Elevate targets water polo’s ‘lost age group’ as U23 team steps up to Nordic League challenge

A failure to bridge the gap between the schools water polo system and  senior international level has left SA treading water in the sport,  Duncan Woods, head of performance at Elevate Water Polo, believes.

When Elevate Water Polo’s under-23 men’s team make their debut at the prestigious Nordic League tournament in Lisbon, Portugal this month, the  hope is that it will go some way to bridging the divide. 

“We have intentionally chosen the under-23 age group as the vital bridge between our very strong local schools water polo segment and the challenging international senior level,” said Woods, who will travel to Portugal as the team’s head coach.

“This tournament offers a unique opportunity for our rising stars to experience high-level senior competition, pushing them to make the jump from under-20 to international senior status effectively. 

“We have identified that many of our top players in this age band have had a development gap between their SA under-20 competition and senior men's international level. This we need to address. Failure would mean there are no steps provided in between those important milestones.”

The Nordic League, now in its eighth edition, is designed to offer competitive exposure to emerging senior-level players.

The tournament’s qualification round runs from November 28-30 and features 34 clubs from 18 countries. Elevate will face home side Sporting Clube de Portugal, Cheltenham SWPC (England), and STT Copenhagen (Denmark) in their pool. The best two teams from each group will qualify for the group phase.

“These types of tours are crucial for the development of water polo in our country, especially for the under-23 age group, which is often described as a ‘lost’ age group in our current system, as you’re too old to play for the under-18 side, but too young for the men’s national team,” said Elevate team captain Sam Hanssen. “This tour is a great way to bridge that gap and keep players in this age group engaged in the sport.”

After a comprehensive six-month training programme that began in April, the squad departs South Africa on November 25, with one final camp set for Cape Town this weekend. Hanssen said the squad is ready for the challenge.

“It’s both an honour and a privilege to be captain of this Elevate under-23 side going to the Nordic League,” he said. “I know it will be a challenge, but I’m confident in the guys we have in our squad, and I think we’ve prepared really well,” he said.

“The team culture at the moment is phenomenal. We’ve all known each other for a while within the water polo community and play against one another at club level a decent number of times each year ... The weekly training sessions have brought us even closer.”

The team returns to South Africa on December 2, just in time for the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament, starting in Tshwane later that day.

Elevate Water Polo is also preparing an under-23 women’s team for the March 2026 edition of the Nordic League.