What each position does, and — where the sport restricts it — where that player is allowed to go. Taken from the same rules reference built into the Squaddie app.
Standard water polo is played with seven players in the water (one goalkeeper and six outfield players). Below are the coaching positions standardised across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the USA. Squaddie gives coaches full flexibility to customise, rename, or omit positions to match their tactical system.
| Position | Role | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper (GK) | Protects the goal, directs defensive communication, and initiates counterattacks. Within their own 5-meter area, the goalkeeper may touch the ball with two hands, touch it with a clenched fist, and swim without restriction. Note on pool depth: Water polo rules generally prohibit all players from using the pool bottom to gain an advantage; exact goalkeeper provisions and shallow-water conditions depend on pool facility depth and the governing ruleset. | Keeper |
| Centre-forward / Hole Set (CF — Pos 6) | Positioned at the 2-meter line directly in front of the opponent’s goal with their back to the net. The primary focal point of the offense, responsible for drawing exclusion fouls, executing quick sweeps/backhands, and creating scoring chances from close range. | Attack |
| Centre-back / Hole Defence (CB) | The defensive counterpart to the centre-forward. Marks the hole set one-on-one at the 2-meter line to deny clean entry passes, contest shots, and avoid committing exclusion fouls. | Defence |
| Driver (Perimeter Attacker — Pos 2 & 4) | Fast perimeter swimmers who move into attacking space, execute picks and drives toward the goal, create passing options, and take perimeter outside shots. Position 2 plays the strong-side driver (right-hander’s side); Position 4 plays the weak-side driver. | Attack |
| Wing (Perimeter Flank — Pos 1 & 5) | Attacks from wide angles along the 2-meter to 4-meter perimeter. Position 1 is the Left Wing (ideal for right-handed shooters); Position 5 is the Right Wing (ideal for left-handed shooters or cross-cage passing angles). | Attack |
| Point (Point Attacker — Pos 3) | Positioned at the apex outside the 5m/6m marker directly in front of the goal. Directs perimeter play like a basketball point guard, distributes entry passes to the hole set or wings, and serves as the primary safety defender against opposition counterattacks. | Attack |
| Utility Player | A versatile all-rounder capable of rotating seamlessly between hole set, driver, wing, and perimeter defence depending on match matchups and team substitution strategies. | Tactics |
The practical exception is goalkeeper in the sports that have one, where some children genuinely want the role and are happy in it. Even then it is worth checking in, because a fixed keeper has a very different experience of a season from everyone else.
Rotating positions and rotating playing time are separate problems, and it helps to treat them separately — see how to plan player rotations for the mechanics, and fair playing time for the policy behind it.
Built on World Aquatics international regulations as the shared foundation, with dedicated rules profiles for New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (USAWP club, NFHS high school, NCAA college), plus modified junior formats like Flippa Ball and Splashball.
Governing bodies: USA Water Polo (USAWP) · Water Polo New Zealand (WPNZ) · Water Polo Australia (WPA) · Swim England & Home Nations (UK) · World Aquatics (International Foundation)
Last reviewed: September 2026. Junior formats vary by region and are revised between seasons — your competition handbook takes precedence over anything here. The full water polo rules reference has formats, scoring, fouls and timings.
Squaddie knows the formats and positions for water polo, so you are picking a team rather than describing your sport to an app.
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