Coaching Staff
Ricardo Azevedo
Head CoachConsidered to be one of the premier coaches in the world. Highlights include:
- Head Coach for the USA Men’s Water Polo Team, USA Junior Team and Long Beach State University
- Head Coach of the professional Italian team RN Camogli in 2007, unexpectedly leading his young team to the division Championship title game in 2008
- Head Coach of the Chinese Men’s & Women’s National Water Polo Teams, leading them for the 2016 Rio Olympics
Tony Azevedo
Coach & Mentor- 5x Olympian & Silver Medalist
- 4x NCAA MVP & Former Team USA Captain
- Stanford Grad, Harvard Masters
Ryan Bailey
- 4x Olympian & Silver Medalist
- 5x Pan American Games Gold Medalist
- Considered to be one of the best centers in the world
Rich Corso
CoachRichard “Rich” Corso is an Olympic‑level water polo coach whose career spans over four decades.
- Former head coach of the 1996 U.S. men’s Olympic team
- Led elite youth and collegiate programs including Harvard‑Westlake (1986–2005) and the UC Berkeley women’s team.
- 2015 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee
Jimmy Heard
- Founder of East Side WP, top girls club in the zone from 2019- 2023
- 17 years coaching experience worldwide, including National Team and ODP
Marc Frigola
- Athlete at CSULB (B.S. Mechanical Engineering)
- Member of Spanish Youth National Team (5x Champions) & Club Natació Barcelona
Pablo de Souza
- Current CUI Athlete
- Member of Brazilian National Team
- Star Golden West Goalie (2 titles and 2 MVPs)
Bia Mantellato
- UCLA Star Athlete
- 2024 Cutino Award Finalist
- NCAA All Tournament Team
Olivia Dam
- Center from Sacramento
- 4 Year Letter Winner and CIF NorCal Champion
- CSULB student athlete studying Health Science
Elisa Portillo
- Senior at Long Beach State (originally from Madrid)
- Spanish National Team Member for 5 years
- 2x European Champion/ 5th Place in World Championships
Hailey Beaird
- A Lakewood, California native and graduate of Lakewood High School, where she began her competitive water polo and swimming career.
- Aquatics Experience: Developed a strong background in aquatics while serving as Head Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, and Swim Coach at the local YMCA.
- Coaching Leadership: Began coaching at Cabrillo High School in 2020 as an assistant coach and was promoted to Head Coach the following year. She continues to lead the program today.
Fall 2026 Tournament/ Event Schedule Coming Soon
908 Water Polo Club
Season Duration
- Fall: September 8 – December 17, 2026
- Winter/ Spring: January 4 – May 27, 2027
- Summer: June 1 – Junior Olympics 2027
Age Groups
- 9u Novice youth development (club feeder program) – see more info on the right side of this page
- 10u girls/ 10u boys
- 12u girls/ 12u boys
- 14u girls/ 14u boys
The 908 Identity
- Accountability (Parents/ Athletes/ Coaches)
- Innovation (Using the 6-8 Platform)
- Family (Our Staff/ Why We Started 908)
- Slow and Steady (Long Term Success)
Tuition
Includes
- All trainings led by our top-notch staff
- Extra team events & scrimmages (new for 2026)
- 6-8 Mobile App Subscription for the season
Does not include:
- USAWP Membership
- Scrimmage & Tournament Fees
Please email sara@azevedowaterpolo.com for more information on tuition for each season.
Training Times/ Locations
Cabrillo High School: 2001 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach, CA 90810
10u Boys & Girls
- Tuesdays & Thursdays – 5:15 – 7:00 pm
12u Boys & Girls
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays – 5:15 – 7:00 pm
14u Boys & Girls
- Mondays – 5:15 – 7:00 pm
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays – 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Registration
Fall 2026 Registration Coming Soon. Email sara@azevedowaterpolo.com for more information on tryouts and available spaces.
Youth Development
FREE 9u Novice Program:
Led by Hailey Beaird.
This is the entry level into our competitive club program- the format is still 50% ‘recreation’ but training begins to focus more on base swimming and water strength/ conditioning. When athletes are ready, they will be invited to move up to the 10u club level.
(Average Age 6 -9)
Cabrillo High School Pool
Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm
The 9U program serves as a comprehensive introduction to water polo, focusing on developing key skills like catching, throwing, and mastering the eggbeater kick. Alongside the water polo fundamentals, we emphasize building strong swimming techniques, covering all four strokes—freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Our goal is to foster a solid foundation in both water polo and swimming, ensuring that young athletes not only become skilled in the sport but also grow as well-rounded swimmers. Through fun, engaging drills and team activities, we aim to build confidence, teamwork, and a love for the water.
FREE Registration for 9u Fall 2026 Coming Soon- email sara@azevedowaterpolo.com for more details.
6-8 Sports Technology
908 uses the 6-8 Sports game desk to score all club scrimmages and games. Parents and fans can view real-time play-by-play and game stats/ analytics on the 68scores output page. Athletes (and parents) can also track their individual stats and analytics (including +/- performance indicators) through the 6-8 mobile app. Registration requires you to submit your 6-8 ID number and the email associated with your app user account (this is the email that you use to create an account and login).
USAWP Membership ID Number
Since we are a USAWP sanctioned club, each athlete must have valid USAWP Membership. If you are not already a USAWP member, you can purchase a plan HERE. When prompted to select a club affiliation, choose 908 Water Polo. For now, Bronze level membership is sufficient.
Gear
Standard 908 Gear can be purchased through our partner DUCKO. The site password will be provided upon athlete registration.
Athlete Safety
USAWP has a new program to help clubs manage athlete safety. Please note that this is an issue we take extremely seriously and we will be following all required prevention measures and protocols. We will not tolerate any kind of inappropriate behavior or bullying. We ask that you maintain an open channel of communication with us and report any incidents immediately.