Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons says it’s time the men’s and women’s fields in the WSL Championship tour were even
Sally Fitzgibbons says it is inevitable the number of women on the world surfing tour will be lifted to match the men and declared the female ranks have the depth of talent to warrant it. This is why
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Sally Fitzgibbons says it is inevitable the number of women on the world surfing tour will be lifted to match the men and the female ranks have the depth of talent to warrant it.
The Australian surfer is fresh from missing the World Surf League’s mid-season cut after finishing 13th on the rankings following the Margaret River Pro.
She is in Queensland competing at the Gold Coast Pro, a second-tier Challenger Series event, in a bid to requalify for the top tier.
The men’s Championship Tour has 35 men that is reduced to 22 at the mid-season cut, while the women start at 18 and go to 10.
There are 80 spots on the men’s Challenger Series and 10 qualify for the CT, while 48 women compete in the second tier for five CT spots.
“It’s inevitable (the female fields are increased),” Fitzgibbons said.
“It has to change. The level of surfing is insane and to have 10 people for the back half of the year is a wild thing to think about.
“I don’t write the rules, I just see the talent and I think it is an awesome show.
“I love being part of it. It’s not just because I didn’t make the cut. I’m just stating facts.
“I want to watch some of those heats go down and watch more of the women.
“It’s also important because you are talking about the livelihoods for some of the young kids coming through now.
“If there isn’t a viable spot on the tour for them it is a grind on the Challenger Series.
“You might just be making a tiny bit at the end of the day but a bit slice of the pie are making no money. They are running off their parents’ budgets and not much sponsorship.
“It is the state of the things. I would love to see that change and the first step is to action it now for the future.”
Surfing Australia’s national high-performance director Kate Wilcomes backed Fitzgibbons’ push.
“There have been some great advancements for women in surfing but there is a way to go,” Wilcomes said.
“We could be pushing for more women on tour. The level is there.
“Hopefully the WSL has a long-term plan to increase the numbers for women.
“I guess they have to also consider the waiting periods and if you have more surfers on tour then you need to work out how that works logistically and the costs around it.
“Everyone would agree there is enough talent in female surfing to do it.”
A WSL spokesperson said the governing body was working towards having an equal number of men and women on tour.
“The WSL is committed to equality and the progression of women’s surfing,” the spokesman said.
“The WSL instituted equal prizemoney in 2019 and has hosted equal venues on the Championship Tour and Challenger Series since 2022, but there is still more work to be done. “Working in partnership with our athletes, we’re creating pathways to ensure continued competitive progression, and we’re committed to our goal of having an equal number of women and men competing in our events in the future.”
Fitzgibbons has also reframed her mid-season cut from surfing’s Championship Tour as the perfect pre-season and declared she still as the drive to return to the sport’s top tier.
Fitzgibbons said she had no plans on putting the boards back in the rack as she chases a return to the top.
“I definitely want to fight for my spot (on the CT),” Fitzgibbons said.
“This tour has a lot of opportunities. I have a lot of drive to be there. They may put me in different tours at different times but I just try my best and wherever that lands me I’ll show up and try my best there too.”
Fitzgibbons said the amount of surfing she had already done in recent months, including her runner-up finish at the International Surfing Association’s World Games, had set her up for success.
“All the drama of the cut is a bit emotionally taxing,” she said.
“It’s like you have had the best pre-season ever when you reframe it. I have had an enormous amount of heats, especially doing the ISA World Games too. I feel really warmed up.
“Having done the Challenger Series last year I enjoyed the challenge of flipping into four-person heats against a bunch of different competitors and wave profiles. It’s actually quite refreshing.”
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Originally published as Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons says it’s time the men’s and women’s fields in the WSL Championship tour were even
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