Editing Water polo (section)

==History==
[[File:William Wilson ISHOF.jpg|thumb|William Wilson, Scottish aquatics pioneer and originator of the first [[rules of water polo]]]]
{{Main|History of water polo}}

The history of water polo as a team sport began as a demonstration of strength and swimming skill in mid-19th century England and Scotland, where water sports and racing exhibitions were a feature of county fairs and festivals.<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Water Polo |volume=28 |pages=384–385 |first=William |last=Henry }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Barr |first=David |title=A Guide to Water Polo |publisher=Sterling Publishing (London) |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-8069-9164-1 }}</ref> Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic games in 1900. The present-day game involves teams of seven players (plus up to six substitutes), with a [[water polo ball]] similar in size to a soccer ball but constructed of air-tight nylon.

One of the earliest recorded viewings of water polo was conducted at the 4th Open Air Fete of the London Swimming Club, held at [[the Crystal Palace]], London on 15 September 1873.<ref>{{cite news|title=Morning Post|date=13 September 1873|page= 1}}</ref> Another antecedent of the modern game of water polo was a game of water 'handball' played at [[Bournemouth]] on 13 July 1876.<ref>Bournemouth Visitors Directory 15 July 1876</ref> This was a game between 12 members of the Premier Rowing Club, with goals being marked by four flags placed in the water near to the midpoint of Bournemouth Pier. The game started at 6:00 pm and lasted for 15 minutes (when the ball burst) watched by a large crowd; with plans being made for play on a larger scale the following week.

The [[rules of water polo]] were originally developed in the late nineteenth century in Great Britain by [[William Wilson (aquatics)|William Wilson]]. Wilson is believed to have been the First Baths Master of the [[Arlington Baths Club]] in Glasgow. The first games of 'aquatic football' were played at the Arlington in the late 19th century (the club was founded in 1870), with a [[water polo ball|ball]] constructed of India rubber. This "water rugby" came to be called "water polo" based on the English pronunciation of the [[Balti language|Balti]] word for ball, ''pulu''.<ref>12th FINA World Championship 2007: [http://melbourne2007.com.au/site/sections/sports/polo_history.html Classroom Resource] Retrieved 2007-09-20</ref><ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polo polo. (n.d.).] Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved 20 September 2007, from Dictionary.com website</ref> Early play allowed brute strength, wrestling and holding opposing players underwater to recover the ball. Players held underwater for lengthy periods usually surrendered possession. The goalie stood outside the playing area and defended the goal by jumping in on any opponent attempting to score by placing the ball on the deck.