Two chukkas down, one to go

KNYSNA NEWS - After the successful hosting of the first two Oakhill Waterfront Chukka festivals, local water polo enthusiasts have one more shot to enjoy some scintillating water polo action.

The final Oakhill Waterfront Chukka Festival will be held this week, from Thursday 23 February to Saturday 25 February.

Held every year in February, the 2023 Oakhill Waterfront Chukka Festival series is the 11th iteration and for the first time the festivals have been bolstered by support from sponsor RSAWeb, whose internet services have allowed Oakhill to provide live updates for parents and water polo fans on the IH Water Polo app.

It is also the largest series that Oakhill has ever hosted, with a total of 1 350 players taking part across the three festivals in February.

The month of chukka kicked off on the first weekend of February with the U13 festival where 450 players took part. The following week, 550 U19 players took part in the biggest of the three festivals, the only one to require three "pools" on the Knysna Waterfront.

After a week's break, this week Oakhill is expecting 350 players encompassing 13 girls teams, 13 boys teams and a total of 17 schools for the final edition, the U15s.

Over and above the entertainment the festival provides for local water polo enthusiasts, stimulation of the local economy is a very valuable by-product for the town.

With the 1 350 players and 230 staff/coaches from all the schools taking part across the three weekends comes accommodation needs, bringing business to many local BnBs, guest houses and hotels during a low-tourism time.

Calculations have estimated that a total of 4 740 bednights* are provided for local establishments with a value in excess of R2m, all commissioned for the visiting schools by Oakhill.

These calculations do not include the additional accommodation required for family and friends who travel from around the country to support their players during the festivals. Additionally, food and meals provided by Oakhill and associated restaurants is estimated to be worth about R750k.

These figures do not take into account that the visitors to the town are also spending money at other local businesses such as restaurants and various retail outlets. Oakhill encourages participants and supporters to enjoy everything that Knysna has to offer, from the restaurants and shops to the many tourist offerings around the town.

They're even given a "teams night" that Oakhill does not cater for, on which the schools/teams are able to go out on the town and do as they wish.

"Oakhill School feels honoured to be able to showcase the town of Knysna and the sport of water polo in such a unique way," said Oakhill head of school Graham Howarth.

"As a community-driven school it is a privilege for us to partner with local businesses and in particular the Knysna Waterfront Quays and invite our many friends and visitors from around the country to participate and enjoy the magnificent spectacle that is the Oakhill Waterfront Chukka Festival."

*According to Law Insider, "bednight" means a bed available for occupation by a paying guest for any one night at an establishment, provided that for the purposes of this definition a bed that is ordinarily intended for occupation by two persons shall be regarded as two beds.