Academy
Studies and high performance water polo
“Study and play water polo in Barcelona”
BIWPA is an international water polo academy based in Barcelona, Spain, that offers the best
combination between high-performance water polo and academic studies.
We mainly target athletes ages 14 to 18 who are looking to combine their studies with water polo training and competition at a high level. We also offer bachelor's, master's, and gap year programs for athletes that have finished high school.
Developing champions in life through sport.
Upcoming programs
Register now!
2023 Summer Academy
Barcelona, Spain
- Session 1: May 29 - June 30
- Session 2: August 21 - September 1
- Co-ed ages: 2009 - 2003
Annual or semester
Barcelona, Spain
- Academic year 2023 - 2024
- High school ages
- Over 18 programs | Gap year and higher studies
Our programs
High school
Grades 9 - 12
- Sports program: Academy + Club team
- High school studies (AESA Prep American school)
- Room and board with 24/7 supervision (LIV Student Sarria)
Gap year
Before college
- Sports program: Academy + Club team
- Spanish course or other studies
- Possibility to include room and board
Bachelor
After high school
- Sports program: Academy (optional) + Club team
- Bachelor's degree (Geneva Business School)
Master
After college
Annual or semester
- Sports program: Club team (no Academy)
- Master's degree (Geneva Business School)
What do we offer?
We provide high school and over 18 student-athletes with a world-class water polo program and the best academics through our education partners.
A perfect balance between elite training and academics.
Sports program
The first water polo Academy in the world offering a high performance training program for ambitious student-athletes wishing to take their game to the next level.
High performance water polo
A methodology focused on individual technical and tactical skills.
Access to high-level
competition
Train and compete on a weekly basis with the Academy club team to develop team cohesiveness and tactics.
Strength and conditioning sessions
(dryland)
Three dryland training sessions a
week with a specialized coach.
Included services for our athletes' care
Physical therapist,
nutritionist and mental
coach.
Masterclasses with Olympians
Special practices once a month with professional and national team players.
Personalized Watlicam
sessions
Enables real-time performance analysis from under and above the water by the technical staff.
One-on-one coaching
Individualized feedback
for every athlete and their specific position with a low coach/player ratio.
Get ready for college
The experience that will
set you apart from the
crowd.
Our academic partners
We have teamed up with Barcelona's best schools and universities in order to offer our athletes excellence in education as well.
AESA Prep Academy
High school program
An American high school situated in the city's privileged Pedralbes neighborhood, with grades 9 to 12. Students-athletes at the school work with small groups and have flexible schedules. Students come from all over the world, creating a truly unique learning environment.
Geneva Business School
Higher studies program
Swiss-quality business education school with Bachelor's and Master's programs in both International and Sports Management specializations, among others. Campus is located right in the middle of the action in Barcelona, at the epicenter of all major attractions.
BCN Languages
For our gap year athletes
A Spanish language school with more than 20 years experience in teaching Spanish to foreigners in Barcelona. The school has been innovating itself both from a technological and an academic point of view in order to offer students the best quality.
Lodging and more
You'll feel right at home with us
LIV Student Sarria
Located in a safe and central area of Barcelona, close to the iconic Diagonal street and a few blocks away from L'Illa shopping mall. All our high school and most of our gap year athletes live here together with a BIWPA supervisor 24/7.
LIV Student Acces Sarria
Passeig, Passatge de Ricard Zamora, 4, 8,
08017 Barcelona
+34 699 232 014
bcnsarria@livstudent.com
More services
Trips
Every season, we travel abroad with our student-athletes to compete at an international tournament and/or scrimmage local club teams. Recently, we've been in Tenerife (Canary Islands), Miami, and Portugal!
Explore Barcelona
Beach, culture, great food, warm weather... There are plenty of activities to do in Barcelona and its surroundings. We organize touristic and leisure activities for our international athletes on a monthly basis.
Logistics
We offer our help and expertise in the most tedious and time-consuming paperwork and processes: medical insurance, residence permit, visa... We do our best to make the process as easy as possible.
BIWPA van
We offer a private transfer service for our athletes to and from the residence, morning and evening practice, and school. On weekends athletes are also taken to their games.
College bound
Take advantage of our recruiting service
We offer all our student-athletes interested in studying college in the US our help and resources to stand out to college coaches.
This is a tailor-made service that includes video, consulting and direct contact with some of the most important university water polo head coaches.
