Sporting events held in East London are more than entertainment, they add millions to BCM coffers.
East London’s Buffalo Regatta is one of the main ones. It dates back to 1881 and has been held every year since then, aside from the war years (1914-18 and 1039-45), and in 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024 the regatta will be held for the 137th time.
As a national rowing event the regatta has no equal but its growing stature is as a money spinner for Buffalo City. The 200 or so races, held over three days, is estimated to attract around 1,500 athletes from schools, universities, and clubs.
However the real money spinners are the visitors to the city, expected to number nearly 2,000, made up of spectators, management teams and coaches, and families that travel with the athletes.
Local businesses will be the big winners with visitors and spectators spending money on hotels, BnBs, car hire, dining out and shopping.
The spend is estimated to be in excess of R4m.
The local rowing community and the East London Boating Association’s (ELBA) share a joint imperative, of growing and fostering rowing, focusing on increasing the number of participants, with transformation as part of the development.
The rowing clubs support children from communities and schools within the Buffalo River area, assisting with equipment, storage facilities and costs including entry fees, transport and accommodation for the identified development rowers to participate in the Regatta, as well SA Junior and Senior National Championships.
Leading up to the regatta vandalism was a major headache for ELBA.
“It was problematic to say the least,” said Ryan Ewing of Essential Dimensions Architects, whose son is a Selborne rower.
“Fortunately Terrence Perumal, of BCM’s electricity department saw the big picture and the threat of cancellation, and did wonders in restoring the municipal infrastructure.”
The regatta is one of several big-money sporting events over the past years, but a few have dropped off the calendar.
Among them was the Ironman Triathlon, estimated to have been worth R25m, and the city’s biggest ever event, in financial terms, the Africa Open golf tournaments, staged from 2009 and 2015 at East London Golf Club, before it moved to Johannesburg.
BCM invested R18m in the event, reasoning that four days of international TV coverage more than met the goals of promoting the city as a premier tourism sporting destination.
Other recent coffer fillers, although not all were direct income, were the Merrifield Mile, Vides School water polo tournament, and the Surfer’s Marathon.
The Surfers indirect income dwarfs entry fees because many of the nearly 2,000 competitors were visitors, so bed nights added significantly to the city’s coffers.
Last year's Surfers attracted more than 3,000 athletes, with total entry fees of more than R400,000.
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