Regional Water Polo League
| Sport | Water polo |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Folded | 2025 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country |  Croatia Italy Montenegro Serbia Slovenia |
| Continent | European Aquatics (Europe) |
Last champions | Radnički (2nd title) (2024–25) |
| Most titles | Jug (5 titles) |
| Broadcaster | Arena Sport |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup | No |
The Regional Water Polo League (Serbo-Croatian: Regionalna vaterpolo liga, RVL), commonly known as the Regional League or Adriatic League, was a regional water polo league in Southeast Europe. Originally, the league featured clubs from Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. In later years, clubs from Serbia joined the league and in one season club from Italy participated in the league. As of 2025–26 season, the league was suspended due to various reasons.
History
[edit]The league was established in 2008 as the Adriatic Water Polo League (Serbo-Croatian: Jadranska vaterpolo liga) and the inaugural 2008–09 season consisted of clubs from Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Members of the inaugural season were Jug, Mladost, Primorje, POŠK, Jadran Split, Medveščak Zagreb, Šibenik, Mornar, Jadran, Primorac, Budva, and Koper. The first league champions were VK Jug.
In the 2009–10 season, Cattaro joined the league and the Final Four was introduced into the league. In the 2011–12 season, the Italian water polo club Pro Recco request to join the Adriatic League was granted and immediately in their first season they became champions, but left the league after the season. The Serbian clubs (Partizan, Crvena zvezda, Radnički and Vojvodina) joined the league in the 2014–15 season.[1]
Starting from the 2015–16 season, second-tier Regional League A2 was introduced.[2]
In February 2019, three team members of Serbian club Crvena zvezda were attacked in Split by Croatian ultra-nationalists, before regional league game against Mornar.[3] The incident was condemned by Croatian and Serbian public, and by many organizations and officials as well.[4] Following the incident, the Water Polo Federation of Serbia and Serbian clubs in competition sought to not play any further games in Split, and competition's Board of Directors made a decision to postpone any further games in Split in which Serbian clubs are included.[5]
Starting with the 2020–21 season, the league is played in different format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having two groups (2020–21 season with host cities being Belgrade and Dubrovnik, and 2021–22 season with host cities Belgrade and Split) and final tournament (2020–21 host being Zagreb, and 2021–22 host being Belgrade);[6] In 2020–21 season, the Serbian club Radnički eventually won their first championship, thus ending 8-year dominance of the Croatian clubs. In 2021–22 season, the newcomer to the competition, Novi Beograd, lifted its maiden trophy.[7]
In the 2025–26 season, the Regional Water Polo League was not held in its previous format after an agreement could not be reached between the clubs and national federations on the format of the competition. Croatian clubs did not participate in the new regional competition organized for the 2025–26 season by the Water Polo Federation of Serbia and the Water Polo Federation of Montenegro. The new league consisted of eight clubs from Serbia and Montenegro – five from Serbia and three from Montenegro.
One of the outstanding issues in the negotiations was the hosting of Croatian clubs in Kotor, at the Zoran Džimi Gopčević swimming pool. The Croatian side opposed playing at the venue because of its name. The Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sports had previously recommended that Croatian clubs and the national team not play at the Kotor venue until the issue concerning its name was resolved.
The venue is named after Zoran "Džimi" Gopčević, a former Primorac water polo player and Yugoslav national team member. The Croatian side associated him with service as a guard at the Morinj camp during the war in Croatia, while Montenegrin sources emphasize his sporting legacy and his long-standing contribution to water polo in Kotor and Montenegro.
Perica Bukić, Executive Vice-President of the Croatian Water Polo Federation and President of the Regional League Board, stated that the issue of Croatian clubs playing in Kotor represented an additional problem, alongside disagreements over the proposed competition format and the congested schedule due to the 2026 European Championship in Belgrade. It was subsequently decided that the Regional League would be suspended in its previous format for the 2025–26 season, while Serbia and Montenegro agreed to organize a separate regional competition[8].
