2009-10 Annual Report - Australian Water Polo Inc

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Nic O’Halloran takes on a Serbian player during the FINA
World Championships in Rome.
while local community newspapers are where we need
to be constantly exposed.
The success at reaching a greater audience through
major newspapers and other media is the hosting of major
events, that catch the attention of the news editors. Our
National Water Polo League is so long with a multitude
of matches over a tremendous number of days, that it is
hard for the media to follow. Results are the best way of
doing this.
However, community newspapers would gladly take
stories from the local teams on a regular basis and
to this end, team media officers need to be vigilant to
story ideas and regular in supplying them, with photos,
if possible. This means clubs MUST appoint media
officers. These could be university media students
looking for experience, much like the host of students we
had working the NWPL Finals Series in Sydney. Make a
point of approaching the local media school and asking
if anyone is interested. Look after that person and you
might get some interesting results.
These people could then find out if local television is
interested in covering NWPL or major matches.
International Results
We normally gain good responses from our short
stories on how teams are doing internationally.
The best response all year was to the World University
Games men winning the gold medal. With the women
finishing sixth and the men 10th at the FINA World
Championships in Rome, Italy, there was little interest
after the early rounds. A bronze medal for the women at
the FINA World League Super Finals in Kirishi, Russia,
did gain some space.
Our junior teams did not fare well at their respective
worlds but then the major newspapers are less interested
in junior sport.
FINA Role
At Rome, I was re-appointed to the FINA Press
Commission for another four-year term, which allows
me to attend major events at no cost to AWPI. In my
role as Press Delegate to major events, I covered the
FINA World Championships in Rome, the FINA Junior
Women’s World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk,
Russia and the FINA Junior Men’s World Championships
in Sibenik, Croatia. This allowed me to give fast updates
to matches online as well as a constant stream of news
and photographs.
Acknowledgements
My biggest thanks for the year go to the team
managers for their undying efforts in gaining internet
access and writing stories late into the night to satisfy
the needs of people back home. Some managers are
writing excellent stories that background the training day
and tours, keeping water polo families and fans in touch
with the touring life.
Thanks also to players who made themselves
available to the media, especially during the NWPL
Finals Series. This is excellent experience for when you
attend major events.
To the State bodies and NWPL clubs who deem
publicity is of major importance and appoint experienced
people to the role of media, well done.
To all those people who take an interest in the media
and valiantly try to get stories in local newspapers, well
done. To the regional folk, your efforts appear to me more
successful than those in the metropolitan areas. This is
still due to your hard efforts to promote our sport.
To Operations Manager Peter Hobday for his
constant support with the web site and major events,
many thanks.
To the Board, for once again putting your trust in me
to promote the sport through the media, thank you.
Russell McKinnon
National Media Manager
➤ National League Report
The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre provided
the venue for the 2010 National Water Polo League