Young waterball players from the Meldorf Seals show progress in the North-West Cup!

Young waterball players from the Meldorf Seals show progress in the North-West Cup!

At the fourth matchday of the youth North-West Cup U12, which recently took place in the Horner Bad Bremen, the Meldorf Seals experienced a remarkable day full of challenges and progress. Despite two clear defeats - 1:13 against the U13 of the HSG Warnemünde/Schwerin and 2:15 against SV Georgsmarienhütte - the young water polo players showed significantly better performances than on the last matchday, where they had lost with around 30 goals. Boyens Medien reports that the players continuously worked on their skills and improved in many areas.

It was particularly positive that the players almost always swam back from defense together with the returnees. The defense became more active, and the Seals managed to conquer balls from the opponents. The game structure also improved from quarter to quarter, which helped the children play wider and create more space for swimming and starting. Overall, the Seals scored three goals in these encounters, despite a variety of goal throws.

The next challenge

The majority of the Meldorf players are still U10, which also makes the situation more difficult. With only two children on the bench, the change was particularly challenging, but the team fought to the end and held out well. "It is wonderful to see that the children develop more self -confidence and look more actively for degrees," said 1st chairman Heino Voss at the annual general meeting of the association. The meeting recently took place in the Hotel Zur Linde in Meldorf and offered an overview of the activities of the association, including its success and challenges.

voss not only looked back on the previous services, but also thanked the members for their commitment and with the parents for their support of the youth. Thanks to the sponsors, the club was able to buy team clothes and organize trips to league games in cities such as Hamburg and Cuxhaven. A special challenge remains the renovation of the Beldorf swimming pool, which continues to be a priority.

outlook on the summer season

The winter training of the children and adolescents took place in the water world Heide, while the adults trained in the Itzehoe swimming center. In the summer season, athletes can look forward to training in the Albersdorf leisure pool. In addition, the digitization of the association is also promoted: Hubert Thoma has introduced a new cloud-based club software that makes communication with the members easier via an app.

trainer Sarah Bauer was also at the meeting and reported on the success of the U12, who took third place in the Northwest Cup 2023/2024. Numerous activities are planned for this year, including the U12 and U14 youth league, various friendship tournaments and swimming courses in the Albersdorf leisure pool. The next challenge for the Seals is already in June when a U10 tournament in Hamburg is on the program.

While the young people are preparing for the upcoming games, the older years of the association also have exciting perspectives. The U20 team of the German team, for example, begins its World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia on June 14, 2025. This shows that water polo in Germany is also on an international level. German Water Ball League follows these developments with great interest.

It remains exciting how the Meldorf Seals will develop in the coming time and whether they can achieve the goals set. The passion and commitment that the young athletes already show could be the key to success.