The seven-team league — which features some of Hawai'i's top men and women players — started in June and culminated its six-week season with championship games last week at Brigham Young-Hawai'i.

"My main goal was to provide people the opportunity to play," said organizer Doug Cole, whose league runs games at Punahou, BYUH and Pearl Harbor's Richardson Pool. "Water polo is a sport that requires a unique setup. You can't just play pickup water polo like you can pickup basketball."

Since its debut on June 23, the league has filled a void in Hawai'i's limited water polo schedule and has provided a learning environment for younger players. The league, which fields approximately 80 players, is designed for players 18 and older, but some younger players participate.

Until the O'ahu Master's Water Polo League, there were few offseason opportunities — mostly random scrimmages — for many of Hawai'i's promising water polo players. In the past, Hawai'i has been home to several Olympic and national team players such as Chris Duplanty, Brandon Brooks, Sean Kern and Heidi Ferguson (McElhaney).

"There's a huge amount of talent in Hawai'i because of the surfing and water culture," said Koa Beasley, a water polo coach at Kamehameha. "We produce a lot of Olympians ... without leagues like this, the younger players aren't getting experience."

The league also serves as a springboard for the Hawaiian Invitational, an international tournament scheduled for Monday to Aug. 13. More than 100 teams are expected to compete at the University of Hawai'i's Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex, Kamehameha Schools and Iolani School.

Punahou grad Anne Richardson, a former Interscholastic League of Honolulu Player of the Year, said the league "gives us so much more of an edge" in preparation for the Hawaiian Invitational.

"In years past, we would come together a week before (the Hawaiian Invitational) and start practice," said Richardson, 21, who attends Claremont-McKenna College in California. "Now, we're able to practice every week together."

Cole said he hoped the league would stir interest in water polo, a sport that is growing in Hawai'i high schools. In 2003, girls water polo launched its first sanctioned season in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association. One year later, Hawai'i held its first girls water polo state championship, making it one of three states to do so at the time.

"We want to keep people involved in the sport after they finish playing in college or high school," said Cole, who coaches water polo and swimming at Kahuku High School, and is a former All-American at UC San Diego.

As more people get involved with water polo, it's more likely they will give back, "maybe as a referee, a coach or a volunteer," Cole said. "I don't think there's enough people helping with the growth of high school water polo."

Kamehameha's Beasley said the league is a great learning tool for younger players who get to compete alongside Olympians and collegiate stars. Some of the players competing in the league: Vanja Kalabic, a four-time All-American from Brigham Young-Hawai'i; Scott Harvey, an ex-national team member from Pepperdine; and C.J. Smith and David Pietsch, Punahou grads who play for NCAA champion UCLA.

"When you're trying to develop athletes to be competitive in college and receive scholarships, it's important to get young guys playing with old guys so they can pass down their experience," Beasley said. "Without a league like this, that knowledge doesn't get passed down."

Punahou water polo coach Ken Smith said the league is drawing several elite female participants who seek organized competition during the summer. Smith has held "open games" Friday nights at Punahou for the past decade.

"Now, we have enough alumni girls coming back from college, and we can provide a good place for them to play," he said. "Doug has organized this league real well."