Please give me your feedback. I have also devised a “to do” list of items in order to make things run smoothly. Please review this on the pages below and give me your feedback on areas I may have missed.

I look forward to your response.

Before January 2003:

  1. Determine League Sites and Dates
  2. Determine General Format for Competition
  3. Draw up Midwest Zone League Budget
  4. Create Advertising Information for League
  5. Solicit Sponsorship for League Activities
  6. Solicit Advertising for Home Web Site
  7. Send out advertising information sheets to sponsors
  8. Send out advertising information to host teams
  9. Determine sites and dates for Officials, Coaches and Players Clinics

January 2003

  1. Send teams/clubs invitations to join the league
  2. Discuss deadlines with program printers
  3. Order sanctions for tournaments
  4. Coordinate Officials list with Assignment Chair
  5. Order trophies and medals from Awards Engraver
  6. Design player certificates for league
  7. Design league logos
  8. Open League Web Site (extension of Midwest Water Polo Web Site if possible or link to it)
  9. Order all League Equipment as needed
  10. Order coaches portfolios & notebooks
  11. Order Officials Shirts for all league games
  12. Negotiate and Order USWP inventory for resale
  13. Order resale shirts for league
  14. Coordinate housing packages and numbers at each site
  15. Arrange league hotel sponsors
  16. Send out team housing information
  17. Send out officials information packets

February 2003

  1. Request site information from all host teams
  2. Send follow-up to join League noting deadline
  3. Send out schedule of sites and approximate format per age group
  4. Send out roster sheets, USWP Membership forms (for individuals and clubs) and league rules to coaches

March 2003

  1. Finalize each age group teams leagues and distribute schedule of payments for league entry fees
  2. Finalize league format and championship tournament

April 2003

  1. Meet with Assignment Chair to discuss officials list, clinic and training manuals
  2. Arrange training clinics for table workers at each host site
  3. Begin writing program information for league
  4. Write Water Polo Scoreboard article previewing league that will also be posted on web site

May 1 - 15

  1. Coordinate each tournament schedule with host sites and send to teams
  2. Distribute schedule of tournaments and games with official’s pay scale
  3. Complete League Manual
  4. Send Teams League Manual
  5. Send Sanctioning copies to each venue
  6. Make hotel reservations for all officials at each venue

May 16 - 31

  1. Collect all camera ready artwork for ads
  2. Take program information to printers
  3. Write media articles and press releases for local newspapers at each host site
  4. Send press releases prior to each tournament

June 1 - 7

  1. Conduct all clinics throughout Midwest Zone for players, coaches and officials
  2. Distribute information packets to all officials and coaches
  3. Send copy of program with thank you letter and invoice to all sponsors
  4. Confirm team rosters through e-mails, phone calls and faxes
  5. Check rosters against USWP lists
  6. Contact teams with discrepancies
  7. Place rosters in statistics file
  8. Make sure all entry fees are collected from each team along with each teams roster

June 8 - end of season

  1. Hype each tournament with media
  2. Send our press releases to media outlets before each tournament
  3. Phone or e-mail local TV before each tournament
  4. Collect and post results and league standings from each tournament by Monday evening following tournament on League Web Site
  5. Follow up on collections of ad money from all advertisers
  6. Verify USWP merchandise arrives to each host site prior to tournament
  7. Verify League shirts arrive to each host site prior to tournament
  8. Send out Championship Awards to each host site prior to tournament

Follow-up

  1. Write follow-up article to Water Polo Scoreboard showing results of league, all zone teams and Top Coach awards
  2. Post same write up article on League Web Site and distribute hard copy to all club teams
  3. Ask teams for feedback forms
  4. Wrap up all collection of fees owed to league
  5. Perform analysis on League activities for final report on results