The Atlanta Rainbow Trout Water Polo Team is a division of Atlanta Rainbow Trout Aquatics. The water polo division was founded in 1998 in anticipation of the 1999 International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) Championships hosted by the team in Atlanta.

We’re are the largest predominately gay, masters level water polo team in the Southeast! Our club has a good mixture of players of differing degrees of skill. Players range in age from their early 20’s to late 40’s. We’re a competitive team, but we're also committed to developing future team members, and welcome people of varied swimming and water polo levels. If you can swim, tread water and throw a ball, we will teach you how to play the game! Many of our members never played before joining the team.

Water polo is like a combination of soccer, basketball, ice hockey and rugby, all rolled into one. But the best part about water polo is that it’s a team sport, so your friends can be a part of the fun too! Although we are competitive, the social aspect is a significant part of what makes us a team!

Each of the two teams begins the game by lining up at their respective ends. When the referee blows the whistle and drops the ball, they swim to the ball in the middle of the pool, racing to get it first. On offense, players pass the ball to their teammates who try to throw the ball in the other team’s net at the opposite end of the pool. The defensive team tries their best to stop them.

Water polo is played in four eight-minute, action-packed periods. The team to get the ball to fully cross their opponent’s goal line the most over the four periods wins. But it’s not as easy as that. You’re not allowed to touch the side of the pool or the bottom…and you can’t touch the ball with both of your hands…just one at a time. Plus, teams are only allowed possession of the ball 30 seconds at a time. If they go over, the ball is given to the opposing team and they get a chance to score.

Water Polo is a terrific way to combine the cardiovascular workout of swimming with the thrill of team competition.
Try us out! If you're not an expert player, don't worry about it. We'll train you!