ASP announces 2014 World Tour schedule
LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Wednesday, November 27, 2014) – Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International has announced the 2014 world tour schedule, featuring the ASP Men’s World Championship Tour (WCT), ASP Women’s WCT and ASP qualification tours.
“There’s a huge commitment from new management to the core principles of our sport in putting the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves,” Kieren Perrow, Interim Commissioner, said. “The 2014 ASP Men’s WCT, ASP Women’s WCT and qualification tours are designed to produce the world’s most comprehensive and exciting surfers. There’s a lot happening within the sport next year and it’s a very exciting time for professional surfing.”
The ASP Women’s WCT, which saw the crowning of two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW), 21, this season, will boast a nine-event schedule in 2014, including the addition of world-class venues Fiji, Trestles and Hossegor to the celebrated events of the Gold Coast, Margaret River, Bells Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Huntington Beach and Cascais.
“2014 will see the most talented collective of female surfers ever assembled in the ASP Top 17 and the new tour schedule is befitting of their talent,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, ASP Women’s World Tour Manager, said. “New ASP management have an unprecedented dedication to providing a quality platform upon which the world’s best female surfers can perform and that’s evident in the addition of major events to the 2014 schedule. Next year will be the most exciting year in the history of women’s surfing thus far, without a doubt.”
For the first time in organization’s storied 37-year history, next season will be the first time all of professional surfing’s initiatives from production to athlete care to marketing to operations to media and onwards will be centralized under the purview of the ASP, creating a well-resourced, fan-centric and athlete focused entity committed to celebrating the sport.
“As our transitional year draws to a close and we look ahead to 2014, we’re very excited by the passion, enthusiasm and interest with which our athletes and events as well as new and core media and sponsorship partners have supported us with,” Paul Speaker, ASP CEO, said. “Our foundational media platform with Google, YouTube, Facebook/Instagram and ESPN is in place and we’ll be announcing our respective international linear broadcast partners in the coming weeks.”
“We truly have, in my opinion, one of the most dynamic and impressive global sporting properties in the world,” Speaker continued. “The more time I spend with our athletes, the more I come to respect them, their accomplishments and their affinity with the most dangerous and alluring frontier on the planet. We have tremendous admiration for the culture and heritage of the sport and we’re humbled and honored to be stewarding professional surfing into this next era of excellence. Good luck to our remaining competitors around the globe this season and we look forward to a huge 2014.”
2014 ASP Men’s World Championship Tour (WCT) Schedule:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast – March 1 – 12, 2014
Margaret River Pro – April 2 – 13, 2014
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – April 16 – 27, 2014
Billabong Rio Pro – May 7 – 18, 2014
Fiji Pro – June 1 – 13, 2014
Bali Pro – June 17 – 28, 2014
Billabong Pro Teahupoo – August 15 – 26, 2014
Hurley Pro at Trestles – September 9 – 20, 2014
Quiksilver Pro France – September 25 – October 6, 2014
Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal – October 8 – 19, 2014
Billabong Pipe Masters – December 8 – 20, 2014
2014 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour (WCT) Schedule:
Roxy Pro Gold Coast – March 1 – 12, 2014
Margaret River Pro – April 2 – 13, 2014
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach – April 16 – 27, 2014
Rio Women’s Pro – May 7 – 18, 2014
Fiji Women’s Pro – May 25 – 30, 2014
Vans US Open of Surfing – July 27 – August 3, 2014
Trestles Women’s Pro – September 9 – 20, 2014
Hossegor Women’s Pro – September 23 – 29, 2014
EDP Cascais Women’s Pro – October 1 – 6, 2014
A full schedule of 2014 events can be found at www.aspworldtour.com
ASP International will announce the Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) schedule for the 2014/2015 season in early January of 2014.
Comments
J-Bay still missing, couldn't find someone to pick it up off Billabong?
Goodness yes. For the love of sweet baby Jesus, couldn't Billabong reinstate J-Bay as a CT event and relegate Rio to a 6 star prime?
I don't know about anybody else but I never watch the Rio webcast, but will be glued to practically every minute of J-Bay when it's on.
2ft onshore Rio or 6ft winding J-Bay?
Hmmmmm.........
i wonder what / how the politics of the sport and peoples ethics will be tested when and if a Shark is spotted during the MR Pro . ??!! The show must go On !!???
Also no word on Wildcards ...... ?!
Nah, they put a rule in place after a few shark sightings at J'Bay:
106.02 If a Competitor feels they are in danger due to shark or similar creature attack and they leave the water the head judge must stop the heat and use the above procedure to warn fellow heat Competitors even if the head judge can’t see the danger.
An why oh why do the women still not have a contest in Hawaii? They've proven time and again that they're more than capable, so for the love of little baby Hay-Zeuss, give them a run.
jbay, vissla should of jumped on the jbay comp.
Yep, I reckon the same. Instead they're throwing money - how much, not sure - at the ISA World Junior Games.
Since when did ASP pay anything to the ISA stu? You must know something I don't know...... Last I knew they were 2 separate entities. Actually they don't really get along....
Nah Timmeh, Vissla are sponsoring the ISA Juniors.
Eleven events instead of the ten this year.
It obviously came together at the last moment.......would've been some nervous moments at ZoSEa HQ.
Speaker must be feeling pretty good about that...he must have got Slaters sig for next year.
On a brighter note the chicks tour looks like a proper tour now…..Fiji, West Oz, Trestles, Hossegor they've got to be happy with that………….suprised though with all the cloak and daggers that the Men's tour is identical aside from adding Margs (which they'd already announced last year)…………..Wonder what the Hawaiians and Yanks think about us Aussies having 3 tour events here?
Well they should just get their govts to pony up the cash also.
Simple.
