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, 17U, and 15U. 

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. 

19U 

The 19U category will be a single event to act as National Club Championship. 19U teams are recommended to be joining the Senior divisions to access league play. Beyond that, Provinces and clubs provide 19U competitions of their own throughout Canada run independently of Water Polo Canada. 

17U 

The 17U category runs from November to 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 the rankings going into the Conference Championship weekends. These Conference Championship weekends, one for the Eastern teams and one for the Western teams, serve as the qualification for the 17U National Finals weekend with the top four teams from each Conference qualifying hosted in May.   

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 17U Eastern Finals will take place. 

15U 

The 15U category, consists of two Championship events, an Eastern National Championship and a Western National Championship. The top 15U teams from each province, as determined by each Provincial Sport Organization, qualify for either the Eastern or Western National Championships depending on their region. The Eastern National Championship and Western National Championship are hosted by WPC in April/May of each year and determine the top 15U team in each half of the country. 

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, or Kelsey Dayler, WPC's League and Events Manager, 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

• 2023-2024 NCL Handbook (***NEW***)
• 2023-2024 NCL Registration Package - Updated October 2023 (***NEW***)
• 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.