Come wash away the (compostable) glitter post Mardi Gras and end your summer in style with the Stingers' Beach Water Polo 4s tournament in Manly Cove on Sunday 15 March.

A fast-paced, loose version of water polo, beach water polo can be played by anybody who can keep themselves afloat in the water and is keen to learn! You can play in the recreational division if you’re after a fun, social game or giving it a try for the first time, or go for gold in the competitive division if you're looking for a bit of salty fun!

...and make sure you stick around for the day, as we have further sandy and silly surprises in store to make the day one to remember!

Details

• One all-gender mixed division (we're all in this together this time!)
• Teams are a minimum of 4, maximum of 8 people.
• Games and finals will all take place on the same day, kicking off after 9:30am (may start 10am depending on number of teams).
• Location: Manly Cove.
• Team registrations close 12am Wed 11 Mar (11:59pm Tue).
• Rules are below!
• You must be 16 years or older to play, each division is open age groups.
• Entry is $400.00 for a team - with a maximum of 8 members, or $70 a person and we will place you in a team, space permitting. If your team is not full we may place an individual registrant in your team so you can make new friends.
• If you are entered as a team, you must still complete the individual event registration with a $0 fee and the insurance and liability waiver.
• Please note, your selection of division is only a preference, teams will be placed into divisions at the discretion of the Sydney Stingers.

• The purpose of Beach 4s is to bring together clubs from across Sydney in an inclusive and fun environment to play the sport we love. By entering the comp, all teams and players agree to adhere to the spirit and intent of the Comp Rules, plus abide by and enforce all Stingers Code of Conduct (and their respective clubs’) policies and provisions and the WPNSW “Think. Act. Play” values to all other players. This includes no tolerance of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and active inclusion of all no matter their background, gender or sexual identity.

Beach Water Polo Fours Competition Rules 

The Basics

• 3 FIELD PLAYERS AND A GK IN THE WATER AT ANY TIME 
• 4 MINUTE RUNNING TIME HALVES + 2 MIN HALF TIME - EACH GAME IS CONTINUOUS PLAY
• HALVES ARE SCORED AS INDIVIDUAL SETS, LIKE VOLLEYBALL OR TENNIS
• WINNING BOTH HALVES ENDS THE GAME AT 2-0
• WINNING A HALF EACH RESULTS IN A 3 PERSON PENALTY SHOOTOUT

PENALTIES

• Players start their attempt on their defensive 5 meter line, with possession of the ball and as close as possible to the side line of their choosing
• Once whistled by the referee, players pass to their own GK to begin the attempt, where players will have 10 second to get as close to goal as possible to receive a pass from their goalkeeper for a shot, who can also shoot!
• The passing GK can’t go outside their own 5m to pass or shoot - if they do, the penalty attempt is finished
• The defending GK can leave their goal to defend - though leaving an empty net is risky business!
• If the defending GK creates an ordinary foul on the attacking player OUTSIDE 5m, the attacking player can have a direct shot at goal without a fake, as per normal water polo rules
• If the defending GK creates an ordinary foul INSIDE 5m, it will result in the GK being ejected for the remainder of the shoot out and the attacking team receiving a 5m penalty shot
• If ten seconds passes, the penalty attempt is finished 
• If teams are tied after three penalties, the shoot out continues until a result occurs - the same order of shooters continues. Each shooter in ‘extra time’ will have 1 second less (i.e. 8 seconds, then 6 seconds for 2nd shooter and 4 seconds for 3rd shooter) If still tied after 6 penalties, the team with the most goals for the entire game wins. 

SUBSTITUTIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

• EACH TEAMS SUBSTITUTES WILL START ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE WAY THEY ARE FACING. TEAMS WILL SWAP SUB SIDES FOR THE 2ND HALF. 
• FOR PENALTIES, A COIN TOSS WILL DECIDE SUB SIDE. WINNER CAN CHOOSE TO EITHER SHOOT FIRST OR SECOND, OR WHICH DIRECTION TO SHOOT
• SUBSTITUTIONS CAN BE MADE ANYWHERE ALONG THE TEAMS SIDELINE OUTSIDE THE 5M LINE - I.E. THE WHITE ZONE! 
  • If a defender substitutes inside the 5m, it will result in an exclusion
• An incorrect sub inside the 5m line results in an immediate turnover
• Having too many players in the pool in offense results in an immediate turnover, while if it happens in defense, it results in a 5m penalty shot.
• A substitution can be made either INSIDE the penalty box OR an excluded player will still need to sub in the white zone. 
• EXCLUSIONS STILL NEED TO GO TO THE PENALTY BOX, MARKED IN RED. PLAYERS CAN IMMEDIATELY COME BACK INTO PLAY ONCE THEY HAVE ENTERED THE PENALTY BOX (I.E. NO 20 SECOND EXCLUSIONS)
• There are no limits to the number of kickouts you can receive in a game (i.e. you can’t be rolled)

POWERPLAY

• EACH TEAM CAN NOMINATE A 'POWER PLAY' ONCE PER GAME (REGULAR TIME ONLY), WHERE THE NEXT GOAL SCORED BY EITHER TEAM IS WORTH 2 - IT CAN ONLY BE CALLED DIRECTLY AFTER A GOAL HAS BEEN SCORED. 
• This needs to be called by the teams GK while in possession of the ball by showing two fingers to the referee

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS RULES

• NO SHOT CLOCK - THOUGH THE REFEREE CAN CALL A 'PASSIVE' PLAY IF THE ATTACKING TEAM IS NOT TRYING TO SCORE, BY SHOUTING 'PASSIVE' AND RAISING THEIR RIGHT ARM, AT WHICH POINT THE ATTACKING TEAM HAS 2 PASSES TO GET A SHOT ON GOAL BEFORE A TURNOVER IS CALLED
• Foul shots can be taken from outside 5m
• If a rule is not specifically mentioned here, assume it is covered by normal water polo rules (i.e. on a 2m the ball is live, you can play the ball to yourself after a foul etc)
• The referee has absolute discretion to make any call they see fit