A Dreamier Dream Tour?

Monday, 13 July 2009 00:00

By Tim Baker, on location for ASL at Jeffreys Bay.

NEW TOUR FOR 2010?

The pro surfing world had developd a severe case of “shut the fuck up” after news of a proposed, alternative tour broke yesterday. No one wanted to say too much on the record, after a storm of wild rumour and speculation followed the revelation that Kelly’s Slater’s manager Terry Hardy and sports network ESPN are in the advanced stages of planning a new tour for as early as 2010.

The proposed tour, known as the Champions Surf Tour, would include 16 surfers - 12 to 14 regulars and a few wildcards - competing on a shortened five month season of eight events. Prize-money would be a minimum of $1.5 million per event, with last place receiving US$40,000, as much as a contest winner currently receives. Prime-time TV coverage on ESPN is one of the big drawcards of the proposal.

Most of the surfers, including Kelly himself, appear largely in the dark on the details, despite the tour being widely referred to as “Kelly’s Tour,” a description he disputes. A meeting is scheduled in California during the US Open for surfers to meet with organisers of the new tour, hear more details and have any questioned or concerns addressed.

Whether the new tour works together with ASP or operates as a breakaway tour hinges on the California meeting. How surfers would be selected and whether the existing ASP events and ratings would feed into the new tour is unknown.

The new tour is proposed to run from July to December in 2010, which doesn’t leave a lot of time to sort out the myriad sponsorship, legal, logistical and financial tangles which will inevitably arise. No details of dates and venues are available. And it leaves those surfers not included in the new tour in uncertain territory. Whether industry sponsors will be happy to see their surfers go off and surf on a tour that is a rival to the tour they support remains to be seen.

The people behind this new tour created a US sports show called Primeticket which ran successfully for many years, and they believe surfing is the last sport to get its due recognition and be professionally presented.

"The only thing I will adamantly say is that it's not 'Kelly's Tour,'" Matt Tinley, one of the principal architects of the new tour, told Surfline. Tinley, who has a long history in Cable Sports TV, will "neither confirm or deny" any rumors about the specifics of the tour.

"It's best if we have a view of the whole system rather than piece bits of it out -- it's best to lay it out to everyone in detail all at once." Tinley said a formal announcement on the new tour could be made in August.

ASP CEO Brodie Carr made the following statement in response to the rumours of the new tour: "At present, ASP has not received any proposals or information regarding this matter. As such, we cannot offer a view, state a position or comment. We remain open to listening to any new proposal. We are committed to working closely with our immensely-talented athletes and core industry supporters in delivering our international fan base credible Men's and Women's World Champions who surf the world's best waves."

The surfers themselves are all keen for more information before committing to any new tour but the mood for change is thick in the air. Frustration with low prize-money and lack of growth in pro surfing’s spread and reach is at an historic high. Still, one WCT surfer branded the concept as, “The Harlem Globetrotters - a few guys in the twilight of their careers to trying to make a few more millions.”

One ASP official told ASL the new tour would lack the credibility to call its winner a world champion, without a comprehensive feeder system of regional and qualifying events. “The ASP is not perfect but one thing it has got really right is that any kid anywhere in the world can dream of being a world champion and there is a career path there for them to follow,” he said. The Official said he thought the new tour would be chasing Kelly, Rob Machado, Andy and Bruce Irons, Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith, and then go after some of the WCT’s other top seeds - Mick, Joel, and Taj for starters.

Insurfnews.com, the website of WCT surfer Fred Patacchia, is reporting that the new tour has guaranteed funds for a minimum of three years and that Kelly is obligated to compete on the tour for at least those three years, by which time he would be 41. “ASP is shitting in it’s pants,” the website says.

NOTE:
If you’re returning to this page, you may notice this story has been updated following new developments, and several quotes have been removed. ASL would like to apologise for publishing what we appreciate now was a confidential bit of correspondence. We have also removed all comments from the original story. Before commenting, be aware that any comments deemed offensive or completely off-topic will be removed. – The Editors.

Comments (10)

What we have to remember is that billbong/quik etc make most of their money from people who don't surf or surf very little but who buy the gear. This is a move to capture this market. Whether a few extra airs, better commentary etc can keep them interested in a sport who only surfers really understand is another. We all know that any non-surfer will quickly get bored of surf footage complaining waves all look the same, the turns are the same etc and theyll still have the same problem of lulls and flatspells. Its largely committed surfers and fans of the sport who spend long hours watching the broadcasts of asp events, and guess what, we don't spend jack on surf products like these people do. So, i guess well just have to see how it works out.

This has the potential to be a very sad outcome.
16 surfers on a separate tour has less appeal. What people want to watch is elite surfers that have had to compete against any other surfer that has qualified to be recognised as the best. This system provides constant reinforcement that the best is the best.
Yes the surfers deserve more money (just like tennis, golf, football), they have great skill and create great competitive drama but this is only valid because people can recognise that they have genuinely beaten all other worthy competitors. If you isolate everyone else it will lessen the recognition of skill and drama and will just be a spectacle with questions about.... what if some young gun could have got through to compete.
There needs to be a merging of the WCT and new tour if it happens. It would be easier for the WQS and WCT surfers to adjust to aswell.
It would also allow the young guys to make a breakthrough big cheque and set them up for a career.
If it is survive as a TV product it needs the World Champion that has emerged from a complete competitive system.

Slaters Dream tour on ESPN will only work if the contest surfing is a showcase for the latest HIGH performance aerial and progressive surfing.
The best surfing at any current ASP event is the free surfing before heats.
Because the ASP judgeing format does not allow the best surfers in the world to show their full range of AEIRAL and FUTURE moves.
NEW ASP JUDGING FORMAT - Based on the surf conditions ASP judges would set a min number of aeirals and future moves per wave for surfers to be scored out of 10.
Free surfing with a coloured singlet on,,,,I would pay to watch that.

its about fricken time the money has been around for a long time and now the companies want to push the sport nothing motivates even the soulest of soul surfers like a one shot chance to make change i mean skrilla they shouldve been paying out when the economy was good these purses is still chump change fricken greedy ass corporate fricken public offer seeking supa size sticka pushing made in china dealin trying to be green but still roll SUVing fricken hipocritimus statements idaho marketing surf companies get yo ass off that fricken cell phone web browser and that house in the gated community aint shit do something other than pay yoself fo a change mothafrickas

I don't really give a shit if the sport is "recognised". makes no difference to me. i'd say that the less exposure the better actually, keeps the crowds down. i'll admit that i do love watching the world's best surfers compete with each other. i just hope the new tour doesn't get too "seppo-ized", bland and corparate. There is room for improvement in the current asp contest format though.

Fact. Prizemoney has barely changed in pro surfing events since the early 90's. How big are some of the companies riding on the back of this great sport? Giving back to the sport? it's pathetic. Bring on the big bucks, big sponsors, big exposure.

Now we know why Slater was so pissed off when he lost at J-Bay. This year is his last bite at the cherry for 10 world titles using the current format.

I'd say he's not as "in the dark on the detail" as he's making out.

So a surfing Super League... We saw how well that went..

just promise me GT doesn't broadcast the events.

this could be the start of something big . and every one of us has always wanted the sport reconized . on tv more and more money, better surf ,no one else has come up with anything better and until it does i,m going to sit back and enjoy it ,maybe it will make them a bit keener to try and make the top 16