Welcome to the 2022-23 Season, Junior Player EOI is now open

Nominations for Ryde Rhinos 2022/23 junior squads are now open. Please complete by Thursday 1st September - late EOIs will be accepted but will not guarantee a place in a team.

The 2022/23 season will see the Ryde Rhinos support the following squads:

• U12’s combined (born 11, 12)
• U14’s female (born 09, 10)
• U14’s male (born 09, 10)
• U16’s female (born 07, 08)
• U16’s male (born 07, 08)
• U18’s female (born 05, 06) 
• U18’s male (born 05, 06)

Ryde Rhinoss are committed to continuing the fantastic growth for elite junior water polo through the following strategies for 2022-23:

• The selection of age youth squads from which metro and  tournament teams will be selected.
• Athletes must nominate for the above squads in order to compete in tournaments. Inclusion in a squad will provide the junior athlete with an opportunity to train and build their skills in water polo for the 2022/23 season and be eligible for selection into tournament teams for State, Nationals etc. Inclusion in a squad does not guarantee selection for tournaments.
• The pursuit of individual, age-specific skill-based milestones under the guidance of the Ryde Rhions Technical Head Coach, Erkin Shagaev, for all athletes in our squads.

Athlete Commitment

Ryde Rhinos are planning on competing in the following events. The following 2022/23 calendar summary is indicative and subject to change. It is provided to allow parents and athletes to be aware of and commit to our season.

   1) Back to Polo State Festival: Mon 26 - Fri 30 Sep at Olympic Park. 

• 14s (2009 & 2010), 16s (2007 & 2008) and 18s (2005 & 2006)
• Being Sydney based, and just ahead of the Summer metro comp, this is a competition we will represen in at all age groups 

2) Canberra Cup: Fri 11 - Sun 13 Nov in Canberra 

• A fantastic long weekend away, which is also great for team and parent bonding. 
• There are Youth (2009, 2010 & 2011) and Junior (2006, 2007 & 2008) divisions

3) Australian Youth Water Polo Champs: 9-13 or 15-19 January in Perth 

• 14s (2009, 2010 & 2011) and 18s (2005, 2006 & 2007) from 9-13 January
• 12s (2011 & 2012) and 16s (2007, 2008 & 2009) from 15-19 January
• They will have Gold (A) and Green (B) divisions; 

4) NSW State Champs: (tentatively) 12-19 April 2023 at Olympic Park

• As with Back to Polo festival, each division won't be playing all dates

5) Other WPNSW run/sanctioned events as identified by the club

Teams will train and swim each week. Below is an example of potential training commitments for each age group. These are also provided as an example and may change once coaches build an understanding of their squad's capability and fitness.

• U12s: minimum two times per week, including at least one Saturday session (2.30pm) each week, one additional self swim session per week
• U14s: two-three times per week, including at least one Saturday session (2.30pm) each week, one additional self swim session per week
• U16s: two -three sessions per week, including a Saturday session (2.30pm) and at least one compulsory self swim session per week. Optional additional training  Mon (women)/Thurs (men) session (8.30-9.30pm).

Athletes who wish to train and develop their skills and may not wish to compete at tournaments are encouraged to apply.

Should a particular age group have high levels of interest, coaches will run trials during the first weeks of training.

Coaches

The Ryde Rhinos are extremely proud and grateful to have the following coaches supporting our junior program from 2022/23:

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Erkin Shagaev

HEAD JUNIOR COACH: David Smith

• U12’s male (born 11, 12) – Coach: David Smith, Asst: Jayden King

• U12’s female (born 11, 12) – Coach: Priya Tolhurst, Asst: Jayden King

• U14’s female (born 09, 10) – Coach: David Smith

• U14’s male (born 09, 10) - Coach: Erkin Shagaev

• U16’s female (born 07, 08) – Coach: Priya Tolhurst, Nicola Schubert

• U16’s male (born 07, 08) - Coach: Erkin Shagaev

• U18’s male (born 05, 06) - Coach: Stewart Randall 

Fees

For the 2022/23 season September 2022 to April 2023) the following fee structure will be applied to our junior programs

• U12’s squad $TBA + tournament fees
• U14’s squads $TBA + tournament fees
• U16’s squads $TBA + tournament fees
• U18’s squads $TBA + tournament fees

The above squad fees cover squad training. Players selected for tournaments will be invoiced individually for their portion of the costs for the team competing in the respective tournament.

Below is an example of the potential costs involved (per athlete):

• Canberra Cup: $135 
• NSW Back to polo festival: $145
• Australian Youth Water Polo Championships: 
• NSW State Championships: $175

*These costs are based on last year's nomination costs and subject to change. These costs exclude travel and accommodation costs that may be incurred by the club and invoiced to players if teams travel together, otherwise travel costs are arranged by and at the players' expense.

Australian Youth Water Polo Championships

The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships (AYWPC) will be held in Perth in January 2023. The Ryde Rhinos acknowledge the considerable financial and physical effort in competing at these championships. Currently, we are working towards the following to support our teams, coaches, athletes and parents:

• U16s travel as teams under the supervision of their coaches and managers. An indicative cost to athletes selected to represent the Ryde Rhinos is approximately $1,500 (est) including flights, accommodation, and ground transport, all meals will be at players' expense. Players may choose to make their own travel arrangements.
• U14s will need to travel with their own family/guardians

The Ryde Rhinos will pursue a range of fundraising and sponsorship activities to support our season, including raffles, sponsorship, grants. Essentially, the more fundraising you do the more your costs are reduced.

By nominating you acknowledge your awareness of and ability to support the above commitments including training.

How to nominate

Simply click on the link below and follow the instructions. Nominations close 31 August 2022.