Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) opens branch office in South Africa
The international governing body for professional surfing, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), is proud to announce that it has opened a branch office in South Africa to enhance the levels of service to its members, events and sponsors.
ASP Africa joins North America and Japan as fully-fledged branch offices of ASP International whose headquarters is in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast of Australia.
“In the rapidly expanding globally surf industry, ASP International intends to improve its operations by creating branch offices to better serve the interests of our members, events and sponsors,” says ASP CEO Brodie Carr.
“This allows us to consolidate and control how our brand is positioned, presented and viewed not only by our key stakeholders but also in the wider sporting and general community.”
Cape Town based veteran sports administrator Colin Fitch has been appointed Operations Manager for the local branch. His duties include handling member’s entries into ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) events worldwide, sanctioning and providing services to WQS events on the African continent and sourcing additional events and sponsors.
“As a branch office we are looking forward to collaborating with ASP International to ensure our local members have access to all the benefits enjoyed by those who join a global sports association,” Fitch said.
“In addition, ASP Africa will be focusing on increasing the number and ranking of the WQS events run on the continent and boosting the levels of service the organisation provides to current and future sponsors of events, the media and the surf industry.”
“Along with Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for surfing in this country, we hope to provide a clear career path for all competitive surfers.”
Started as a stand alone regional office in 1988, ASP Africa has crowned men’s and women’s professional surfing champions since 1989 and Pro Junior (U20) champions since 1997. Run by Surfabout (Pty) Ltd until 1998 and then East Coast Promoceans CC, the license to operate ASP Africa was held by SSA for three years until it expired in December 2006.
ASP Africa has three confirmed WQS events for 2007. First up is the 1 Star WQS rated Lizzard Nandos Surf Pro presented by the Weekend Witness for men at New Pier in Durban over the Easter weekend, which includes a Grade 1 Pro Junior (U20) men’s event.
Next up is the inaugural 6 Star, R900 000 Quiksilver Pro Africa presented by Virgin Mobile from April 16-22. This massive boost for local surfers will use New Pier or Cave Rock on the Bluff depending on where the surf is best and has been accorded Prime status which significantly boosts the ratings points on offer and attract the cream of the planet’s surfing talent.
The third ASP Africa sanctioned event for 2007 is the 6 Star, R900 000 Mr Price Pro for men and 5 Star, R180 000 women’s event staged at North Beach in Durban between July 2 and 8. Formerly the Gunston 500 (1969-99), this event has been a permanent fixture on the ASP calendar for 38 years.
ASP Africa’s current and future crop of world-beating surfers, who already make up nearly 10% of the campaigners on the prestigious Foster’s ASP World Tour, can look forward to enhanced opportunities to qualify for the top level tours as ASP Africa swings into action.
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