National grant to broaden scope of Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program

SURFING Victoria will broaden the scope of its Victorian Indigenous Surfing Programs thanks to funding support from the Australian Sports Commission.

The Australian Sports Commission last week presented national surfing body Surfing Australia with a Play Well participation grant to enhance its Surf for Life program.

The investment will allow more Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander communities to experience surfing, many for the first time, free of charge.

Surfing Victoria has run its Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program since 1998, making it one of the longest running Indigenous engagement initiatives in the country.

The program connects community members statewide with the ocean, teaching them new skills, water safety and healthy habits.

Indigenous aquatics manager Jordie Campbell said the funding will allow Surfing Victoria to run additional programs and engage more communities statewide.

“We are stoked to be aligning this new grant opportunity with the work we already do.

“We currently run programs on the Surf Coast and in Geelong in term one and term four for our Indigenous communities, and we will use some of the funds to amplify those programs.

“It will also allow us to head to areas like Warrnambool and deliver more for the local community.”

Local Indigenous community members are already reaping the benefits of the funding support and are participating in a program at Bancoora Surf Beach through until December 5.

Surfing Australia participation and programs manager Blake Whittaker said they were excited to see what programs across the country could achieve.

“Thanks to the support from the Australian Sports Commission, we’re breaking down the barriers to sport and giving more people the chance to experience the joy of surfing.

“It’s not just about getting people in the water—it’s about building connections between participants, surf schools, and the wider surfing community, while promoting healthy and active lifestyles.

“We can’t wait to see the impact this expansion has across the country.”

For more information on the Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program, head to surfingvic.com/indigenous