In the 2026–27 season, the league was expanded, although it continued to operate without Croatian clubs. From the existing eight teams, the league was expanded to 12 teams, four of which were from Montenegro.[9]
Clubs
[edit]_location_map.svg)
Clubs that participated in the 2024–25 season:
- Regional Water Polo League
| Club | City |
|---|---|
| Jug | Dubrovnik |
| Mladost | Zagreb |
| Jadran | Herceg Novi |
| Šabac | Šabac |
| Novi Beograd | Belgrade |
| Valis | Valjevo |
| Radnički | Kragujevac |
| Jadran | Split |
| Crvena zvezda | Belgrade |
| Solaris | Šibenik |
| Primorje | Rijeka |
| Primorac | Kotor |
All-time participants
[edit]The following is a list of clubs who have played in the Regional Water Polo League at any time since its formation in 2008 to the current season. A total of 22 clubs from five countries have played in the top-tier of the Regional League.
| – | Played in second-tier division (established 2015–16) | |||||
| 1st | Champions | |||||
| 2nd | Runners-up | |||||
| 3rd | Third place | |||||
| SF | Semi-finalists | |||||
| R | Regular season champions | |||||
| Club | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Total seasons |
Highest finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branik Maribor | — | — | — | — | — | 12th | 15th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 12th |
| Budva | 5th | 5th | 5th | 7th | 4th | 6th | 11th | — | 7th | 9th | — | 8th | 12th | 13th | — | — | — | 12 | 4th |
| Cattaro | — | 6th | 12th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6th |
| Crvena zvezda | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8th | 10th | — | — | 7th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 10th | 9 | 5th |
| Jadran Split | 9th | 10th | 10th | 12th | 7th | 9th | 12th | — | 8th | SF | SF | SF | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 16 | 2nd |
| Jadran Herceg Novi | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 5th | 8th | SF | 5th | SF | 2nd | SF | SF | SF | 6th | 5th | 8th | 4th | SFR | 17 | 1st |
| Jug | 1st | 2ndR | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1stR | 1stR | 1stR | 2nd | 2nd | 2ndR | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 8th | 17 | 1st |
| Koper | 10th | 13th | 8th | 11th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 8th |
| Medveščak | 11th | 11th | 9th | 9th | 10th | 10th | 14th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 9th |
| Mladost | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | SF | SF | SF | 2nd | 1stR | 1stR | 4th | 9th | 5th | 9th | 5th | 17 | 1st |
| Mornar | 8th | 8th | 7th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 7th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 6th | 10th | — | 12th | 10th | 11th | — | 15 | 5th |
| Novi Beograd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1stR | SFR | 1stR | SF | 4 | 1st |
| Partizan | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6th | 5th | SF | 6th | 9th | 9th | 10th | 7th | 9th | 12th | — | 10 | SF |
| POŠK | 12th | 12th | 13th | 8th | 6th | 8th | 10th | 9th | — | 7th | 10th | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 6th |
| Primorac | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 10th | 9th | 7th | 13th | — | — | 8th | 8th | 6th | 9th | 8th | 12th | — | 7th | 14 | 3rd |
| Primorje | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1stR | 2nd | 5th | 10th | — | — | 11th | — | — | 7th | 9th | 13 | 1st |
| Pro Recco | — | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1st |
| Radnički | — | — | — | — | — | — | SF | 7th | — | — | — | — | 1st | 4th | SF | 6th | 1st | 7 | 1st |
| Solaris | 6th | 9th | 11th | 13th | 12th | 11th | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8th | 10th | 11th | 8th | 11th | 11 | 6th |
| Šabac | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5th | 7th | 7th | 11th | 7th | 10th | 6th | 7 | 5th |
| Triglav Kranj | — | — | — | — | 11th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 11th |
| Valis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12th | 1 | 12th |
| Vojvodina | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9th | 8th | 9th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 8th |
Finals
[edit]| Season[10] | Champions | Runners-up | Result | 1st of Regular Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 |
Jug |
Jadran Herceg Novi |
–note |
Jug |
2009–10 |
Jadran Herceg Novi |
Jug |
11–8 |
Jug (2) |
2010–11 |
Jadran Herceg Novi (2) |
Jug |
9–7 |
Jadran |
2011–12 |
Pro Recco |
Primorje |
15–4 |
Pro Recco |
2012–13 |
Primorje |
Jug |
9–8 |
Primorje |
2013–14 |
Primorje (2) |
Jug |
8–7 |
Primorje (2) |
2014–15 |
Primorje (3) |
Jug |
15–9 |
Primorje (3) |
2015–16 |
Jug (2) |
Primorje |
9–5 |
Jug (3) |
2016–17 |
Jug (3) |
Jadran |
15–3 |
Jug (4) |
2017–18 |
Jug (4) |
Mladost |
15–8 |
Jug (5) |
2018–19 |
Mladost |
Jug |
13–12 |
Mladost |
2019–20 |
Mladost (2) |
Jug |
15–11 |
Jug (6) |
2020–21 |
Radnički |
Jug |
14–12 |
Jug (7) |
2021–22 |
Novi Beograd |
Jadran Split |
14–11 |
Novi Beograd |
2022–23 |
Jug (5) |
Jadran Split |
14–12 |
Novi Beograd (2) |
2023–24 |
Novi Beograd (2) |
Jadran Split |
16–14 |
Novi Beograd (3) |
2024–25 |
Radnički (2) |
Jadran Split |
13–10 |
Jadran Herceg Novi (2) |
note The league was played in a round-robin tournament format.