See an example of a highlight video >>
Hall of fame
See some of our former athletes' success
UCLA
Mark Laurlund
Spring 2018 & 2020
Pacific Tigers
Addison Mc Gowan
Fall 2018
UC Berkeley
Jordi Gascón
2017-18
Marist College
Alessia Gressi
2019-20
UC Berkeley
Ryder Hagan
Spring 2019
Stanford
Gavin West
Fall 2017
UC Berkeley
Wyatt Mundelius
Spring 2019
USC
Marcus Longton
Spring 2015
USC
Luke Nelson
Spring 2021
Michigan
Emma Gustaffson
Spring 2021
Coaching staff
Our Sports Director
Quim Colet is currently the Men's Water Polo Head Coach at CN Sabadell, one of the most important
sports clubs in Spain, and also the Academy's Sports Director. He is a two-time Olympian with the
Spanish men's national team and won three medals in World Championships and two medals in
European Championships with the junior national team. Additionally, he was in charge of the technical direction at the Catalan Swimming Federation for 7 years.
Colet has played an essential role in establishing the foundations of the current water polo system in Spain, a model of success. Our program applies a training methodology for high-performance water polo, executed by most
of the Spanish water polo players with international projection.
Coaches
"Experience, skill and a high level background"
Yuri Colet
Head Coach
Ferran Pascual
Coach
Cecilia Leonard
Coach
Gabor Egedi
Coach
Kike Cruz
Goalie Coach
"In water polo an athlete's body is mostly underwater"
Real-time performance analysis above and below the waterline
Training facilities
- Blume High-Performance Center: All the morning Academy practices occur at Blume, a sports facility with young athletes from different disciplines.
- Montjuic Olympic Pools: All our Academy trainings take place at this fantastic pool from late May until early September.
- L'Hospitalet: We hold the evening sessions of our club team.
- CN Sant Feliu: High school student-athletes train with their teammates from the 16u or 18u age group in the evening.
High-level competition
Being at the BIWPA Academy will give you access to weekly competition with a Barcelona club team. The regional league in Catalonia for young age groups is one of the world's most competitive.
Clearly, the best way to put into practice all the skills learned at training.
Club team league
Non-stop from October to June
The BIWPA Academy has its own club, Barcelona Water Polo Club, with a senior men's and women's team competing in the local league. This is a great opportunity for all our athletes to get more playing time.
Most of the high school student-athletes (16u and 18u age groups) will compete with and train in the evening with our partner Club Natació Sant Feliu, one of Catalonia's most important clubs.
Play in one of the world's top competitions for age groups.
Barcelona
An amazing place to live in
Its architecture, weather, food, and culture make Barcelona the perfect destination. Additionally, the city's water polo culture is prestigious with high-level competitions happening every weekend.
Living away from home teaches student-athletes independence and responsibility.
Relevant Facts
Numbers that show how we work
+100 athletes
in season 21/22
+10 nationalities
in season 21/22
Meet people from all over the globe and expand your water polo network.
A day in the life
of an Academy student-athlete
Testimonials
See how other athletes benefited from the Academy
Mark Laurlund
California (US) - Semester program
"I had the chance to compete with the best 16U team in Spain, Club Natació Barcelona, and winning both the Catalan and Spanish Championships. I had the best experience of my life: I played water polo, I traveled around Barcelona, and had a great time with my friends and club team."
Mark is currently playing D1 water polo at UCLA.
Emma Gustafsson
Connecticut (USA) - Semester program
"This is like on of the best decisions I've made for my entire life. It's such a family environment and very positive coaching environement. I think that BIWPA is such a family and you feel welcome on the first day. It's such an amazing experience, it goes by very quick and you won't believe it..."
Emma is currently playing D1 water polo at the University of Michigan.
Alison Doherty
California (US) - Annual program
"My 4 years at the Academy have been very memorable. I would not be where I am today without the staff and the people I've met along the way; it's a once in a life time opportunity and you learn so much about yourself, about the game, about other people and about a new culture. All in all I think Barcelona has it all."
Ryder Hagan
California (US) - Semester program
"Just the way they play water polo seems a lot more effective than at home, so I can bring that back and be a better player. The club league here is the most advanced and organized water polo I've ever seen in my life, with games going on every weekend. There's so much water polo here!"
Ryder is currently playing D1 water polo at UC Berkeley (Cal).