New Format Unveiled for Usher Cup World Club Challenge 2025

As we race towards 2025 and the 6th instalment of our annual boardriders surf contest, the event has once again evolved, and this year we’re introducing a new team-only format that’s set to shake things up. From Friday, 17th January to Sunday, 19th January 2025, 48 Boardriders Clubs from around Australia and the world will compete at Snapper Rocks in a truly exciting and unique, club-focused competition.

In a first for the Usher Cup, there’ll be no individual surfers category this year.

Instead, the focus is on teams with clubs going head to head-to-head in a format which provides opportunity for team, club and international glory.

Here’s what’s new:

  • Snapper Section: The top two teams at the conclusion of each heat will remain in the Snapper section, advancing directly to the UCWCC Grand Final.

  • Froggies Section: It’s not over for those teams who finish outside of the top two during your heat. This year there is an Usher Cup lifeline being thrown by way of the Froggies section! What it means is that your team receives a second chance, and the opportunity to battle your way through to the decider with the top two teams from Froggies being provided with a place in the Grand Final.

This new format gives every club a chance to make it to the end, offering more heats, more surfing, and more opportunities for all teams to prove themselves.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Usher Cup is set to step it up another level, becoming the World Club Championships. This will be a two-leg event, starting at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast and finishing at Trestles in California at San Clemente’s home wave, setting a new standard for global surf club competitions.

We are super excited at the continued growth of this unique surf contest which provides an opportunity for emerging and established surf stars to compete for their club, in an international event, right here on the Gold Coast.

Get ready for a world-class event at Snapper Rocks this January – we’ll see you there!

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