NCL Overview, Handbook & Guides
OVERVIEW • HANDBOOK & GUIDES • PARTNERS
Overview
The National Championship League (NCL) was created in 2014 to bring the domestic club age group programs under a country wide umbrella that promotes the development of the sport.
The NCL offers three categories of play: Senior, 18U, and 16U.
Senior
The Senior category runs from December to early May and features a format of separate event weekends. The country is split into Eastern and Western conferences and the standing from each event weekend determine who qualifies for the Senior National Championships, where the Canadian champions are crowned.
Eastern events will be divided into two tiers. The tiers will maximize the number of meaningful games that are played through the course of a season. Promotion and relegation opportunities will exist at the end of each event and a playoff into the Senior National Championship qualifier will take place.
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
Please email Andrew Muir, WPC’s Senior Manager of Leagues and Pathways, for additional information.
HANDBOOK & GUIDES
The following documents are the governing and supporting manuals of the National Championship League to be updated on an annual basis
- 2024-2025 NCL Handbook - *NEW* Oct 8, 2024
- 2024-2025 NCL Registration Package - Updated August 2024
- World Aquatics Competition Regulations July 5, 2023
- 2021-2022 NCL Cancellation Policy
- 2020-2021 NCL Format Changes
- NCL Rule Changes in Response to FINA Update of Water Polo Rules
- NCL Rules Clarification
- Appendix E: Incident Reporting Form
- Appendix F: Protest Form
- Coaching Requirement Exemption Form
PARTNERS
Water Polo Canada (WPC) and the National Championship League (NCL) would like to acknowledge our partners.
