Women's Club Water Polo - Journey to Nationals

Meet the Team

UCLA Women's Club Water Polo is a student run and student funded organization affiliated with UCLA Recreation Club Sports. This year we have a total of 21 active members with a bounty of new talent. We are currently competing against 5 other teams in the Pacific Coast Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association and are looking to grab a top spot in the championship tournament for our division. Outside of our division, we have competed with schools like UC Davis, Oregon, and UC Santa Cruz in pre-season tournaments and have come home with a winning record. Aside from water polo, this team prides itself on its outreach to the community. In the past, our team has participated in events like food drives, 5K race charity fundraisers, garden plantings, and blood drives. The team not only provides excellent water polo development and experience, but has built an exceptional community around the sport where our members have found life long friends and lasting memories. 

Our Story

UCLA Women's Club Water Polo has come a long way from where we were in just one short year. Last year, our team was close to disbanding and was almost non-existent. As a result of a multitude of unfortunate happenings and overall bad luck, our team found itself having to make the decision of whether or not to continue playing as a team. However, the love of the sport and the bond of the team prevailed. As a team of 12 players, last year's team struggled immensely to fund our tournaments and play competitively. But through hard work, commitment, and perseverance, our team made it to every tournament, reached our fundraising goal, and kept the team alive. Although last year was difficult and trying for the team, we find that we are stronger and a closer team because of it. This year we not only boast an impressive 21 players, a full roster, but also a team that has been through thick and thin together. 

Our Needs

As a result of a difficult previous season, our needs have piled up. Our biggest burdens at the moment are tournament and travel fees. As a highly competitive team, we are given the opportunity to travel to different schools to compete. However, each tournament costs a substantial fee, as well as the costs of transporting and lodging such a large team. By the end of this season, we will have traveled to three different universities to compete. Not to mention, our potential for reaching the Nationals tournament in Pittsburgh this year. Especially with the promising talent of this year's team, the National tournament is a goal within reach and we hope that our chances of attending are not diminished by the costs.

This season we are also looking to purchase a new set of water polo caps to ensure the safety of our players. As the years have gone on, our equipment has begun to wear or get lost. As a result, the number of usable water polo caps for practice has dwindled, thus decreasing the safety of our practices. In order to protect our players and maintain efficient practices, new water polo caps are a top priority for our team. 

How You Can Help

Our goal this season is to raise $10,000 to help buffer the costs of tournaments, travel, and equipment. As a club sport, our team must find ways to raise our own money to fund these items since the school does not allocate any money towards our program. Our players are constantly struggling to keep the team afloat, but want to continue playing for the love of the sport and the team. Our donor's play a huge role in the success of our team, helping fund tournaments and alleviating the stress that comes with a student run and funded team. Your donation helps not only this season's team, but the future teams to come. We greatly appreciate any amount that you can give, and we would love you to come support us at our games! 

Go Bruins!