Water Polo Clubs in the Okanagan & Interior of BC
Kelowna Water Polo Club is one of two clubs in the Interior of BC with Vernon Water Polo Club having recently starting up in the fall of 2024. We have been working closely with the governing body for our region, Water Polo West, to develop our club.
If you are interested in continuing the growth of the sport and setting up a water polo swim club in West Kelowna, Kamloops, Merritt, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Penticton or have a town with a pool that you think needs some water polo to be played in it then please do get in touch. It is such a great game and we are happy to help you out in any way we can.
If you are interested in starting a water polo club in the Interior then feel free to reach out to us or Water Polo West about how to get the balls in the pool!
Clubs in the Okanagan
Kelowna Water Polo Club - programs for youth athletes aged 6-18 and for adults - REGISTER NOW - .
Vernon Water Polo Club - January 2025 - 10 week water polo program for players aged 16 and up - .
Does your local pool have water polo nets & balls?
There are a few pools around the Okanagan with water polo equipment. If you know of others then let us know.
Catlegar: In the 2000s water polo in the Kootenays attracted players and teams from throughout the interior. Below is a photo of the team that took part in the BC Summer Games in Kamloops in 2006. We currently have players from Kelowna who have recently moved to Castlegar. If you are interested in connecting with other water polo players in the area then please drop us an email at .
Cranbrook: Around 2014 Cranbrook’s Angela Johnson Linardic began work to grow water polo in the East Kootenays. "Angela Johnson Linardic, 35, is a Grade 2 teacher at T.M. Roberts Elementary School. Originally hailing from Victoria, Johnson Linardic has been involved in water polo for more than 20 years, having first started playing the sport in 1992." [read the full article]. Below we see Angela Johnson Linardic coaching with the Canadian national team [middle back row].
Golden: There are some older plastic nets at the outdoor pool in Golden. We’d love to see these back in use! Golden Outdoor Pool
Golden, BC has a great pool that would be perfect for a good game of water polo with the Golden Dolphins Swim Club!
Kamloops: The best equipped pool in the Okanagan is in Kamloops which is actually a common location for High Performance Water Polo Camps and Provincial Competitions. There isn’t a club in Kamloops but we’d love to see that. They have the nets and are able to set the pool up for competitive water polo games. Canada Games Aquatic Centre
The 2012 Canadian women’s under-18 club water polo championship was hosted in Kamloops. Kindred Paul (pictured left) now plays with the Canadian Women’s team that is headed to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Kelowna: We have 4 full-size nets at the H2O and club members own inflatable nets that are used for practice at the Kelowna Family YMCA and also for playing on Okanagan Lake or Wood Lake in the summertime.
Lumby: This is the home of the Lumby Lightning BCSSA summer swim club. It would be great to bring water polo to this small 5 lane 25m pool which is the closest outdoor pool to Kelowna. There is not water polo equiment here but inflatable nets could easily transform this pool into a great water polo venue.
Merritt: The location of a BCSSA water polo team for a few years there are inflatable nets and balls at the indoor pool in Merritt.
The Merritt Otters ran a water polo program as part of their BCSSA Summer Swim club from 2016 to 2018. Merritt Herald
Peachland: Each summer Kelowna Water Polo Club will be partnering with the District of Peachland to bring water polo to the swim bay. To find out more visit Peachland.ca .
Penticton: Check out the Penticton Water Polo Community page on Facebook to connect with other water polo enthusiasts. The 10 lane pool in Penticton is perfect for water polo games and Kelowna Water Polo Club hopes to work with the aquatic community in Penticton to bring community water polo swimming lessons to the southern shores of Lake Okanagan. The KISU swim club's Masters coach, Marcelo Sulkin is a Certified Level 2 water polo coach. He previously coached the Calgary Renegades' junior and senior girls to national finals.
Vernon: Check out the Vernon Water Polo Club page on Facebook to learn about this new club and how to join. The club will begin training at the Vernon Aquatic Centre centre in the 2024-2025 season. You can also connect with other players and community members on the Vernon, Lumby & Enderby Water Polo Community.