Awards
[edit]| Season[11] | MVP | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Aleksandar Ivović (Jadran Herceg Novi) | |
| 2009–10 | Aleksandar Ivović (Jadran Herceg Novi) | |
| 2010–11 |  Denes Varga (Primorje) |
Denes Varga (Primorje) Sandro Sukno (Primorje) |
| 2011–12 | Filip Filipović (Pro Recco) |
Darko Brguljan (Budva) |
| 2012–13 | Sandro Sukno (Primorje) |
Aleksandar Ivović (Jug) |
| 2013–14 | Paulo Obradović (Primorje) |
Denes Varga (Primorje Rijeka) |
| 2014–15 | Sandro Sukno (Primorje) | |
| 2015–16 |  Felipe Perrone (Jug) | |
| 2016–17 | Luka Loncar (Jug) |
Paulo Obradović (Jug) |
| 2017–18 | Marko Macan (Jug) |
Luka Bukić (Jug) |
| 2018–19 |  Cosmin Radu (Mladost) |
 Daniil Merkulov (Jug) |
| 2019–20 | Luka Bukić (Mladost) | |
| 2020–21 | Lazar Dobožanov (Radnički) |
Daniil Merkulov (Jug) |
| 2021–22 | Duško Pijetlović (Novi Beograd) |
Nikola Lukić (Radnički) |
| 2022–23 | Toni Popadić (Jug) |
Loren Fatovic (Jug) |
| 2023–24 | Álvaro Granados (Novi Beograd) | |
| 2024–25 |  Valiko Dadvani (Radnički) | |
Records and statistics
[edit]Performance by clubs
[edit]| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jug | 5 | 8 | 2008–09, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2022–23 | 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 |
| Primorje | 3 | 2 | 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 | 2011–12, 2015–16 |
| Jadran Herceg Novi | 2 | 2 | 2009–10, 2010–11 | 2008–09, 2016–17 |
| Mladost | 2 | 1 | 2018–19, 2019–20 | 2017–18 |
| Novi Beograd | 2 | 0 | 2021–22, 2023–24 | |
| Radnički | 2 | 0 | 2020–21, 2024–25 | |
| Pro Recco | 1 | 0 | 2011–12 | |
| Jadran Split | 0 | 4 | 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 | |
By country
[edit]| Club / Nation | Won | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia |
10 |
15 |
| Serbia |
4 |
0 |
| Montenegro |
2 |
2 |
| Italy |
1 |
0 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Predstavljena nova regionalna vaterpolo liga". dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ↑ "Regionalna liga od 25.septembra". waterpoloserbia.org (in Serbian). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ↑ "Serbian water polo team attacked in Croatia". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ "Srbi sazvali izvanrednu konferenciju zbog napada u Splitu, HVS i HOO najoštrije osudili izgred". dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 9 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ "ODRŽANA SEDNICA UO REGIONALNE LIGE: Mornar ne snosi odgovornost za napad, utakmice sa splitskim klubovima se odlažu do daljnjeg". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Tanjug. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ "Regionalna vaterpolo liga počinje u januaru: Beograd i Dubrovnik domaćini polufinalnih turnira". mozzartsport.com (in Serbian). 21 December 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ↑ "Novi Beograd šampion Regionalne lige, prvi trofej u klupskoj istoriji!". regionalnavaterpololiga.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ↑ https://mondo.ba/Sport/Ostali-sportovi/a1406224/regionalna-liga-u-vaterpolu-bez-hrvatskih-klubova.html?
- ↑ https://total-waterpolo.com/vrl-to-continue-in-2026-27-with-expanded-premier-league/
- ↑ "Regionalna vaterpolo liga". www.rwp-league.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ↑ "Regionalna vaterpolo liga". www.rwp-league.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
