About Empire
Build more pathways into the game.
Empire Water Polo Foundation exists to expand access to water polo development across the Inland Empire. We connect athletes and families to clinics, resources, and local programs while supporting the people who grow the sport in their communities.
What we are
A nonprofit foundation serving the region.
What we are not
A club team, league, or replacement for local programs.
Founder & Director
Tomas Avalos is the founder and director of Empire Water Polo Foundation. He brings more than 15 years of operations and project-management experience to a sport his family lives every day. His son and daughter compete in water polo, and his three older stepdaughters also played. Through Empire, Tomas focuses on practical access: better clinics, clearer resources, stronger local connections, and more opportunities for athletes to keep growing.
How Empire started
Empire Water Polo Foundation started in 2009. Tomas Avalos and Monica Thurman's daughters had just picked up water polo at Grossmont, and we kept running into the same problem: families in our region couldn't easily find clinics, clear information, or a next step. We started Empire to fix that — connecting athletes and families to the opportunities that already exist here, and helping create the ones that don't.