For the first time in twenty years, Galway will host three days of competition in the 2021 Irish water polo senior cup from Friday 3rd December to Sunday 5th of December 2021. The competition will bring the best Women’s and Men’s teams from across Ireland to complete for the prestigious title of Irish Senior Cup champions. The competition returns after a hiatus of two years due to the ongoing pandemic.
Both local clubs will compete in the competition, Tribes WPC will participate in the Women’s competition hosted in the Kingfisher pool at NUIG. Corrib WPC will participate in the Men’s competition hosted at the Leisureland pool in Salthill. Ten clubs from Belfast, Dublin and Drogheda make up the team that have qualified for the group stages of this year’s competition, including the current Women’s and Men’s champions St. Vincents.
The Men’s completion begins on Friday evening at 6pm in the Leisureland pool. The opening game will see Clonard WPC from Belfast taking on North Dublin. Corrib men’s team play their opening group B game against Sandycove SC at 7pm. The Women’s competition opens on Saturday in Kingfisher pool with Tribes WPC taking on Belfast opponents Cathal Brugha at 2pm.
Tribes WPC and Corrib WPC have joined forces to host this festival of water polo and welcome clubs to the city for this tournament. Whilst no stranger to hosting underage water polo events, the Irish Senior Cup is seen as the blue riband event in the Water Polo calendar. Hosting it in Galway is testament to the excellent work being done to promote the game in Galway and the west of Ireland, which is now seen by many as a centre of excellence for the game. Galway serves as the perfect venue for both tournaments, with over 500 players, management and supporters visiting the city for the weekend, and supporting the local economy.
Both local clubs will continue their group stages through Saturday, Tribes WPC playing their second group game on Saturday at 5pm against Drogheda WPC in Kingfisher. Corrib WPC play two games on Saturday in Leisureland. Their opening game against Clontarf SC at 4:10pm. Their final group game is at 9:15pm when they take on Cathal Brugha.
The semi-final and finals for the Women’s and Men’s competitions will take place in Leisureland pool on Sunday. Games will start at 11am with the Women’s semi-finals. The men’s semi-finals are scheduled to start at 1:20pm. The women’s final is scheduled for 6pm followed by the Men’s final at 7:30pm.
Spectators are welcome at both venues, but strict Covid protocols on vaccination certification and face coverings will be in place. For more information and a full tournament schedule keep in touch with Ireland Water Polo at the official website https://irelandwaterpolo.ie/
