about the festival

Over the past three years, the Stayers Water Polo Tournament has developed into one of South Africa’s premier schools’ water polo events, consistently raising the bar for competition, organisation and spectator experience. What began as a regional gathering has matured into a national showcase that delivers impressive growth in team participation, spectator engagement and media interest year after year.

The tournament’s expansion speaks for itself, with entries having increased from 16 to 28 schools across the country, with full representation from both boys’ and girls’ squads. This growth makes the Stayers Tournament one of the largest and most inclusive school water polo events in South Africa and underlines its importance on the school‑sport calendar.

With engaged sponsors and a solid social media strategy, our online reach has also climbed significantly, delivering year‑on‑year increases in impressions and engagement. Sponsors receive high‑visibility branding across on‑site signage and merchandise, prominent placement on our digital channels, and content included in livestream coverage, thereby successfully reaching thousands of athletes, parents, educators and wider regional communities.

We are excited to build on this momentum at the next edition, taking place from 8–11 October 2026, and to deliver even greater scale, exposure and impact for our competitors, spectators and commercial partners.