VISSLA SYDNEY SURF PRO RETURNS TO MANLY IN 2019
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Manly Beach will once again play host to world surfing’s elite when the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro returns from the 16 - 24 March 2019.
The World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 6,000 rated events will feature some of the world’s best surfers as they look to kick their 2019 competitive campaigns into gear prior to the start of the 2019 Championship Tour (CT).
Member for Manly James Griffin said the success of this year’s event has ensured that some of the world’s best surfers would be back in Manly for 2019.
“This year’s event was a huge success, and having fought for the funding I am thrilled to have secured it again for 2019. Our community – whether they were local businesses, boardrider clubs or surfing fans – demonstrated their passion and commitment to pro surfing in Manly,” Mr Griffin said.
“This is an exciting and important event for our local community and with thousands of visitors and tourists in Manly, it provides significant global exposure. We have seen the value of this event for Manly and the more local businesses that get behind it, the better our local economy and our community will be. I believe 2019 can be a bumper year.”
Northern Beaches Council Mayor Michael Regan said Council was pleased to be supporting the event for the second year.
“Manly is the perfect location for such a high profile international surfing event and we are delighted to be hosting it here, at Australia’s best beach, once more,” said Regan.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the event would attract surfers, their support teams and fans from around Australia and the world.
“In 2019 we expect more than 700 overnight visitors to travel to Manly for the event, injecting close to $650,000 into the local visitor economy,” Mr Marshall said.
Surfing NSW Chief Executive Officer Luke Madden said the event would bolster an already blockbuster schedule of surfing events in NSW.
“The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro truly is one of the jewels in the crown for NSW surfing. With the idyllic backdrop of Manly Beach and the playful waves we’ve seen in previous years, we predict that the 2019 event will be the perfect finale to another massive summer of surf events,” Madden said.
WSL Australia and Oceania General Manager Andrew Stark is excited about the announcement.
“As the home of the first ever World Surfing Championships in 1964, Manly has such a rich history in Australian and International surfing, so this announcement is certainly exciting for the WSL. We are committed to ensuring that the region has strong WSL World Qualifying Series events that provide an athlete pathway into the WSL Championship Tour (CT) and the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is one of the flagship Qualifying events in this region. We are appreciative of our key partners in Vissla and Destination NSW and look forward to working with them to deliver a fantastic event in Sydney.”
Vissla’s John Mossop said the brand is looking forward to bringing another element of creativity to the event again in 2019.
“Aside from the surfing, we really want to heighten the experience for spectators with more surfboard shapers crafting boards live, artists, retail and plenty more.”
In addition to the QS components of the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro, a WSL sanctioned boys and girls Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) event will also take place on the opening weekend of the 16 – 17 March.
For more information and 2018 highlights, check out sydneysurfpro.com. The live broadcast will be available on worldsurfleague.com
The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The event is also proudly supported by Vissla, Northern Beaches Council, WSL and Surfing NSW.
Bungan's Holly Wawn at the 2018 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro - photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW