Crowd-funding has Surfest's women's event still riding wave of support

Newcastle's long-running surfing event was not held this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic but returns next March.

The 5000-point men's and women's City of Newcastle Pro contests have been slotted into the World Surf League's fully redesigned Tours and Competition framework for 2022.

The women's contest has been crowd-funded since 2016. Under the crowd-funding concept, 84 businesses contributed $1800 (plus GST) to enter a draw to determine the naming-rights sponsor.

Former Surfest champions Jodie Cooper and Pauline Menzcer, who star in the film Girls Can't Surf, were on hand at Merewether Surfhouse yesterday to draw the 2022 naming-rights sponsor of the women's event. AAP Consulting earned the honour.

"I've been coming to this event since 1985 and I always remember the community spirit," Cooper said.

"The way they've crowd-funded this money, I haven't heard in the surfing industry anyone's done this before."

Surfest crowd-funding pioneer Colin Law said the initiative has continued to be received strongly. The women's contest was at the 1000-point level in 2015 because of a loss of financial support.

Surfest's men's and women's contests will have a prizemoney pool of $50,000 each next year.

"Of those 84 businesses, 76 of them were there last year," Law said.

"There's been so much loyalty. We've got 34 businesses who have been with us for five or more years."

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