The 2011 BOV Waterpolo Championship will be contested by nine teams as Valletta United are making a comeback after a lapse of several years.
Describing the return of Valletta to competitive waterpolo as a huge boost to the local game, Joe Caruana Curran, president of the Aquatic Sports Association (ASA), expressed hope that the number of participating teams will continue to grow in the coming years.
“We are delighted that Valletta, one of the traditional names in Maltese waterpolo, have applied to take part in this year’s championship,” Caruana Curran told a news conference in which the draws for the national league were made.
“Their participation will certainly strengthen this year’s tournament and we are hopeful that other teams will follow suit.
“In fact, Marsaxlokk, who have withdrawn from this year’s competitions, have just appointed a new committee and a meeting with an ASA delegation is to take place shortly. We hope that Marsaxlokk will be able to field a team next year. There is also interest from Senglea who have just formed a club, and hopefully, they too will join our family.”
The 2011 National Championship will be played under a new format. The nine teams have been split into two seeded groups instead of the traditional single league in the preliminary round.
At the end of the preliminary phase, teams in the corresponding positions in each group will face each other in the play-offs. The top five teams will qualify for Division One while the remaining teams will compete in Division Two.
The winner of the first-place play-off will start the final phase with five points while the loser will have three points. The third and fourth teams in Division One will begin with two and one point respectively while the fifth qualifier will receive no bonus points.
The bonus points in Division Two will be awarded as follows: first team gets four points, second team two points, third team one point and fourth team none.
Group A features champions Neptunes, Exiles, Sirens, Ta’ Xbiex and Valletta while Sliema, San Giljan, Marsascala and Otters are in Group B.
The preliminary round kicks off on June 7 when Neptunes face Ta’ Xbiex at 6.30 p.m. while Exiles take on Valletta at 7.45 p.m.
The first phase of the championship concludes on June 22 after which there will be a two-week break to enable the national team to prepare for the European Championship qualifiers against Turkey (June 28) and Poland (July 1).
In the build-up for these two qualifiers, the national team, led by Sergio Afric, will play a warm-up game against the overseas players engaged with local clubs.
The domestic competitions resume on July 5 when the Super Cup finals for the first and second divisions will be played. July 7 sees the start of the knock-out competition with the two finals scheduled for July 16.
The second phase of the National Championship gets underway on July 22 and will reach its climax on September 2 when the best-of-five play-off final for the title will be played.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s competitions as all teams have strengthened their ranks, registering some top-class overseas players who will undoubtedly enhance the level of play,” Caruana Curran said.
“We have three months of intense action at the National Pool and I hope all teams will give their contribution to maintain the improvement of the game in Malta.”
Also present for yesterday’s news conference was Peter Perotti, chief officer of main sponsors Bank of Valletta. He said: “Bank of Valletta and the Aquatic Sports Association have had extensive discussions to create greater competitivity in the national waterpolo competitions.
“Unlike previous seasons, the championship finals will be the last fixtures of the season and the five-game series will definitely keep the fans excited.”
Preliminary round
Group A: Neptunes, Exiles, Sirens, Ta’ Xbiex, Valletta.
Group B: Sliema, San Giljan, Marsascala, Otters.