Water polo size- ball, pool size, water polo suits

Water polo is an excellent water sport during the summer season. The ball used to play this sport is known as a water polo ball. Though this ball comes in different sizes, but there are typically two main sizes of water polo balls. These two sizes are size 5 and size 4. Size 5 is used for men’s water polo, and size 4 is for women’s water polo.

water polo ball size

Size of water polo balls

Talking about the different sizes of water polo balls, there are smaller ball sizes, which are used for junior levels, like high school water polo. Typically in junior’s water polo size 3 balls are used. So the size of water polo balls mainly varies depending on the level of players. There are overall 5 sizes of water polo balls depending on the level of players. Before going to discuss these 5 sizes, let’s know something more about water polo balls.

Color of the balls 

A water polo ball typically comes in yellow color. But the balls are not only yellow. There are stripes of different colors in the ball, which makes it look sportier. Blue, green, red, or black are the colors that are used as the stripe color of the balls. But nowadays there are also water polo balls coming in red, blue or other colors. So there is no more any specific color for the water polo balls.

Now let’s talk about the different sizes of water polo balls in detail.

• Size 1: This size of ball is used for the kids or by those players who are learning the basics of water polo. This ball can be quite easily used as a recreational water polo ball inside your home yard pool. Kids aged less than 8 years can easily handle this size of water polo balls.
• Size 2: This is also considered a small ball size, but it’s a bit larger than size 1. Junior players who are still quite new in water polo are recommended to use this size of balls. Any boys under 10 years and girls under 12 years are supposed to use this ball.
• Size 3: This is the perfect sized ball for the junior level players. Players who have already learned the basics of water polo and looking forward to play the advanced level of water polo, this size of the ball is suitable for them. It helps them to improve their skills. The circumference of the ball should be 58 – 60 cm and weighs around 300 – 320 grams. Boys can use this ball under 12 years and girls under 14 years.
• Size 4: This size of the ball can be used by both younger water polo players and the women players. Boys under 14 years and any girls over 14 years are recommended to use this size of water polo balls. The circumference of the ball should be from 65 – 67 cm, and the pressure should be 83 – 90kPa.
• Size 5: Official size of men’s water polo ball is. Any boy over 16 years can use this size of ball for water polo. According to FINA, the circumference of the ball should be from 68 to 71 cm and the pressure should be 90 – 97kPa. Both sizes 4 and 5 balls weigh around 400 – 450 grams.

Water polo pool size

Well, if you ask me what size the water polo pool is? Then there is no exact answer. Because there is no fix dimension of water polo pools. But FINA set an official dimension of water polo pools for both men and women players.

• Pool size for men: The length of men’s water polo pool should be between 20 to 30 meters, and the width should be between 10 to 20 meters. You have to set the dimension depending on the size of the whole pool. So an ideal dimension of men’s water polo pool is 30 meters by 20 meters.
• Pool size for women: Women’s pool length should be between 20 to 25 meters, and width should be between 10 to 20 meters. Here the coordination between length and width also depends on the size of the pool. The ideal size of women’s water polo pool is 25 meters by 20 meters.

The depth of the water in the pool should be above 6 feet or 1.8 meters. The goals used in water polo should be set at a height of 90 cm, and the goal should be 3 meters wide. There are few line marked inside the pool for, like goal line, 2 m line, 5 m line, 7 m line and mid pool line. Goal lines are the lines that mark the boundary of the pool court.

Water polo suits

Water polo suits are very much similar to regular swimsuits, but still have some differences. The suits can be made of fabric, like spandex, polyester, or any further combined materials. But I would suggest you use polyester made suits or at least suits that are made of using a blend of polyester because these suits are quite durable and will make it easier to stretch your body parts. 

Another important thing you should keep in mind is that your suits should be tight fitting. Both men’s and women’s suits should be tight enough. But women’s suits are typically high necked, and they cover the backside completely for more comfort during the game.

So I hope you have an answer regarding water polo ball size, pool size, and what suit you should use for water polo. Now you can go and enjoy water polo in this hot summer.