From youth development to masters – a club for all age groups
Clubs are the heart of a community. They enrich local life through cultural and sporting activities, offer educational opportunities, and engage in social projects. In this series, we introduce various clubs that make life in Darmstadt worth living.
Water Polo Club Darmstadt 1970
The club has been a major player in Hessian water sports for over five decades. Formed from the merger of three Darmstadt swimming clubs, since its founding it has pursued the goal of promoting both youth development and competitive sports. The men's team consistently competes in the 2nd Water Polo League South, and the program is supplemented by women's, youth, and masters teams. In addition to sporting success, the club places great value on community – for example, through tournaments, training camps, and the traditional Whitsun tournament in Darmstadt. Alexander Götz spoke with Alina Klug from the WVD for DA.news:
How did the club come about and what makes water polo in Darmstadt special?
We were founded in 1970 from the three water polo divisions of the region's water sports clubs. The goal was to play more successfully together and secure the future through joint youth development. We're succeeding in doing this today. Even though water polo is a fringe sport, we're able to continually attract new players and supporters through a vibrant club culture, sporting success, and a lot of fun. We're competitive at the top, but we maintain a vibrant club culture. We live and breathe water polo!
WV Darmstadt 1970 is one of the few clubs that offers water polo for everyone. From U10 and all youth teams (also U12, U14, U16, U18), men's and women's teams, and even the masters, for boys and girls, men and women of all ages. We have the only two all-girls teams in Hesse.
Team spirit is crucial in water polo. Water polo is much more of a team sport than other sports because one player can't dominate the game as much. Therefore, the children learn immediately that good teamwork leads to success.
What training options are available for different age groups?
WV Darmstadt offers several hours of training every weekday, usually in the afternoons and evenings, with an additional early morning swim session starting at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. The youth teams train two to three times per week. The adult teams attend three sessions. The competitive youth teams in the U16 and U18 divisions train five times per week. There are separate sessions for strength and athletic training, as well as opportunities for a recreational sports group and for the so-called "everyman." In addition, there are numerous special training sessions on match Sundays.
Are there any special tournaments or sporting highlights?
The club highlight is the annual International Whitsun Tournament, which we hosted for the 50th time this year. Over two days, more than 20 teams from Germany and several neighboring countries compete and camp at the DSW outdoor pool. The tournament features a men's and a women's competition, a small competition for open teams, and accompanying youth games. The second highlight is the Merck Cup for youth teams. The tournament has borne this name ever since Merck became our main sponsor. It was previously supported by our sadly deceased player Hans Müller, and was therefore called the Müller Cup. Since we have been able to hold this youth tournament at the Nordbad, usually a whole Sunday in the summer, we have organized it for three age groups – U10, U12, and U14. In addition, each age group has between four and eight teams from Hesse and neighboring federal states.
Which successes in the club’s history are particularly noteworthy?
Our men have been South German champions several times (2nd Water Polo League South), but never achieved promotion to the First League. Our women have also been South German champions several times, but never wanted to be promoted. Several of our youth teams have placed among the top four in South Germany, and then competed with 16 other teams for the German championship. In the Masters, we even reached the 2023 German Championship in the Men's 60+ category.
Why is the partnership with Merck so valuable? Are there things that can only be achieved with such a strong partner?
The commitment of our supporters is very valuable to us. Organizing and running such an active sports club costs a lot of money. Especially coaches, even if it's just expense allowances, track rentals, game operations and referee costs, equipment, travel expenses, and much more. Without the support of our sponsors like Merck, we would have to significantly increase membership fees, which would hit many families hard, who might no longer be able to afford sports for their children. Last but not least, we support the youth teams with travel expenses and with subsidies for trips and events such as the summer camp in Alkmaar. None of this would be possible without our long-standing partners in the region, and we are very grateful for that. We use our resources very sparingly and expect all active members to make a contribution. We do not pay any money to athletes.
How can interested parties participate or support you?
There's always something happening here – not just in the water, but also in club life. Anyone interested is welcome to stop by a training session and get a taste of the pool atmosphere. One or two weeks of trial training are free. We live and breathe water polo, and who knows, maybe it'll inspire one or two of us.
Liveable Darmstadt
powered by MerckClubs are the heart of a community. They promote social integration and bring people together. They enrich local life through cultural and sporting activities, offer educational opportunities, and engage in social projects. In short: They make a city like Darmstadt a livable place.
But that costs money. Membership fees aren't always enough. In this series, we present selected Darmstadt clubs supported by Merck – be it in sports, culture, the common good, or science education.
Each of these clubs has a unique history and contributes to strengthening the community in its own way. We asked the leaders what defines their club and how the partnership with Merck not only provides financial support but also fosters growth and development.
Learn more about the diverse nature of Darmstadt's club landscape and how Merck and its partners are working together to achieve more – for a region worth living in.
