What does Self Storage and Water Polo have in common? At first glance not a whole lot but given Rent a Space Self Storage’s Group General Manager Thomas Whalan is also a four-time Olympian and former captain of the Aussie Sharks Water Polo team and founder of Water Polo by the Sea, for this Sydney operator there is a lot in common.
Water Polo by the Sea has grown to become one of Sydney’s most popular Sydney social and sporting event held at the iconic Bondi Icebergs in early January each year. Now in its fourth year, the event brings together the Aussie Sharks to take on an International All Star team boasting some of the sport’s biggest stars. A mix of some of the fittest athletes in Budgy Smugglers, great music and a VIP Marquee attracting international celebrities including Made in Chelsea UK star Andy Jordan, has meant the event enjoys sold-out status every year.
This year’s event attracted players from over 10 nations and included Fina World player of the year Filip Filipovic from Serbia along with Greek four time Olympian Theodoros Chatzitheodorou, Montenegrin strong man Aleksander Ivovic, Spain’s Albert Espanol and Italy’s Fabrizio Buonocore. The hand-picked team actually beat the Aussies for the first time in a brilliant display of skill 12-10.
“Water Polo by the Sea is how I have envisaged the sport of water polo to truly market itself and attract a wider audience. The event is designed to showcase the amazing athletes and sport in a unique location and aims to provide an overall entertainment package with music, colours and big name sponsors. It’s a joy to see so many people enjoying the event and how quickly it has grown in popularity” says Whalan.
“Rent a Space has been an extremely handy partner for the event. Using our storage space in Moore Park near Bondi to house all of the event inventory in the lead up to the big game is always convenient along with the use of our fleet of trucks and drivers to get it all to Bondi Icebergs on the day. The staff have also enjoyed the perks of the event, with the Rent a Space team invited to the Icebergs Dining balcony to enjoy the event and after-party together and mix with some of the stars of the sport. We also managed to sneak in our brand colours into the International All Star caps which looked fantastic.”
It’s not so much a return on investment as an investment in a worthy cause; contributing to the development of a great sport and supporting water polo in Australia. Rent a Space has been a long-term supporter of Australian sport and especially water polo having sponsored the Sydney University Lions in the Australian National Water Polo League.
