Live stream: Young Balmain coach Olivia Mitchell out to make mark at Australian Youth Water Polo Championships

While her journey has been an unconventional one, young Balmain Tigers coach Olivia Mitchell insists it’s helped her both in and out of the pool. Catch her at the Australian Youth Championships.

Young UTS Balmain Tigers coach Olivia Mitchell expects big things from her teams when they take to the pool at the 2023 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Brisbane from Saturday.

She will be leading the U14 girls team into battle in the first week of the tournament and is also part of the coaching team for the U16 and U18 girls.

“My expectations for the competition for Balmain are very high,” Mitchell said.

“After coming off a positive year last year with top three placings in all the women’s teams, I believe this year will have a very similar outcome.”

KommunityTV will showcase LIVE almost 100 games during the two-week tournament at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, starting with a big day of U14 action on Saturday.

The fortnight is split into two five-day age tournaments, with the U14 and U18 teams competing from January 6-10 before the U12 and U16 teams take to the pool from January 12 to 16..

While Mitchell’s journey from player to coach is an unconventional one, she insists it’s helped her both in and out of the pool.

“In my last year of school I picked up coaching as something else to get me away from studying,” she said.

Olivia Mitchell is making great strides in her coaching career.

“Probably not the best solution, but it gave me something to keep me motivated and not to just sit at my desk.

“The girls made me laugh and pushed me to think about things in water polo that I didn’t necessarily have to think about.”

She said her most stressful time as a coach was at the national youth championships in Perth earlier this year when her U14 team made the grand final.

“This was a massive learning curve for me, it taught me to be calm even though it is an extremely stressful experience,” Mitchell said.

“I had to get the girls up in times when they were feeling down. I had to put myself in their shoes and figure out what I would need at that moment as a player.”

Balmain girls were outstanding in 2023.

Mitchell’s U14 side fell 4-3 in the gold medal game to perennial Queensland powerhouse Mermaids Pink, while the U18 side finished an excellent third behind Mermaids Pink and MATS Polo.

Then came the crowning glory. The U16 girls overcame a hot field to win the national title, beating another Sunshine State big gun, Polo Bears, in the decider.