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!

Summer Academy

Barcelona, Spain

  • Dates confirmed for 2024
  • Three sessions available in Barcelona and the US
  • Co-ed ages: 2010 - 2004

Annual or semester

Barcelona, Spain

  • Last spots for Spring 2024!
  • High school ages
  • Over 18 programs | Gap year and higher studies

Our programs

High school
Grades 9 - 12 

Annual or semester
  • 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

Annual or semester
  • Sports program: Academy + Club team
  • Spanish course or other studies
  • Possibility to include room and board

Bachelor
After high school

Annual or semester 
  • 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. 

Learn more >>

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.

Learn more >>

NL College

For our gap year athletes

A Spanish language school accredited by the Cervantes Institute, the only international recognition exclusively focused on the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. The campus is located in a privileged location, with modern facilities and multicultural classrooms.

Learn more >>

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

USC

Marcus Longton

Spring 2015

Stanford

Gavin West

Fall 2017

UC Berkeley

Jordi Gascón

Year 2017-18

UCLA

Mark Laurlund

Spring 2018 & 2020

Pacific

Addison Mc Gowan

Fall 2018

UC Berkeley

Wyatt Mundelius

Spring 2019

UC Berkeley

Easton Hamm

Spring 2019

UC Berkeley

Ryder Hagan

Spring 2019

Marist College

Alessia Gressi

Year 2019-20

Fordham

Reid Thorson

Spring '20 & Fall '20

Pomona-Pitzer

Julian Montoya

Spring 2020

LMU

Dunara Senadheera

Spring '20 & Summer '22

USC

Luke Nelson

Spring 2021

Michigan

Emma Gustafsson

Spring 2021

UC Irvine

Lauren Hett

Fall 2022

UC Irvine

Annabelle Mundelius

Fall 2022

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.

Welcome Felipe!

Prepare for a game-changing experience! We're ecstatic to share that Felipe Perrone, captain of Spain's national water polo team and CNAB, is now coaching our student-athletes weekly. Elevate your skills with a world-class player right here at our Academy. This is not just training; it's a unique opportunity to learn from the best!

Coaches

"Experience, skill and a high level background"

Yuri Colet

Academy & Club Head Coach

Gabi Egedi

Academy Coach

Miquel Gasulla

Academy Coach

Noelia Mora

Club Coach

Ferran Pascual

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. 
Blume - Pool
Blume - Gym
Montjuic
L'Hospitalet
CN Sant Feliu

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

+120 athletes

in season 22/23

+12 nationalities

in season 22/23

Meet people from all over the globe and expand your water polo network. 

Video recap

Watch the best highlights from the 2022 - 2023 season

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.

See more >>

Emma Gustafsson

Connecticut (USA) - Semester program

"This is one of the best decisions I've made in my entire life. It's such a family environment and a very positive coaching environment. I think that BIWPA is such a family and you feel welcome on the first day. It's 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.

See more >>

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."

See more >>

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).

Video testimonials

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