Recognition for Female Surfers: Riding a Wave of Sponsorship?

Abstract

Gaining recognition for women's surfing achievements has been a long struggle. The sport's sponsorship dollars have historically been disproportionately focused on and provided for male surfing. However, recently this trend is declining as sponsors, primarily surf clothing companies are realising that elite female surfers can sell products to girls and women drawing greater media attention than ever before. This Chapter provides a summary of research aimed at gaining insights about what sponsorship means to sponsored female surfers. To achieve this, the research explored the impact of sponsorship by surf companies on sponsored female surfers. This was achieved by examining data collected via questionnaire and interviews with elite sponsored female surfers attending surfing contests and company-sponsored events. Results suggest that sponsorship for female surfers has improved significantly, and has contributed to a heightened level of performance. Implications for future research suggest investigating why surf companies choose to sponsor elite female surfers.