BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) official Tim Chambers will lead his homeland into international competition as he was named head coach of the New Zealand for the 12th FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championship in Volos, Greece, on September 3-9.
Chambers, who officiated for the CWPA during the 2016 men’s season as well as the 2016 and 2017 women’s seasons, he has served as a High Performance Coach and Referee for New Zealand Water Polo since February 2011.
He served as head coach of the Boys’ Cadet National Team for his homeland in leading the 2015 squad to a Gold Medal at the NSW Invitational and the 2016 team in competition at the PanPacific Games and Australian Test Series.
Further, Chambers worked as an assistant coach for the New Zealand Schoolboys team in 2015 helping the Kiwis top Australia 2-0 in the Test Series after working as an assistant coach for the 2014 New Zealand Schoolgirls team in 2014 that downed the Aussies 2-1 in the Test Series.
The assistant coach for the New Zealand Youth Girls that finished 13th at the Youth Women’s World Championships in Madrid, Spain in 2013-14, he also served as head coach of the Cadet Girls in 2011-12.
A certified FINA referee since 2013 who has previous experience as an official at the Southern Classic Youth Tournament (2012) and the New Zealand Trans Tasman Series (2012, 2013), his success off the pool deck exceeds that near the water.
A 2014 graduate of the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical and Ancient Studies after previously acquiring a Bachelor of Physical Education in Sport Management and Sport Sociology in 2013 at Otago and completing his studies at Rongotai College in 2007, he has continued to excel in the academic field.
A Disability Center Notetaker and Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) mentor and program coordinator at Otago from February 2011-to-November 2013, he has served as an interviewer at the Wellington, New Zealand, police station from March 2014-to-present interviewing arrested parties regarding substance abuse as part of the New Zealand Arrestee Drug Monitoring Program.
An Assistant Research Fellow and Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD.) candidate at the University of Otago from January 2015-to-present working at the School of Public Health examining children’s real time exposure to alcohol and junk food advertising through the KidsCam project, Chambers received a Special Health Scholarship from the institution. The scholarship is intended to provide personal support for outstanding graduate students who are contemplating a career in Health Research.
He additionally received a Fulbright Scholarship in June 2015, an honor awarded to promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in any field. Grantees are selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership potential and ambassadorial qualities.
Chambers used his Fulbright Scholarship to serve as a Visiting Scientist in the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Cambridge, Mass. His main area of research focused on the current policies surrounding alcohol advertising. His research utilized the data collected through the KidsCam project in order to determine children’s real time exposure to alcohol advertising in their daily lives. The year spent at Harvard contributed towards his Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Otago.
Representing his home nation once again after returning from the United States, Chambers will lead a team of 13 players and two reserves to the championship. It marks the third time in a row the event has been held in Volos since 2013.
Sixteen teams will compete in the championships with the squads divided into four groups with Japan, Russia, Hungary and the Netherlands in Group A; China, Australia, South Africa and Greece in Group B; Italy, Canada, Serbia and Slovakia in Group C; and Spain, Croatia, New Zealand and the United States in Group D.
New Zealand twice finished in 10th place at the biennial junior world championships in 2013 and 2015, losing to Canada and Australia in the playoffs.
A familiar face will be on the bench for Chambers as his sister, Sarah, will serve as the assistant coach and manager for the New Zealand Women’s Junior National Team. It is believed to be the first time that a brother-sister duo will lead a women’s team into international competition.
