Exciting Return: Junior Surf Series Back for 2024!

Surfing England is excited to announce the return of the Junior Surf Series for 2024.

This popular event, run in collaboration with Affiliated Surf Clubs and supported by sponsors Animal and RYD, is set to provide an exhilarating introduction to competitive surfing for under-12s and under-14s.

Fresh Faces and New Venues

After two successful seasons with Croyde Surf Club and Global Boarders, Surfing England has decided to bring in new clubs for the 2024 series. While Tynemouth’s waves didn’t cooperate last season, this year sees the inclusion of three new host clubs: St Ives Surf Club, Woolacombe Board Riders, and South Shields Boardriders.

Phil Williams, Series Lead for Surfing England, expressed gratitude to the previous clubs for their invaluable support and warmly welcomed the new clubs to the event lineup. “Seeing the growth in girls’ participation last year was brilliant, and we’d like to see that continue,” he said.

Event Schedule and Locations

The 2024 series will kick off at Newquay Boardriders on June 1st, with a backup date of June 2nd. The subsequent stops include:

• Saints Boardriders (St Ives) on June 8th (backup June 9th)
• Bude Waveriders on July 6th (backup July 7th)
• Woolacombe Boardriders on September 28th (backup September 29th)
• South Shields Boardriders on October 5th (backup October 6th)

The series will culminate in the Day of Champions on October 23rd or 24th, with the exact location at The Wave to be confirmed.

Entry Process and Participation

With the series growing in popularity, minor adjustments have been made to the entry process for 2024. Spaces are limited, so priority will be given to surfers who have not yet secured a spot in any two events. Entries will open four weeks prior to each contest date and close two weeks before, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mark Neale, Managing Director at Animal, stated, “We’re thrilled to sponsor the Junior Surf Series again this year. Surfing England continues to champion grassroots surfing, enabling young talent from all over the UK to experience competitive surfing. We’re looking forward to watching more future surfing superstars hitting the waves throughout the season.”

Encouraging Female Participation

One of the standout successes from last year was the significant increase in girls’ participation. Surfing England aims to continue this positive trend in 2024, ensuring more young females get involved in the sport.

Simon Nicholson from RYD shared his enthusiasm, “RYD is super stoked to be onboard with Surfing England for the 2nd year, supporting English Junior surfing! We think this stage of young surfers’ development is crucial to building a love for competing, and most importantly, the friendships these kids form with each other over these weekends, competing and hanging out together. RYD has some fun stuff planned for 2024 to keep it focused on the fun element and stoke the groms out!”

How to Get Involved

For those eager to participate, the full event schedule and entry details will be announced soon via Surfing England’s channels. Entries will open approximately one month before each stop on the LiveHeats Portal.

The Junior Surf Series promises to be an exciting and fun-filled event, building the future of surfing in England by nurturing young talent and fostering a love for competitive surfing.