Maintaining Your Water Polo Goal: Cleaning, Repairs, and Storage Tips

Properly maintaining water polo goals is an important element in getting a long life from these investments you’ve made in your pool and facility. 

Water polo is a growing sport, even in the Midwest and East Coast where it historically is not as popular. To make your facility the one coaches and leagues look to for competition, make sure you’re cleaning, repairing and storing your water polo goals properly to prolong their lifespan.

Cleaning Water Polo Goals

How you clean your water polo goals will depend on the type of goal that you have. Fixed goals at your pool likely only require cleaning every few months. And the cleaning process can involve wiping them down gently to prevent mold or mildew from growing, though the chlorination in your pool will likely keep that to a minimum anyway. 

Cleaning and inspecting water polo goals frequently will ensure that you keep them in good working order. If you end up with stubborn dirt or grime, you can use a mild detergent and a cloth to wipe down or scrub the water polo goals. 

Inflatable water polo goals can enable pools to host practice or less competitive water polo leagues. But they are more work to setup and put away.

This isn’t as much about cleaning the inflatable water polo goal as much as it is about wiping it down so it is completely dry before deflating and storing it. 

If you have the misfortune of pulling out an inflatable water polo goal that was not fully dry before storing, you can use bleach mixed with plain water to get the mold and mildew off the inflatable goal. You’ll likely need to scrub vigorously to get the grime off, but it’s worth it to avoid buying new goals.

Repairing Water Polo Goals

Before the start of water polo season, you should inspect your water polo goals – no matter the type you have. Any water polo goal can end up with tears in netting. And even the highest quality, corrosion-resistant permanent water polo goal can rust with time or if you don’t keep the stainless steel surface clean.

A torn net is a fairly simple solution. Remove the net and install a new one. But if you have a part of your goal that is rusting, you might need to uninstall it from your pool, take it apart, and order a replacement part for it. Most high-quality goal manufacturers make it possible to repair their equipment with easy access to parts. 

Even with careful storage and use, inflatable water polo goals can be punctured. The good news is, these products are often repairable. You can normally patch inflatable goals so long as the tear is not too large. If it is along a seam, this will be more challenging to repair. And the larger it is, the harder it will be to get a patch large enough or get it to hold long-term.

You should inspect your inflatable goals long before water polo season. That way, you know whether you’re prepared to host a competition or need a few weeks to get a new goal. 

Storing Water Polo Goals

How you store your water polo goals will depend on the type of goal you have. Some goals fold while others you’ll need to fully disassemble. Follow the directions for removing and disassembling your water polo goals. 

First, you should ensure that the goals are completely dry. This is essential to prevent rust, mold and mildew. Second, select a cool dry environment for storing your goals. Avoid storing outside in the elements or on an indoor pool deck where the air is moist. A storage closet or room is best.

Ensure you keep all parts for the goal together. Get a resealable bag for any small parts, such as nuts and screws, that you tape to the frame so you have fast access to your hardware. If your goal comes apart into many pieces, consider getting bins or racks where you can store the pieces together in a closet or storage room so you don’t lose any parts or struggle to decipher what goes with what.

Outfitting Your Pool for Water Polo Competition

Competitor Swim has been your American-made and owned resource for quality swim equipment since 1968. Now Competitor Swim is offering quality water polo floating goals to further outfit your pool for competition. Find a dealer now to purchase the same quality materials you’re used to but now for water polo.