Yeah fair point. In any event it would be hard to cut Bells or Snapper........and the addition of Margs is a major grab for the tour, I'm sure all the surfers would love to go there particularly the Hawaiians.
So there's no big groundbreaking sponsorship deal going on? Just same old companies paying for the surfers and the events?
There's no sponsor for Bali, yet 3D Fins are running a comp for it?
I think Jbay not getting a run is due to bureaucracy. No government support or assistance in that part of the world. Problems having the infrastructure needed for the event without that support?
I remember hearing something along the lines of Jbay being the most expensive event from a sponsor's point of view due to all of these politics at play.
Still, if they can tie palm trees together in Fiji to make shit happen, you'd think Jbay would be as easy/ easier.
MARGARET RIVER HERE I COME!
JBay got shitcanned because Billabong hasn't got two coins to rub together......and the timing of the event means it gets the least amount of USA viewers.
Interesting that Margs has a sponsor (Drug Aware) but they left it off this press release. Why?
Couple of other thing on the Women's events that stood out from a sponsorship point of view:
1. this year's Roxy Pro France has been replaced by the Hossegor Women’s Pro. But it's scheduled right next to the Quiksilver Pro France (which makes sense, from a logistical point of view). The ASP website actually lists the event as 'Roxy Pro (Tentative)' which is a little odd, seeing that Roxy seem to have otherwise committed to the Gold Coast event. Have Roxy pulled out of France? If so, did the promo video saga add any weight to this decision? (personally, I'd be very surprised if Roxy didn't end up sponsoring this event)
2. The 'TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival featuring the Dow AgroSciences Pro' is gone. Not altogether surprised. But a shame for the huge effort the Taranaki crew put into this event over the last three years.
3. Just like the Mens, Fiji has no sponsor (yet).
4. The Billabong Rio Pro (Men's) is scheduled around the same time as the Rio Women’s Pro (which seemingly has no sponsor). Can we assume that Billabong want to only sponsor the Men's event, and have left the Women looking for their own sponsor?
5. Despite being mentioned in the press release as the Trestles Women’s Pro (at the same time as the Hurley Pro at Trestles), the ASP website actually says 'TBC'. So, no sponsors and the event is yet to be confirmed (again - very odd given the ASP's public announcement about the inclusion of this event to the Womens' calendar a few months ago).
6. The EDP Cascais Women’s Pro is also listed on the ASP website as 'TBC'.
So in my eyes there's still quite a few question marks on the Women's tour for next year. Let's hope they all get resolved very soon.
There's heaps of clouds around the men too, Ben. imo
Big talk Kelly will walk away ... he's body is too banged up to compete fulltime. Imagine the interest for a men's tour without Kelly?
It would nearly rival cricket. lol
Three comps with no sponsor locked in, and three more with Billabong as sponsor. Doesn't feel like the safest line up. Hope they pull it off.
BTW, is it just me or would a WA break other than Margies be more interesting. I for one would love to see the North Point Classic...
Yeah agreed Grazza. However I suppose as a contest venue, Margs is superior in that it's probably the best wave in the region to handle any size - big or small - and any wind.
They are also able to use The Box too (however, although spectacular I don't think it's a great contest wave).
Screw you, Braithy! Bow down and take your penance. Slash, Whip. Slap. How dare you blaspheme Cricket (test cricket, that is - the other stuff 'ain't cricket').
Sorry clif. I don't know what came over me.
No problem if a spot is left out. Kind of nice to give Jbay a break after so many years.
If North point was the site you would need a contest window of six months. It's a fickle spot.
ASP Press Release through this morning - they've announced another stop for the Womens World Tour - the Maui Women’s Pro, at Honolua Bay from Nov 24 thru' Dec 6.
Awesome. It's a great wave and a great way for the Women to finish the tour.
But.. there is (seemingly) no sponsor for the Maui Women’s Pro yet.
And all of the points I made above (in my post on Nov 29) remain unchanged. Only three of the ten Womens events on the 2014 tour have a naming rights sponsor - every other event would appear to be sponsorless at this point in time.
They'd better score for good waves this year, otherwise they'll be in a difficult position to attract 2015 sponsors.
2014 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour Schedule
Roxy Pro Gold Coast: March 1 – 12, 2014
Margaret River Pro: April 2 – 13, 2014
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach: April 16 – 27, 2014
Rio Women’s Pro: May 7 – 18, 2014
Fiji Women’s Pro: May 25 – 30, 2014
Vans US Open of Surfing: July 27 – August 3, 2014
Trestles Women’s Pro: September 9 – 20, 2014
Hossegor Women’s Pro: September 23 – 29, 2014
Cascais Women’s Pro: October 1 – 7, 2014
Maui Women’s Pro: November 24 – December 6, 2014
It's pretty strange Volcom isn't listed or re-signed as the sponsor for Fiji yet.
Surely last year's comp and the exposure that went along with it was about as good as they could have possibly hoped for. The whole comp was held in near-perfect surf with the bonus of the all-time big wave free surf that went along with it.
If a sponsor is dropping off after what appeared to be such a successful event, then maybe things aren't quite as rosy as they seem.
If Volcom are picking up the comp again this year, surely they'd want to be on the event list now as sponsoring it to get the months of their name up in lights?
Be interesting to know what is going on behind the scenes...
Think everyone, event sponsors included, is in wait-and-see mode. And Volcom, who are one of the most staunchly independent companies vis-a-vis their relationship with the ASP/ZoSea, are probably reluctant to commit. They'd want to know exactly what they're gonna get before they stump up the cash.
Previously, the companies had free reign over the webcast and contest marketing, and that has now changed. I think it's safe to say that Volcom aren't happy with the initial direction of the ASP/ZoSea, however it may change if ZoSea run a succesful opening year.
Guess we'll wait and see...