Our head coach will be arriving in NZ on March 15th and is looking forward to meeting many new people.

For those that don’t know Peter, he has been involved in water polo since a very early age playing representative water polo for his country Hungary and from there took on a role coaching. His career has brought him to NZ for 6 years, Australia for 8 years and European countries with lately his role being with the Hungarian National Selection teams. Peter has coached the highest level in both genders over the years and attended many World Championships and Olympics.

One of Peter’s main roles while in Australia and currently in Hungary was to strengthen the national system and develop athletes to an international standard.  He is passionate about ensuring everyone gets opportunities to excel in their chosen sport - waterpolo. His love for the sport is easy to see and his manner is one of passion, commitment and friendships forever.

When Peter was given an opportunity to take on this role, he was thrilled to know he was coming back to a country he had come to love. Prior to him leaving NZ for Australia he was in the process of gaining his residency in NZ, so to have the opportunity to return with his wife Diana and his 2 year old daughter Emma to the country he loves was a dream come true. Originally from Eger, Hungary, he has spent his entire life consumed by water polo and his experiences have no doubt been a benefit to the players training in his programs.

“Ever since I was young it has always been water polo, I played in Europe for Hungary when I was younger and from my mid-20’s I started to coach different age groups in Hungary at a national level from under 14’s to under 20’s,”.

Combined with coaching, his love for water polo has also produced a University degree in Physical Education.

Water polo appears to be in the genes however, with both of Szilagyi’s older daughters playing at club level and youngest, Dorothy, is part of the Hungarian Women’s team that has achieved Olympic medal status. Dorothy will remain in Hungary hoping to get to the next Olympics while Vicky lives in Perth and plays socially now.

“Both my older girls grew up in a pool basically, because I have been coaching for more than 20 years now,” he said.

After a coaching maze across three different continents at the highest level, Szilagyi has seen the game develop, but he is confident the essence of the game is still reflected in his work with his players.

“The philosophy of the game is something that I always try to explain to the athletes and to develop their knowledge,” he said.

“I do all of the pool sessions and really enjoy improving their shooting techniques and ball skills, as these are the most important areas of the sport. NHWPC have offered me an opportunity to impart my knowledge to players & coaches and I am very much looking forward to working with both men/boys and women/girls''.

Peter will be found poolside on his arrival and will work with the coaching team and administration office to set some pathways for the future. He intends to bring a lot of new ideas and techniques to our members and stresses that his role is about becoming involved in all aspects of teams both young and old.

He will be poolside during his first week with our current National title holders, Hammerhead Women. He is also looking forward to working with Nemo and  other club coaches.

Article added: Monday 10 March 2025