There is a clear division in the current waterball season: the leaders of the men’s Super League and the women’s High League are showing great stability, while there is a fierce battle for every point in the main group. Oleksandr Svishchov, President of the Ukrainian Waterball Federation, analyses the results of the latest rounds, noting the progress of the young teams and the strategic role of the clubs from the East, which have returned to waterball despite the long break. Read more in the interview.

Four rounds of the Superleague are over and Dynamo Lviv remain the sole leaders. Are you satisfied with the quality of play displayed by the favourite and the level of resistance from the other championship participants?

Dynamo’s result is quite natural – the team has been preparing systematically and is now demonstrating top performance. The 12 victories in a row speak for themselves. At the same time, it is clear that the level of the competition is rising: there is a serious fight for every point behind the favourite. For the Federation, it is important that the leaders set the bar high for other teams to aim for.

Now we see a tight battle for 2-3 places between Kharkiv’s NTU-KHPI and Lviv’s KZ LOR LFKS-Akvatico. At the same time, special attention is paid to teams from the East. How do you manage to keep aquatic football alive in cities such as Kharkiv and Mariupol?

We are very appreciative of the efforts of the clubs from the east, who continue to perform at the highest level despite all the difficulties. Kharkiv’s NTU-HPI is now Dynamo’s main rival, while the Mariupol team is in a fierce battle with young Lviv Akvatico for a place in the top three. It is important to us that these regional schools have retained their potential. It is thanks to their participation that we have a full-fledged and competitive championship in which every team has a chance of medals.

According to the results of the three rounds of the Vysshaya Liga Women’s League, the Kyiv national team is in first place with a difference of 6 points. How do you assess this result and the level of competition with the Lviv Amazons?

The Kyiv national team has so far shown a stable game with 8 victories in 9 matches with a +81 ratio in the goal column. This testifies to the systematic work of the coaching staff and the high individual skills of the players. At the same time, the Lviv Dynamo-Amazons confidently hold the second position, and although there is a certain point gap between the leaders, the Lviv women remain the main competitor in the fight for the title. Such rivalry only adds to the dynamism of the whole championship.

Of particular note is the return of the Kharkiv and Donetsk teams to the competition. How do you assess the progress of these teams and their role in the current season?

It is very pleasing that the national team of the Kharkiv region has returned to the championship after a three-year break and is now confidently in third place. This means that the Kharkiv school is starting to rebuild its position. As for the Donetsk region national team – this is a young team that is just building up, so objectively it needs time to adapt and develop. For the Federation, supporting these teams is a strategic task, because it is through this practice of the game that we create a talent pool for the national team.