Water Polo Canada © 2025
In 2010, Water Polo Canada (WPC) published our Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) document entitled, “The pursuit of excellence and an active lifestyle”. This document was developed in collaboration with Sport for Life and in accordance with Sport for Life’s Long-Term Athlete Development Framework Version 1. Since this document’s publication, Sport for Life has made some revisions and updates to the Framework’s content. In response to these Framework revisions, many National Sport Organizations (NSOs) including WPC, have begun developing supplementary documentation with the intention of garnering a strategic, precise and in-depth look at athlete and participant development in Canadian sport. One of the most valuable of these auxiliary documents is the Athlete Development Matrix (ADM).
An Athlete Development Matrix (ADM) provides details regarding specific skills, capacities and characteristics that athletes should cultivate during each stage of the Sport for Life Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity (LTDSPA) Framework, previously known as the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Framework. The primary purpose of an ADM is to ensure that athletes are afforded the opportunity to reach their potential. Water Polo Canada (WPC) created this ADM in order to support and guide our stakeholders in optimizing the growth and development of each Canadian water polo athlete.
Throughout WPC’s ADM, five skill components are considered - life skills, physical capacity, psychological skills, tactical skills and technical skills – creating a comprehensive blueprint for Water Polo Canada’s (WPC) sport stakeholders to follow. This ADM is intended to be used as a supplementary resource tool to WPC’s previously developed LTAD document to aid in establishing nation-wide alignment in its programming - from the club level to the Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) level to the National Sport Organization (NSO) level. PSOs and clubs are encouraged to use and refer to this document when creating any programming to maintain alignment. The ADM is also an important tool to promote healthy lifestyles in individuals by equipping them with skills essential to successful growth and development. Although this document is an extremely useful resource tool for stakeholders, WPC would like to emphasize that the ADM identifies what is necessary for an athlete’s sport development. It is not the responsibility of a coach to be an expert or possess knowledge and solutions for every situation related to their athletes’ development. It is important for coaches and other stakeholders, such as parents, to consult or refer to external sources (doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists, physical trainers, etc.) to gain insight and expertise in areas that are not directly in line with their educational background.
| National/Regional Development Centres | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Toronto | |
| Description | As Edmonton continues to develop into a secondary water polo hub in Alberta, a Regional Development centre will be establish to support the continual growth of athletes within the region. | Water Polo Canada endorses the WPS Water Polo Saskatchewan High School Excellence Centre as a key hub for athletes in central Canada to develop towards international success. The program established out of Regina promotes the growth of student-athletes while providing a high-quality training environment that is aligned with WPC’s overall High Performance Development Strategy. Athletes currently on Age Group National Teams or who are hoping to make subsequent National Teams should inquire with Water Polo Sask about this great opportunity! | In the fall of 2017, Water Polo Canada and Ontario Water Polo opened the doors to the first ever Canadian Regional Development Centre. The project aims to facilitate system alignment, while supplementing and enhancing the weekly training environment for athletes in the GTA. The project also represents a collaboration with the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario. On a weekly basis, club identified male athletes participate in two additional practices and a guided strength training session at the state of the art Toronto Pan Am Centre in Scarborough. |
| RDC Contact | Dayna Christmas | Cyril Dorgigné | Nishant Damani |
| RDC Link | Regional Development Centre - Edmonton | Regional Development Centre - Saskatchewan | Regional Development Centre - Toronto |