Australian Water Polo League
 | |
| Formerly | Australian National Water Polo League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Water Polo |
| First season | 1990 |
| Organising body | Water Polo Australia |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champions | Men: UNSW Wests Magpies (9th title) Women: Cronulla Sharks (3rd title) (2026) |
| Most titles | Men: UNSW Wests Magpies (9 titles) Women: Fremantle Marlins & Brisbane Barracudas (5 titles) |
| Official website | https://www.waterpoloaustralia.com.au/wpal-events/ovo-awl |
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 10 clubs, each fielding a women's and a men's team. As of 2026 five clubs are based in Sydney and one each in Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle, Newcastle and Perth.[1]
Seasons of the AWL run from January to March and include an 18-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
[edit]Regular season
[edit]The regular season runs during the Australian summer, from January to March of each year. The competition consists of 18 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
[edit]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]
Competition venues
[edit]AWL games are played across a total of 27 approved venues throughout the season. The following venues were accredited for use for the 2026 season.[1]
- Notes
- i Special Event Venue only.
Current Teams
[edit]The Australian Water Polo League is contested by 10 clubs from across Australia.[2]
| Club | Est. | AWL debut | State/Territory | Location(s) | Championships (Men) | Championships (Women) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Last | Total | Last | |||||
 Cronulla Sharks
|
1963 | 1990 | New South Wales |  Sydney (Cronulla)
|
5 | 1999 | 3 | 2026 |
 Drummoyne Devils
|
1904 | 2008 | New South Wales | Sydney (Drummoyne)
|
1 | 2024 | 0 | — |
 Fremantle Mariners (M) / Marlins (W)
|
19461 | 1992 | Western Australia |  Fremantle
|
7 | 2012 | 5 | 2014 |
 Hunter Hurricanes
|
2006 | 2006 | New South Wales | Newcastle
|
0 | — | 0 | — |
 Queensland Thunder
|
2018 | 2019 | Queensland |  Brisbane
|
0 | — | 3 | 2024 |
 Sydney University Lions
|
1892 | 1990 | New South Wales | Sydney
|
4 | 2018 | 3 | 2023 |
 UNSW Wests Magpies (M) /Killer Whales (W) |
19652 | 1990 | New South Wales | Sydney (Ashfield & Kensington)
|
9 | 2026 | 1 | 2018 |
 UTS Balmain Tigers
|
1884 | 1996 | New South Wales | Sydney (Balmain)
|
0 | — | 0 | — |
 UWA Torpedoes
|
19793 | 1990 | Western Australia | Perth
|
1 | 2016 | 0 | — |
 Victorian Phoenix
|
2021 | 2022 | Victoria |  Melbourne
|
0 | — | 0 | — |
- Notes
- 1 In 2009, Wests Magpies and UNSW Killer Whales merged to become UNSW Wests Water Polo Club.
- 2 Establishment date of Melville Water Polo Club.
- 3 Establishment date of City Beach Water Polo Club.
Former Teams
[edit]| Club | State/Territory | Location(s) | First season | Final season | Also Known As |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Adelaide Jets
|
South Australia |  Adelaide
|
1991 | 2025 | Adelaide/Canberra Jets (2000) |
 Brisbane Barracudas
|
Queensland | Brisbane
|
1990 | 2018 | Brisbane Tugun (2000) |
| Brisbane Redbacks (1997 - 1998) | |||||
| Brisbane Barracudas (1999 - 2018) | |||||
 Queensland Breakers
|
Queensland | North Brisbane
|
2003 | 2018 | KFC Breakers |
 Victoria Tigers
|
Victoria | Richmond, Victoria
|
1990 | 2016 | Richmond Tigers (1990 - 1995) |
| VIS Tigers (1996) | |||||
| Hawthorn Tigers (1997 - 1999) | |||||
| Victoria Tigers (2000 - 2013) | |||||
| Victorian Seals (2014 - 2016) | |||||
| Hobart Hammerheads | Tasmania |  Hobart
|
2004 | 2009 | |
| AIS Finns | Australian Capital Territory |  Canberra
|
2004 | 2009 | |
| Canberra Dolphins | Australian Capital Territory | Canberra
|
1990 | 2006 | |
| Kiwi Stingrays | New Zealand |  New Zealand
|
1999 | 2003 | New Zealand Stingrays (2001-2003) |
| Singapore | Singapore |  Singapore
|
2002 | 2002 | |
| Canadian Canucks | Canada |  Canada
|
1999 | 1999 | |
| Brisbane QWPI | Queensland | Brisbane
|
1995 | 1996 | |
| Melbourne Barbarians | Victoria | Melbourne
|
1990 | 1992 | |
| Hobart Institute of Sport (TIS) | Tasmania | Hobart
|
1990 | 1990 | Hobart Tigers (1990) |
Men's champions
[edit]As of the conclusion of the 2026 season, nine clubs have won the championship trophy. UNSW Wests Magpies are the most successful men’s AWL club, having won nine championships.[2]
| Team | Championships | Year(s) won |
|---|---|---|
| UNSW Wests Magpies
|
9 | 2008a, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 |
| Fremantle Mariners
|
7 | 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| Victoria Tigers
|
6 | 1990b, 1991b, 1992c, 1993b, 2010, 2013 |
| Cronulla Sharks
|
5 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 |
| Sydney University Lions
|
4 | 2002, 2003, 2005, 2018 |
| Drummoyne Devils
|
1 | 2024 |
| UWA Torpedoes
|
1 | 2016 |
| Queensland Breakers
|
1 | 2007 |
| Brisbane Barracudas
|
1 | 2004 |
| Victorian Phoenix
|
0 | – |
| Queensland Thunder
|
0 | – |
| Hunter Hurricanes
|
0 | – |
| UTS Balmain Tigers
|
0 | – |
- Notes
- a Championship won pre-merger as Wests Magpies.
- b Championships won as Richmond Tigers.
- c Championship won as VIS Tigers.
Women's champions
[edit]As of the conclusion of the 2026 season, six clubs have won the championship trophy. Brisbane Barracudas & Fremantle Marlins are the most successful women's AWL clubs, having won five championships each.[2]
| Team | Championships | Year(s) won |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Barracudas
|
5 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 |
| Fremantle Marlins
|
5 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2014 |
| Queensland Thunder
|
4 | 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| Cronulla Sharks
|
3 | 2006, 2012, 2026 |
| Sydney University Lions
|
3 | 2016, 2017, 2023 |
| UNSW Wests Killer Whales
|
1 | 2018 |
| UWA Torpedoes
|
0 | – |
| Victorian Phoenix
|
0 | – |
| Hunter Hurricanes
|
0 | – |
| Drummoyne Devils
|
0 | – |
| UTS Balmain Tigers
|
0 | – |
