The WSL recently announced the Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series (CS) competition has been secured through 2024 and will move to North Narrabeen from 2023.
The move involved the WSL, Destination NSW, and the Northern Beaches Council to see professional surfing return to North Narrabeen, the home of big-name surfers like Simon Anderson, Nathan Hedge, Laura Enever, Terry Fitzgerald, and Damien Hardman.
North Narrabeen has hosted dozens of professional events on high-performance left-handers over the last four decades.
The new partnership will see North Narrabeen as an annual fixture on the WSL calendar for the first time in over 10 years.
WSL APAC general manager, Andrew Stark, said: “WSL is extremely proud to be returning to North Narrabeen and continuing this location’s strong lineage with professional surfing.”
“Having held a one-off CT event at North Narrabeen earlier this year and seeing the incredibly positive response from the local community, not to mention from the world’s best surfers, it made total sense to put this location back on the schedule as an annual fixture and back on the world stage where it belongs.
“Locking this event in for the next three years is a massive achievement and we’d like to thank our hugely supportive partners at Destination NSW and The Northern Beaches Council.
“Without their support, important events like the Sydney Surf Pro wouldn’t happen,” Stark said.
Manly Beach was the location of the Sydney Surf Pro competition for over a decade.
Member for Pittwater, Rob Stokes, said: “The Championship Tour event earlier this year put North Narrabeen back on the global map of surfing.”
“North Narrabeen is regarded as one of the best beach breaks in Australia and has always been a spiritual home for surfers so it’s only fitting to bring the Sydney Surf Pro to this beach.
“The benefits to the local economy will be extraordinary and not to mention the experience for the young up and coming surfers from the area having the world’s best back at their home beach,” he said.
The Sydney Surf Pro event will see 150 Challenger Series competitors participate for a spot on the Championship Tour.
Northern Beaches Mayor, Michael Regan said: “We are thrilled to continue to host this fantastic event here on the Northern Beaches following the successful Championship Tour event in April.”
“It gives locals the chance to see their international surfing heroes competing while our spectacular area is beamed to an international audience.
“It’ll also be an additional leg up to local businesses who have had a shocking few years thanks to COVID,” he said.
The 2022 Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event will run at Manly beach from May 17 – 24, 2022.
