Thousands dive into water skyball at Central Europe’s largest lake

Thousands of people experienced the emerging sport of water skyball at Lake Balaton in Hungary over summer, thanks to two sets of Packaworld’s water skyball goals and fields that created an aquatic-sport playground for beachgoers.

The portable Water Skyball Packagoals and fields were used at the popular Alsoors Beach during the peak summer period of late June to early September.

Water Skyball Federation Vice President Olga Augusztin said the experience was an instant hit with curious people looking for a new way to cool off and enjoy some exercise.

“The field was there for everyone, so people came, played water skyball or just practised shooting at the goals. It was used all day because people were hungry to play something in the water.”

Lake Balaton provided the perfect backdrop to introduce the sport to a diverse audience, with its status as Central Europe's largest body of fresh water and a hotbed for music, art and culture attracting a host of domestic and international tourists.

Augusztin estimates that around 5,000 people took the chance to enjoy the sport on the lake throughout the summer. The Water Skyball Federation helped champion the initiative, which was run in partnership with the Municipality of Alsoors and the Active Hungary State Secretariat – both of which co-funded the goals and fields.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the water skyball showcase demonstrated the appeal of portable sporting infrastructure.

“It's incredibly exciting to see our Water Skyball Packagoals supporting such an innovative sport. The fact that thousands of people were able to try it out on the lake shows the power of making sports accessible to everyone.

“Our inflatable equipment is designed to transform any suitable water space into a sporting venue, and seeing families and friends discover this vibrant sport throughout the Hungarian summer has been hugely rewarding.”

Packaworld’s official-size water skyball goals and fields of play are rigid and sturdy once inflated, yet easy to pack down and store when not being used, making it simple to bring a game of water skyball to a wider range of aquatic locations.

Get to know water skyball

Water skyball is played by two teams of two people in waist-deep water on a field measuring 10- to 11-meters long and eight-meters wide. It was created in 2013 at Hungary’s Fontanus Centre – a research institution focussed on connecting different scientific fields to modernise educational methods.

One of the other aspects that makes the sport unique is the way points are scored differently depending on which section of the goal a shot is scored in, and what zone of the court the ball was thrown from, encouraging and rewarding strategic play.

Water skyball is gaining increasing international recognition as new audiences enjoy the appeal of an accessible sport that combines teamwork, aquatic skills and strategy. Regular tournaments are held in Hungary, Germany and Poland, and Bucharest hosted Romania’s first water skyball tournament in February.