The Wave and Surfing England mark two years of working in partnership

The Wave, which is on track to open the doors of its Bristol site this autumn, has announced that it will be continuing its support for Surfing England through 2019. The Wave became a key partner for the National Governing Body (NGB) in 2017 and the teams have been working closely together over the last 2 years.

The Wave’s support for the NGB has been extensive and has covered a range of areas, including part-funding Team England elite training, kit and international representation, and enabling the delivery of first-ever adaptive surf coach training course. It has also been the headline partner for the inaugural, and now annual, English Adaptive Surf Championships, and supporting partner of the English National Surfing Championships & English Interclub Championship.

Commenting on the partnership The Wave Founder, and Director of Surfing England, Nick Hounsfield said:

“Surfing England has a vision of creating a ‘Healthy Surfing Community’, which fits well with our aim of bringing the joy of surfing to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. We have been proud partners for the last 2 years and look forward to continuing to work together over the coming years. Their service to surfing is amazing, and we encourage all surfers to be members and look forward to welcoming their members to The Wave”.

Looking to the future, Surfing England will keep building on its work to use the positive power of surfing to support a happier and healthier society; from getting more children enjoying the ocean, to being part of ground-breaking partnerships looking at how ‘blue health’ activities could support our emergency services. The Wave makes a natural partner for much of this work, as it aligns closely to the aims of the business. There are also clear opportunities for the organisations to work together around the elite surfing programme and Team England, for example delivering high-performance training, hosting events and creating a world-class hub for adaptive surfing.

Nick continues: “Our Surf School and coaches will all be accredited by Surfing England and we also want to look at becoming a centre of excellence for adaptive surfing, helping those with a physical challenge to really develop their surfing. We also want to use The Wave to promote a good understanding of surf safety and etiquette, as well as showcase English surfing heritage and the culture we are a part of.”

Ben Powis, Surfing England’s Commercial and Operations Director said:

“We are super excited about The Wave opening this year, bringing the amazing Wavegarden Cove technology to the UK for the first time.  The potential to bring surfing to a whole new audience is phenomenal, but what really makes it extra special for us is that The Wave team share our aims and ethos, are so supportive of our community and have the vision to use surfing as a tool for positive change.”

Nick Rees, Surf Manager at The Wave, concludes:

“Surfing England is an important organisation that plays a vital role in representing and developing the sport and enabling English surfing to thrive. A strong National Governing Body with a strong membership in turn creates a strong sport. It’s brilliant to be working together at what is a very exciting time for surfing, with the sport making its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.”

The Wave has just launched its ‘Early Rider’ membership. This allows you to book surf sessions before they go on sale to the public and is the best way of ensuring you get first dibs on your favourite slots at The Wave. As well as priority booking, the Early Rider Membership Pass includes a two-hour surf session with coaching (if you are a beginner), an Early Rider T-shirt and an insulated water bottle.

This allows early access to booking surfing slots a week before tickets go on general release, and includes one 2-hour surf (with coaching if you are a beginner), as well as a special edition ‘Early Rider’ t-shirt and insulated reusable water bottle. For more info visit https://www.thewave.com/free-surf-early-rider-pass/

To join the Surfing England mission and support our surfing community (as well getting your surf insurance and some awesome discounts on travel, apparel and hardware) become a member for just £2 a month www.surfingengland.org