What a year to close out our 20th anniversary and start our next 20 years!

2021 was, without a doubt, a huge year for our club and every Stinger in it! It’s been a year of investing in the future of our members, teams and the club and fostering and reinforcing what makes us unique in both the water polo and LGBTQ+ communities. Check out a snapshot below of what we achieved together in 2021, a few updates and announcements, and don't miss the 2021 photo summary at the bottom! 

What was 2021 for the Stingers? 

In asking several Stingers this question over the past few weeks, time and again 2021 was described as a year that really highlighted and celebrated what we have built over the last 20 years and planted the seeds for the next 20. Big moments included:

• INTRA made possible a 20 year dream: that all Stingers have access to regular training and gameplay in an inclusive and supportive space. Our first INTRA season saw over 50 players play in an all-inclusive mixed comp with LGBTQ+ inclusion baked into the comp rules…and we brought back former (and founding) members to be a part of it!
• The advent of Gunyama Park achieved 10 years of plans for the club. We have invested over $6,000 and recently received NSW Government grants to invest a further $13,000 to establish Gunyama as our home pool in future.
• Members stayed active socially and physically during strict lockdowns, banding together to walk the house down, logging on to keep fit, watching the pros perform in the Olympics and working 1:1 with our amazing coaches to build individual development plans. 
• We broke down social silos and provided more training opportunities than ever before, with 2/3 of members coming to a Sunday All In training, and we trialled our first land training sessions for members. 
• More than 3 teams of Stingers swarmed both the Manly Beach Water Polo 4s in January and the 2021 Rainbow Grudge Match in Brisbane in May, taking home the Rainbow Grudge title in a Stingers v Stingers final! 
• We strengthened our partnership with the Wett Ones and sowed the seeds of hosting the very first Australian Queer Aquatics (AQuA) Festival, to occur during World Pride in 2023. 
• Our METRO teams played hard and narrowed the gaps to strong wins, and we supported Water Polo NSW to continue improving on inclusive sport offerings. 
• We commemorated our 20th anniversary, recognising the leadership of founding (and still current) members Tim G, Pascal VdW, Sandor K and Paul O, past presidents Stephen T, David P, Russ P, Kerry M and Darren W, and other key contributors to the club’s history. We also awarded our first lifetime membership.
• We were able to hold Trivia (and raise $10k) for the first time in 2 years (thanks Alex, Tim and all involved), we welcomed Delfina Sport as our official apparel partner and we said thanks to EISS Super as their sponsorship concludes.
• We developed 5 new qualified junior coaches and refs, table officials and future club leaders to ensure we are resilient and ready to keep developing our skill and capability! 
• Finally, our club managers and leaders aptly and adaptably handled constant changes in restrictions, health orders and operational requirements to keep members healthy, fit, active and engaged. Thank you for your efforts. 

In the face of continued uncertainty and constant challenges to both the club and members’ resilience this year, the entire club, its leaders and members really turned up and invested to set ourselves and our community up for success for many years to come! 

It’s a privilege to be part of this community. Thank you for making being a Stinger so special. 

Stingers' first Lifetime Member and Member Recognition

20 years is a long time for a community sport club to survive. Thanks to the contributions of so many founders, club leaders and members over the years, Stingers thrives. We have created a new page on our RevSport site to record key club award winners and recognise long-term membership of the club. We have also created a listing for Lifetime Members on this page.

The club membership endorsed creation of the Lifetime Membership class at our 2021 AGM to honour a members’ extraordinary contribution to the club for over ten years. At our 20th Anniversary Dinner it was an honour to recognise Kerry Mealing as the first Stingers Lifetime Member. We have grown beyond our earliest ambitions of representing Sydney in the 2002 Gay Games to become who we are today in part from Kerry’s direct and continued contributions. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do. You can read a summary of Kerry’s contribution to the club on our Member Honours page. 

Training returns 8 Jan, and Bootcamp and Summer Season soon after!

I hope you have enjoyed your holiday period thus far! We will return with all in training at Ryde on Saturday, 8 January, subject to health advice and restrictions. We are watching the developing situation closely. Please get your booster when you can, consider rapid antigen testing before attending Stingers and other social activities and maintain personal hygiene, mask and distancing efforts. Check out Rev or watch the facebook members group for training time announcements. We look forward to seeing you back in the water!

We are also finalising teams for the Sydney Metro Summer Comp and will be kicking off our delayed June 21 bootcamp in early Jan. Watch for announcements and calls for help from Caitlyn and the recruitment team in the next few weeks. Questions about teams can go to the coaches or Dylan.  

Seeking Club Sponsors & Partners

It is with thanks that we announce EISS Super has concluded their platinum sponsorship with the club. We have had a wonderful and beneficial affiliation with EISS since 2018. We have valued their involvement in the sport and we hope that our partnership has raised their profile in our members’ demographic. Industry and organisational changes have meant that they are no longer able to sponsor the club and so we thank them and wish them the best in future. We have updated the club’s Partnership Prospectus in search of new opportunities and will be updating our club swimmers and polos in due course. If you’re passionate about helping us remain one of the best value clubs in Sydney and delivering benefits to members and the club, reach out to Ben. 

Mardi Gras 2022

Our parade entry for 2022 Mardi Gras has been confirmed! We will be proudly representing Australian Queer Water Polo with our sister clubs, the Surge and the Tritons. Be on the lookout for tickets and details in the first weeks of January, and prepare those marching and dancing shoes! 

2021 Highlights, in photos

Bring it on 2022 to 2041! See you in the water soon.

Ben Thomas 

Club President