Water Polo Balls
A water polo ball is a piece of equipment that is used in water polo and canoe polo, and can be easily distinguishable by its bright yellow color and the rough texture to make it easy to grip in a wet environment, despite the relatively large size of the ball. Water polo balls come in different sizes, one for men’s water polo and one for women’s water polo. A men’s water polo ball is 28 inches in circumference and a women’s water polo ball is 26.5 inches in diameter. Smaller balls may typically be used for junior water polo games, but are typically green in color.
Water polo is a team-based sport that is played in a pool and requires the ability to swim to play. There are six players on each team in waterpolo, and one goal keeper per team, making a total of seven players in play at a given time. There are a maximum of six substitutes per game and the winner of the game is the team that scores the most goals on the opposing player’s side. Waterpolo is played by swimming, passing of the game ball, and scoring goals by sending the ball past the goalie of the opposing team. Waterpolo has similar characteristics of sports that are played on land, such as soccer and hockey. It is currently the oldest team sport still played in the Olympics.
History of the Water Polo Ball:
The game of water polo first emerged from a 19th century game called rugby football, which was generally played in rivers and popular in England and Scotland. The ball in this sport was about three to four inches in diameter and made out of rubber. Eventually, the sport was called water polo. Soon, equipment in this sport was replaced with a soccer ball, which forced players to swim above water instead of under the surface. Eventually, players began to notice that these soccer balls substituted as water polo balls became heavy and slippery when wet. Eventually, a California water polo coach by the name of James R. Smith developed a new water polo ball designed to be used in the water, non-absorbent, and equipped with a rough texture so that it can be easily gripped.
Modern Water Polo Balls:
Official water polo balls are regulated by the National Federation of State High School Associations Rules Committee and the NCAA. Traditionally, water polo balls are yellow to allow for spectators and players to follow the ball easily, though black, red, blue, and green colored stripes were added to official water polo balls and approved by both the NCAA and NFHS. Mikasa Sports, the company that created the new water polo ball with additional colored stripes has stated that the ball allows for players to keep better track of the ball while allowing them to see spin on the ball as well.
