South African Canoe Polo
No one can dispute that the level of senior men’s Canoe Polo has improved significantly over the last 10 years, with much of this growth occurring in Europe. Australia is the only non European team that has made the semi finals in the last six world championship events and this in only one of these. Much of this success in Europe is due to the fact that Canoe polo is played competitively in almost all European Countries and these teams have exposure to numerous high level competitions.
Of the 53 countries on the African continent, South Africa is one of only two which plays canoe polo competitively. This coupled with the fact that the sport is quite small in the country means that there is very limited exposure to the high level of intensity and tactical play found in Europe. It has been well understood that for the South African Men’s Canoe Polo team to achieve any significant results, at a world championship event, they would have to try to gain the experience of the European teams. In preparation for the 2010 ICF Canoe Polo World Championships in Milan it was believed that the best way to try to gain this experience would be through the assistance of a European coach who could develop the sides understanding of the tactical play being employed in Europe.
The ICF kindly made available Andrea Donzelli to assist with the coaching of the South African Men’s team during their preparations for the 2010 World Champs. Canoeing South Africa and the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund made it possible to fund the air travel for Andrea and he travelled to South Africa over a two week period at the beginning of August 2010. During Andrea’s time in South Africa he was able to provide the team with the understanding required to develop the tactical play needed. This help was invaluable and it showed through the level of play that South Africa achieved at the event, being competitive against both the finalists in the tournament.
There is still no substitute for experience and this was the telling factor in two of the critical games that South Africa played. In the end the team was not able to achieve the position that they wanted or believe was possible especially considering the level of play that they were able to put together in phases. This said, we still believe that the South African team is developing to a very competitive level and the foundation has now been set for further growth in the sport.
On behalf of Canoe Polo in South Africa we would like to thank the ICF and Canoeing South Africa for the opportunity to further develop our sport through Andrea Donzelli’s coaching assistance during 2010.
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