Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club is hosting a spring water polo season

Local high school water polo coaches Collin Stewart, Daniela Freeman and Nick Johnston make up the board of Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club, a youth sports organization that aims to make water polo more accessible to all families in San Diego County, according to a news release. While the number of players in the region and across the nation boom, aquatics remains one of the most expensive youth sports in many communities. Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club (Moonlight) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to provide excellent water polo training, water safety competency, and community events at an affordable price.

Moonlight Beach Water Polo believes that excellent athletic training should be available to all players regardless of income or background. To address this issue, Club Director Nick Johnston established the Moonlight Beach Water Polo Financial Assistance Fund. All money donated to Moonlight goes into this fund to ensure low-income families have the opportunity to play water polo and participate in club events year round. Contributions can be made to the scholarship fund at: www.moonlightbeachwaterpoloclub.com/scholarships.

In addition to building great athletes, Moonlight Beach Water Polo gives back to its community by hosting regular community service events and volunteering together to support other nonprofits’ community initiatives. Most recently, the Moonlight Water Polo community helped restore the Agua Hedionda Lagoon by removing invasive and overgrown plants.

Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club 18u Boys win first place at the Shaver Lake Open Water Tournament on July 10, 2022.

(Nick Johnston)

If you are just getting into water polo, now is a great time to start training for Moonlights’ favorite event of the summer, The Shaver Lake Open Water Polo Tournament. In early July, players will camp on the beach, participate in camp activities, and play a water polo tournament in the lake.

Among others, Moonlight organizes opportunities for its families to participate in unique events including playing games in Long Beach Harbor, hosting free college clinics, and a family-fun innertube tournament.

Since 2017, Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club has welcomed players of all skill levels and backgrounds. While the first-ever Moonlight team was catered to high school aged boys, Moonlight Water Polo has since exploded with growth and now hosts a variety of teams. Whether someone is looking for high-level tournament play, fun community events, or anything in between, Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club has it covered.

Additionally, Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club recently announced the debut of its Masters Women’s Water Polo team. The Moonlight Women’s Masters team was founded by Coach Daniela Freeman, who believes that there is a crucial need for more female-run Masters programs.

“Unfortunately, we live in a time where women’s and men’s sports are not yet prioritized the same way,” Freeman said in the news release. “I am honored to be able to work for a program that really understands the beauty of women’s water polo and the importance of supporting it.”

Starting in March, Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club will be hosting regular practices at the Alga Norte Aquatic Center in Carlsbad for girls and boys ages 8-18, as well as practices for Women’s Masters players ages 18 and older.

This is the first year Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club will be offering “minnows” water polo for players 12 and under. Minnow water polo is the best introduction to the sport and allows new players to try the sport in a safe, fun environment on the shallow end of the pool. Moonlight welcomes community sponsorships, anyone interested in coaching, and requests to spread the club offerings to different locations throughout the county.

All practice times, locations, and registration information for the 2023 spring season can be found at www.moonlightbeachwaterpoloclub.com. Follow Moonlight on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date. @MoonlightBeachWPC — Moonlight Beach Water Polo Club news release