Women's surfing gets place at top table

The news just gets better for Kiwi surfer Paige Hareb - the top tier of women's surfing has been granted more prizemoney for next year and also a voice on the sport's governing board.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) have moved to head off the threat of a rebel tour that appeared likely to take the leading men away from their official circuit and leave the women in limbo.

Now it looks like there will be more money all round.

The total prize pool on the women's Dream Tour will increase from US$630,000 to $800,000 in 2010. There is also an incentive to finish top with an additional US$30,000 bonus being announced for the year-end world champion.

The developments were another boost to a good weekend for Hareb, the Taranaki teenager making all the right moves on the world scene.

Hareb yesterday confirmed her place on next year's Dream Tour when she gained a fifth place in the final WQS qualifying event in Brazil to place her fourth overall in that backup series that sees the top six guaranteed to surf on the biggest stage.

Hareb was surfing the WQS as insurance and to keep competitive game intact. She looked certain of requalifying automatically as she lies seventh on the Dream Tour with four events left.

She can now concentrate all her energies in that area for the rest of the year and then look forward to even bigger things in 2010.

Hareb's home city of New Plymouth will host a Dream Tour event next year, looking to maximise her popularity and growing status at the top of the sport.

The growing importance of the women's scene was perhaps best measured by the ASP's move to restructure their board.

Transitioning from the current five-person (one chairman, two event and two surfer) model, the new ASP board structure will consist of three independents, two events and two surfers - including a women's representative.

"It's fantastic that the women will become voting members of the ASP Board of Directors," Jessi Miley-Dyer, ASP Women Surfers' Representative, said as the move was announced.

"The current board has done an incredible job in directing the tour and has been instrumental in providing career pathways and tours for both male and female surfers. Having a female representative on the board dovetails perfectly into the positive, global response we're receiving on the ASP Women's World Tour right now, and I look forward to seeing the benefits of such a shift in focus."

"We remain open to enhancements to our tours that reflect our core principles. Our primary focus is in doing what is best for professional surfing."

The ASP announced even bigger gains for the men's surfers as the rebel tour threatened to run off with the top talent who were being lured by a rich, new format.

Base prize money for the men's world tour events will increase from the current US$340,000 to US$400,000, taking the total prize pool on 10 events from $US3.4m to $US4m per annum. The men's world champion will receive a $US100,000 bonus.

They are also concentrating their talent, reducing the current 45-man plus three wildcards men's tour format to a 32-man plus four wildcards field for next year.

A better global ratings system will be introduced to cover all surfers rather than the current format that has separate  ratings for the Dream Tours and World Qualifying Series.

The sport's administrators also announced a full insurance coverage and pension plan for their competitors.

- © Fairfax NZ News