Winter waterpolo for 2015 gets under way today as the six Premier League teams, Exiles, Neptunes, San Ġiljan, Sirens, Sliema and Valletta, will be in action at Tal-Qroqq National Pool.
The winter trek started in 1994 after the ASA thought of supplementing the traditional summer league with a pre-season competition.
This novel idea followed the inauguration of the National Pool a year earlier, with the element of competition meant to add interest in the game while providing the teams with adequate preparation for the main fare in the hot months and open avenues for the introduction of youngsters.
The engagement of our national and youth teams in European competitions has added more scope for this competition since the selected players will have better physical and tactical tuning which would otherwise be inadequate during the shoulder season in comparison to that of foreign representative teams at a time of the year when they are in full league swing.
This year the Winter League has reached its 21st edition, with the competition not being held in 2005.
Four teams have inscribed their names on the honours’ list so far, with Neptunes and Sliema each landing eight titles, followed by Sirens and San Ġiljan with three and one respectively.
Holders, Sliema, the inaugural winners, Neptunes, and fancied San Ġiljan will be entertaining high hopes of a successful stint which would boost their expectations for the plum summer season.
These sides are replete with seasoned and promising fringe players who could hit the winter target.
Valletta, with new additions in their team, should prosper given their increasing competitiveness, while Sirens have their sights set on a satisfactory pre-season spell to maintain the significant improvement seen last summer of their largely youthful side.
Exiles, also relying mostly on their youths, will earnestly hope to raise their bar and provide their opponents with stiff resistance.
Winter matches will also have four First Division teams on the programme which opens on March 1.
These are holders, Marsascala, Marsaxlokk, the Gozitan side, Otters, and Ta’ Xbiex.
The second-tier competition, held for the first time last year, should be a meaningful opportunity for the teams to assess their strength in what one expects to witness generally balanced matches as was the case last summer.
Today’s matches
9am Sirens v San Ġiljan; 10.15am Valletta v Sliema; 11.30am Exiles v Neptunes.