CLUBS WIPE OUT BLOKEY CULTURE

LEADING boardrider clubs on the Gold Coast are shedding their blokey image and improving facilities to lure female surfers such as Sayaka Muramatsu, Georgie Fennell and Lucy Littlechild into competition. “(Girls) have a different approach to surfing — (they) tend to be less aggressive and just want to go out and have fun,” Palm Beach Boardriders secretary Mike Gifford said.

GOLD Coast boardrider clubs are owning up to a “blokey” surf culture they say has failed female competitors.

To correct the gender bias, clubs are now spending thousands of dollars and introducing events to attract women surfers.

North End Boardriders President Darren Clark said the number of female competitors had grown tenfold in the past few years, but was still less than 10 per cent of the total member base.

“It was very blokey,” Mr Clark said. “We want the girls to feel welcome and accommodated for – not intimidated.

“There never used to be much competition for them. It used to be they had to wait round on the beach all day for the one heat and that would be it.”

North End Boardriders recently secured $11,000 from the Queensland Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund to run a “Girls Go Surfing” development day and other programs to attract female surfers.

Roy Morgan research found the number of Australian girls aged 14-17 who surfed grew from 31,000 to 50,000 between 2010-2014. In the 18-24 age bracket, it rose from 46,000 to 59,000.

Mr Clark said positive role models and surfing’s inclusion at the 2020 Olympic Games would further boost the trend.

Mr Clark said the club had invested $20,000 in junior development across the board.

This year, the club’s first junior girls team in 41 years finished second at the Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Championships.

“The participation of girls within the club (170 members) would be less than 10 per cent, but it’s better than a few years ago. It would have been less than 1 per cent,” Mr Clark said.

His club will field a girls team at the weekend’s Kirra Junior Teams Challenge.

Kirra Surfriders president Paul Sheehan said the girls competition attracted only five teams in its inaugural year three years ago.

This year, 14 girls from Wollongong to will take part.

“We’re going to double bank it (run the events simultaneously teams Noosa

WE WANT THE GIRLS TO FEEL WELCOME AND ACCOMMODATED FOR — NOT INTIMIDATED

across two beach breaks) and next year we’re looking to have a stand-alone event for the girls,” he said.

Mr Sheehan said women were slowly becoming more involved in the sport.

“It’s always been a bit blokey. Now if we see a group of girls out surfing Kirra a few days in a row we’ll ask if they want to join,” he said.

“They’re usually hesitant, but it’s not about being good (at surfing), it’s about catching up and having a barbecue with your mates on the beach once a month.”

Palm Beach Boardriders secretary Mike Gifford said while his club had fielded strong female competitors in the past but it had been difficult to attract them to competitive surfing.