National Championship League
About NCL
The National Championship League (NCL) was created in 2014 by Water Polo Canada to bring the domestic club age group programs under a country wide umbrella that promotes the development of the sport. The NCL offers four categories of play: Senior, 20U, 18U, and 16U.
Benefits of the National Championship League
- Staggered and lengthy competition season develops athletes, coaches & referees at all levels of play
- Coach and official education linked to competition
- Better coordination and communication between WPC, provinces and clubs
- Similar competition models to other team sports will help clubs with recruitment
- Better branding and marketability of the sport
- Partnerships with cities - sell and market water polo to the sport tourism industry
16U NCL
For the 16U category, there are two Championship events in Canada; an Eastern National Championship and a Western National Championship. The top 16U teams from each province, as determined by each provincial sport organization, qualify for either the Eastern or Western National Championships, depending on their region. The Eastern and Western National Championships are hosted by WPC in April/May of each year and determine the top 16U team in each half of the country.
18U NCL
The 18U NCL season runs from November to May and features both a regular season and a playoff component. The regular season spans from November to April with the participating clubs playing a series of games against teams in their region (either Western or Eastern Conference). The regular season standings determine the playoff seedings. The first round of the playoffs is split between the Eastern and Western Conferences, with the top four teams at each conference championship qualifying for the final stage, the 18U National Finals in May.
20U NCL
The 20U NCL Category consists of a single national event called the National Provincial Championship held in Montreal, QC in July of each competition season. The 20U National Provincial Championship is open to Provincial Teams only.
MLWP
The Senior category, also known as Major League Water Polo (MLWP) runs from December to early May and features a similar format to the 18U category. The country is split into Eastern and Western conferences and the regular season conference standings determine who qualifies for the Senior National Championships, where the Canadian champions are crowned.
View Team Sask's historical results in the NCL: WOMEN | MEN
Learn more about NCL on Water Polo Canada's website.
