Biggest names in Aussie surfing compete in Central Coast Pro

The Vissla Central Coast Pro will bookend a massive Australian 2021 World Surf League Qualifying Series season, when it lands on the golden sands of Avoca Beach...

Avoca Beach prepares to play host to a world-class surfing competition, with the Vissla Central Coast Pro taking place from 2 to 7 March 2021. The elite six-day WSL QS 3000 rated event will form the final stop on the Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series.

Seeing this world-class event return to the Central Coast region is also huge plus for supporting local businesses, who have an opportunity to impress Central Coast Pro spectators with their friendly hospitality, fresh paddock to plate produce, stunning outdoor views, and relaxed seaside vibes.

The four-event series will see three QS 1000 rated events (Maroubra, Great Lakes and Port Stephens) and one men’s and women’s QS 3000 (Central Coast). The Vissla Central Coast Pro will also comprise of the women’s Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro division.

Some of surfing's biggest names will descend on Avoca Beach this series, which is a great opportunity for both spectators and the promising young competitors to not only meet, but surf against some of their heroes.

Image: Ethan Smith, Surfing NSW

Home grown local heroes

Current WSL Championship Tour surfers Macy Callaghan, Adrian Buchan, Owen Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons, Keely Andrew, Ryan Callinan, Julian Wilson, Ethan Ewing and Isabella Nichols are currently all slated to compete in the event.

Having grown up surfing on the Central Coast, but now residing on the Gold Coast, World Championship Tour surfer Macy Callaghan is excited to return to her local region to compete for the first time in close to five years.
 
“I can’t wait to return to the region where I grew up surfing to compete in this event,” said Callaghan.

“The Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series played a huge part in helping me to qualify for the Championship Tour and I’m super excited to be back competing on one of the beaches I grew up surfing throughout my childhood.”

New way to tour for 2021

In 2020, the WSL revealed a new format for 2021, which included creating distinct seasons between the QS (the regionalised development tier), the Challenger Series (the global battleground for Championship Tour qualification) and the Championship Tour (the world’s best surfers competing for the World Title).
 
The new tour structure will provide a more streamlined and affordable career pathway for WSL athletes by allowing up-and-coming surfers to develop closer to home without financially over-leveraging themselves. Athletes will compete on their regional QS tour in hopes of qualifying for the Challenger Series (CS), and ultimately the Championship Tour, which will reduce the economic pressure on surfers and their sponsors, as well as provide increased opportunities to celebrate local stars.
 
The QS will run from January through to July 2021 and determine who has qualified for the CS, which will run from August through to December 2021. Each region will have an allocation of surfers that can qualify for the CS through their regional tour. Athletes will be able to roll over points from 2020 QS events into the current season. Australia/Oceania will receive an allocation of ten men’s and eight women’s spots onto the Challenger Series based on the regional QS rankings.   
  
For more information on these events head to worldsurfleague.com , surfingnsw.com.au or the free WSL App.

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Image credits: Ethan Smith, Surfing NSW