A recent NCAA News article recounted how 1,800 fans braved a rainstorm to enjoy the men's water polo championship games in 2001 at Stanford's outdoor facility. A look at the attendance numbers for the championship also shows that the event consistently attracts crowds of between 2,000 and 4,000 fans each year.

What is it about men's water polo that attracts such passionate and loyal fans? And what are programs doing to keep the fans' interests high?

Dan Sharadin, commissioner of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), theorizes that fans like the fact that they are close to the action and the game is easy to follow.

"While some of the rules may be confusing," he said, "the basic premise of scoring is not difficult to understand, which makes it an easy game to follow. It also is riding a growth spurt from the age-group and high-school levels, which creates more followers."

When Loyola Marymount hosted the 2002 championship, Dan Smith, an assistant athletics director at the school, gained first-hand insight into the sport's fans.

"I think it's a very passionate kind of person who's been around the game who does have quite a bit of loyalty to the sport," he said of the typical water polo zealot. "As a result, I think you see those people attend the championships annually."

Smith said the school sold out the venue two days in a row, which translated into about 2,500 fans each day.

"We did market to a specific niche of people and they all responded positively. You certainly don't see that kind of attendance during the regular season," Smith said.

VIP treatment

While men's water polo fans may be passionate and excited about their sport, and while they've clearly demonstrated a loyalty to the game, host institutions are still very much interested and committed to making sure the championships experience is as fan-friendly and enjoyable as possible.

Smith said that last year's opportunity to host a national championship was Loyola Marymount's first and perhaps only chance to do so. The university had just completed a new facility and the school believed it was an opportunity to showcase itself and its program.

Smith said the organizing committee operated on the basic premise of making the championships experience as positive as possible for the student-athletes and fans. Loyola Marymount imported a portable bleacher structure large enough for 2,500 spectators, then propped tents along the walkway leading into the facility where concessions and merchandise were sold.

"We dressed up the venue unlike anything we'd done before," Smith said. "We had tents on the pool deck; trees and shrubbery nearby. We had elevated press tables. We borrowed the officiating ramps from USA Water Polo and we had a huge awards stand. It was unlike any other water polo game."

Loyola Marymount also offered VIP seating on the pool deck. In return for buying those tickets at a higher rate, fans were afforded extra amenities, such as specialty foods, apparel and a post-championship party.

"I'm not certain if anyone had ever done that in water polo before," Smith said. "I'm sure it's been done at other championships, but specifically for water polo, we were wildly successful with it."

Marketing the event

Stanford, this year's host, has plenty of experience. The Cardinal hosted the championship in 1995 and 2001 and will do so again in 2004. In addition, the school has hosted a few international matches.

Jenny Claypool, director of championships at Stanford, said that because the fans are so passionate about the game, the school doesn't have to do much addtional preparation for the men's water polo championship.

"For us, it's one of the easier championships to do because we don't have to bring in any extra seating. I don't have to surround the facility with a fence. I don't have to do any of that kind of stuff because it's already set," Claypool explained. "It's a stadium, so all the seats are raised above the pool deck. All of our fans are up on the sides of the pool and they just look down on top of it."

Claypool said this year's semifinal matches will be played at night, which she thinks will enhance the atmosphere even more.

"Playing under the lights, for some reason, people get the idea that it's more exciting," she said. "It might be cold, but we're going to do it under the lights and we think that will add to the atmosphere and make it more fun for the fans."

In 2005, the championship will head to Pennsylvania where Bucknell University will serve as the host institution. Moving out of California may be an attendance risk -- it's been done only four times and two drew crowds of fewer than 1,000 people.

Al Beaird, executive director of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and chair of the NCAA Men's Water Polo Committee, said that in making the decision about where to award the championship, the committee was focused on providing the best competitive experience for student-athletes and promoting the sport nationally. He said Bucknell earned the decision based on a strong desire to host and a new facility that could help showcase the sport in the East.

"The committee had other solid bids from other California universities with very good facilities, but we made a collective decision that it was time to provide another region of the country with more exposure and another opportunity to promote the sport," he said.

Beaird, along with the rest of the committee, hopes the exposure in the East will translate into an increase in collegiate programs.

"It would be great if exposure from the 2005 championship gave other institutions that are in a position to add sports reason to consider men's or women's water polo," he said. "It would also be nice to develop a deeper fan base that might provide an impetus for additional youth programs, which could conceivably push the future growth of the sport from the bottom up."

The CWPA's Sharadin is pleased to see the championship change geography.

"Providing an opportunity for athletes to travel to other areas of the country, to showcase the sport at other venues, and to expose new administrations to water polo are all positive outcomes with respect to helping the sport gain participants at all levels," he said.