Skip links

Cherno More Water Polo Gets a Website That Plays to Win

Client Overview

Cherno More Water Polo is one of Bulgaria’s oldest and most awarded water polo clubs, based in Varna and focused on youth development. Founded in 1948, the club trains athletes from beginner to professional level and competes nationally across all age groups. DomGrid was selected to design, build, and maintain a new website that streamlines communication, shares schedules, and promotes the club’s achievements.
Client’s Challenge
  • Outdated Legacy Website: The existing site lacked key features like schedules, galleries, and multilingual support, and was difficult to update without technical help.
  • No Calendar Integration: Training and match schedules were not connected to personal calendars or displayed in a user-friendly format.
  • Scattered Information: Updates and results were posted inconsistently across social media and offline channels.
  • Low Visibility of Structure and Achievements: Teams, coaches, and past titles were not clearly presented.
  • Missing Brand Consistency: Aside from the logo, there were no unified digital visuals or design elements.
Objectives
  • Launch a Modern Website: Deliver a mobile-first, bilingual platform with clean structure and intuitive navigation.
  • Embed a Functional Schedule: Display training and match calendars with Google and iCal export support.
  • Present Club Content Clearly: Include pages for teams, coaches, and club history with flexible content management.
  • Showcase Visual Content: Add a photo gallery and a static results board highlighting past performance.
  • Ensure Stability and Support: Provide fast hosting, regular maintenance, and security monitoring.

Strategy and Solution

Research and Analysis

We began by reviewing the club’s legacy website and identifying structural and usability issues. Core content such as schedules, teams, and contact details was either missing or difficult to navigate. We assessed scheduling workflows with the coaching staff and evaluated how other local sports clubs managed real-time calendars and mobile-first content. Based on this, we proposed a simplified site structure with emphasis on automation, visual clarity, and easy editing for non-technical users.

Strategy
  • Rebuild the Site Architecture: Redesign the site from scratch to support multilingual content, mobile responsiveness, and intuitive content navigation.
  • Implement Calendar Integration: Embed a schedule of training sessions and matches, with export buttons for Google Calendar and iCal.
  • Define Clear Content Sections: Organize coaches, team rosters, training info, and historical data into dedicated pages with flexible backend controls.
  • Design Branded Visuals: Create custom graphic elements and backgrounds to complement the existing logo and establish a consistent digital identity.
  • Plan for Self-Sufficiency: Structure content editing so that the club’s staff can manage news and updates without external help.
Implementation
  • Setup Phase: We deployed a lightweight WordPress template selected for its clean layout and sports-ready structure, then configured multilingual support and core settings.
  • Development Phase: We customized the template to fit the brand, adding missing sections and components where needed, including the calendar integration, gallery, and dedicated team pages.
  • Testing Phase: We tested the interface across browsers and devices, including calendar exports, content visibility, and mobile behavior.
  • Launch Phase: After final content review and approval, we handled deployment, domain setup, SSL, and administrator onboarding.
Ongoing Maintenance and Support
  • Technical Maintenance: We manage plugin updates, WordPress core upgrades, and security patches to ensure continued site stability.
  • Hosting and Monitoring: The site is hosted in a monitored environment with uptime tracking, backups, and performance checks.
  • Support and Updates: Post-launch, we handled additional updates such as calendar fine-tuning, gallery improvements, and layout adjustments as part of our regular support.

Final Results and Summary

Outcomes
  • Modernized Web Presence: The new site replaced the outdated legacy platform with a responsive, mobile-friendly design tailored to the club’s needs.
  • Bilingual Access: All pages are available in Bulgarian and English, with consistent navigation and content structure across both versions.
  • Integrated Scheduling: Training and match calendars are embedded on the site, with “Add to Calendar” buttons for Google Calendar and iCal support.
  • Improved Club Visibility: Team structure, coaching staff, achievements, and contact information are clearly presented and easy to update.
  • Reliable Maintenance: The site is actively monitored and updated, with ongoing refinements to layout, content, and functionality.
Summary
The Cherno More Water Polo website provides the club with a reliable digital foundation for sharing schedules, team details, and achievements with the community. Designed for clarity, ease of use, and long-term maintainability, the platform reflects the club’s professionalism while remaining simple to manage internally. DomGrid continues to support the site as it evolves alongside the club’s activities and outreach.