Annual Water polo tournament coming up
In September, water polo players will once again do battle for the Old Mutual/Roedean School Prestige Cup.
Now in its fourth year, this annual competition has certainly become a red-letter event on the water polo calendar.
Ten top Gauteng schools compete for the honour of winning the Prestige Cup, but the aim of the competition as a whole is not so much sporting success as community service.
The pool events are played over four Saturdays, namely 20 and 27 September, and 17 and 31 January next year, with the playoffs and the finals been played on the 14 February next year.
Sponsored by Old Mutual, the tournament requires all competing schools to have a CSI Learn-to-Swim component.
This component is when each competing school partners with an under-resourced school, and implements a sustainable programme which teaches swimming and/or water polo at its partnership school.
The prize money received by the top three schools is donated to their partnership schools to develop their learn-to-swim programme further.
Old Mutual retail affluent managing director, Iain Williamson, affirmed that sport played an integral role in developing our country’s youth.
“Old Mutual is dedicated to being a trusted partner in the communities in which it operates, and by sponsoring the Old Mutual/ Roedean Water Polo Prestige Cup, we hope to promote the development of young women through sport, thereby giving them an opportunity to enhance their self-esteem and realise their goals by doing great things,” he said.
“Sport has a great unifying nature and we are extremely proud to be a part of the Old Mutual/Roedean School Water Polo Prestige Cup,” Williamson said.
In the tournament, Pool A in the 2014/2015 season has the previous season’s winners, St Mary’s, up against Kingsmead, St Stithians, St Dominc’s and Crawford.
Pool B has the previous year’s runners up, St Peter’s competing against Pretoria Girls’ High, Rand Park High, the hosts, Roedean School, and St Dunstan’s.
Pool A matches will be played on the 20 September and Pool B matches will be played on 27 September. All matches are played at Roedean School.
