Updates to 2025 Memberships

From 1 January 2025, Surfing NSW will introduce a mandatory annual individual membership for all surfers.
The fee will be transacted during the annual BRC registration process within their club registration costs.
In return for the fee, the individual will receive a suite of benefits.
This will be known as SNSW Club Membership fee and will be a new category of membership.

Historically, SNSW was structured as a large-scale events business, our capacity to support the club network has been limited.
Informed by best-practice across all other sports, the organisation is implementing a capitation model for 2025, where a portion of an individual’s registration fee when joining their affiliated boardrider club will contribute to the State organisation to provide grassroots support.
As the surfing ecosystem continues to develop after a period of significant growth in NSW, and community expectations rise with Olympic participation now a possibility, the timing is right for a modern approach to the governance of the sport in NSW to ensure a sustainable and healthy surfing ecosystem.

• $29 for all members
• $19 for under-12s (If you are turning 12 in 2025 then you are not eligible to be in the under 12 division)
• Social or non-competitive members excluded

Personal Accident Cover: All boardriding club members will receive personal accident coverage for club competitions and training under Surfing Australia’s national policy.

Access to Accredited Events: Club members will have access to all state and nationally accredited events for competitive surfers, a benefit previously valued at $55 per year.

Exclusive Club Discounts and Benefits: Ongoing exclusive discounts and benefits will be available to club participants in New South Wales, commencing January. 

Liveheats Discounts: All affiliated clubs and members will receive a 15% discount on Liveheats event credits and fees. Surfing NSW will assist new clubs in adopting the digital registration and event management platform.

Support for Club Volunteers: Surfing NSW will deploy a dedicated team of three full-time staff to support grassroots clubs, surfing development, and pathways. These team members will be the first point of contact for clubs, providing resources for club development, governance, coaching, officiating, and participation programs across all disciplines. They will also offer practical tools, templates, and support to streamline club operations.

Officiating Education: Surfing NSW will deliver face-to-face coach and judging education sessions in-region in 2025.

Club Metrics & Participation Reporting: Each affiliated club will receive baseline metrics and participation reports to help them grow and align with best practices.

Junior Development Program: Surfing NSW will launch a Junior Development Program in 2025 to support approximately 100 emerging youth surfers from all regions across the state. This program will be delivered by a state-led coaching network.

Currently, Personal Accident insurance is only offered via a competitive membership for event coverage. Club affiliation only provides Professional Indemnity and Public Liability, not personal accident cover for members.

We use your personal information solely for the purpose it was provided, such as processing your registration, delivering services, or communicating updates relevant to your engagement with us. Your data is stored securely, and we never share it with third parties without your consent, except where required by law. You can review our full privacy policy for more details or contact us directly if you have any specific concerns.

No, the affiliation process is the same. BRC log onto JustGo to complete their bronze, silver or gold Club membership and pay the affiliation fee as per previous years.
However, all clubs will need to review, acknowledge and agree to the ‘SNSW Clubs Terms and Conditions of Membership’ alongside the National Integrity Framework and Insurance clauses.

SNSW Club Membership fees will be built into the purchase of an individual’s club registration fee. Clubs will have the flexibility to determine how to manage this fee-whether to absorb it, pass it on partially, or transfer it fully to members. Surfing NSW has developed integration solutions compatible with your preferred registration platform.

If you process your BRC registrations on Liveheats the following will apply:

• All fees will be collected by the bank account nominated by the BRC. SNSW will invoice the BRC twice annually for their portion of fees using official registration data, the same used for insurance purposes.

  If you process your BRC registrations on JustGo the following will apply:

• A split payment will occur during processing, with the SNSW Club Membership tee being paid directly to the nominated Surfing NSW bank account at the time of registration, and the remainder paid to the BRC.

  If you process your registrations manually the following process will apply:

• Ofticial registrations will be required to be supplied to SNSW manually for upload into the SNSW database to verify insurance and membership. The same data will be used to collect fees due to SNSW.

  We will continue to update the Frequently Asked Questions. If you have a specific question that isn’t answered here, please email us at boardriders@surfingnsw.com.au

For more information on the Surfing Australia Insurance Boardrider Club & Member Policy, please click here, or get in touch with us: boardriders@surfingnsw.com.au 

Surfing NSW will launch its first Junior Development Program in 2025, commencing from July 1, supporting 100 emerging youth surfers aged 12-16 from six regions across NSW. Like state-level representative teams in other sports, this program aims to develop young talent through a structured regional syllabus, delivered by Surfing NSW staff and appointed coaches.
Key features: 

• Club Nominations: Affiliated clubs will nominate surfers aged 12-16 for selection, with clear criteria provided ahead of nominations.
• Skill Development: The program focuses on surf skills, competition strategy, introductions to strength and conditioning, nutrition, and mental preparedness to align with high-performance national pathways.

This program bridges the gap between grassroots and national high-performance selection, equipping NSW juniors with a support framework to continue their development through critical formative years in the sport. More information will be released in early 2025.

Notify boardriders@surfingnsw.com.au or your SNSW contact to receive the onboarding process for Liveheats, JustGo or manual process before setting up registration.
The Club registration process must include the following minimum criteria:

• Inclusion of 12 mandatory fields of data to be completed for insurance verification purposes.
• Acknowledgement of Terms and Conditions of Membership.
• All competitive division pricing is inclusive of $29 & $19 for Microgroms

SNSW Club Membership fee.

1. SNSW Club Membership (NEW)
2. SNSW Competitive Membership (Not part of a boardriding club but competes at State events) – $65
3. SNSW Coach / Judge Membership (Not part of a boardriding club but active Coach or Judge) – $15

Contact boardriders@surfingnsw.com.au to assist the Club with a manual upload of members to register officially and unlock benefits

Any member who is a SNSW Club Member will automatically qualify for free SNSW Competitive State Membership.
Competitive State Membership is required to surf in any SNSW event, such as State Titles.
In 2025, a member of SNSW will carry both ‘qualifications’ – Club and State Membership. The SNSW State Membership in JustGo will provide a pathway for any surfers who is not part of a club, or an affiliated club, but still wants to compete in SNSW competition. There are no changes to Judges and Official membership. 

Please get in touch with us: boardriders@surfingnsw.com.au