Madeleine Steere facts for kids

Madeleine Kate Steere, born on September 15, 1996, is an Australian professional water polo player. She plays in the centre back position. Madeleine has played for many teams in Australia. She also played for the University of Michigan's college water polo team in the United States. Later, she played for İzmir BB GSK in Turkey. She represented Australia at a young age. She then played 67 games for the Australian national team.

About Madeleine Steere

Madeleine Kate Steere was born on September 15, 1996. Her parents are Darren and Catherine Steere. She was born in Pascoe Vale, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She has a sister named Alexandra.

Madeleine went to St Catherine's School in Melbourne. She started studying at the University of Melbourne in 2015. In 2017, she began studying at the University of Michigan in the United States. She left in 2019 but returned in 2022. She studied biomolecular science there.

Madeleine's Water Polo Journey

Starting Young in Water Polo

Madeleine Steere began her water polo journey in 2003. She started with the Essendon Water Polo Club in her hometown. She played there until 2016. In 2011 and 2012, she played for Victorian Tigers Water Polo Club. After that, she joined the Victorian Seals Club. She played for the Seals for four years in the Australian National Water Polo League (ANWPL).

In 2013, her team won a silver medal at the Women's Water Polo Canada Cup. In 2014, she was named "Water Polo Australia Junior Athlete of the Year." During the FINA Youth Water Polo World Championships in Spain in 2014, the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines noticed her. He invited her to study and play water polo at the University of Michigan in the United States.

Madeleine accepted the offer in 2017. She played for Michigan for two years in the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship. In 2018, she was chosen for the "All-American team." She left the team in 2019 but came back in 2022 to play for Michigan again.

Playing for Australia's Youth Teams

Madeleine was also an athlete with the Victorian Institute of Sport. This led to her being called up to Australia's national youth team. In 2012, she was the captain of the national U-16 team. They played at the Pan Pacific Games in Melbourne. Her team won the gold medal.

In 2014, she played at the FINA Youth Water Polo World Championships in Madrid, Spain. The next year, in 2015, she captained the Australia U-18 team. This was at the FINA World Women's Junior Water Polo Championships. She was also part of the national team that won a gold medal at the 2015 Summer Universiade.

Club Water Polo Adventures

Madeleine Steere is 1.80 meters tall. She plays right-handed in the centre back position. After returning from the United States in 2019, she joined the Australian Catholic University Cronulla Sharks Water Polo Club. This team plays in the ANWPL.

She also played for Griffith University's Queensland Thunder. This team won the ANWPL bronze medal in 2023. In September 2023, Madeleine moved to Turkey. She signed a contract with İzmir BB GSK. İzmir represented Turkey in Europe for the first time that season. They became champions of the 2023–24 LEN Women's Challenger Cup.

Playing for the Australian National Team

While studying in the United States, Madeleine was often chosen for the Australian national team. She played in 67 international matches. She competed at the World Aquatics Championships in 2017. Australia finished eighth in that competition. In 2019, Australia won the bronze medal at the championships.

Madeleine was also part of the Australian team in the Water Polo World League Super Final. She played in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Australia finished seventh in the first two events and fifth in the last one.