Corona Crown Series Scheduled For 2008/09 Season

Surfing New Zealand and Lion Nathan through the Corona brand have renewed their partnership for the coming summer season. The new contract continues the long running relationship since 2001 between the two entities and confirms the Corona Crown Series of domestic surfing events in New Zealand this summer.

The Corona Crown Series comprises six events held at Gisborne, Piha x2, Whangamata, Mount Maunganui and Raglan.

The series offers New Zealand surfers a great series of events on their home turf. The series has a serious cash prize pool of over $35,000 for the three divisions contested – Open Men, Open Women and Junior Men.

“We can look forward to some particularly exciting developments in the coming months for what is shaping up as another great summer of surfing. We can’t thank Corona enough for their support” commented Surfing New Zealand CEO Greg Townsend.

The Series kicks off this weekend with the O’Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro at Gisborne. The first event of the series has seen significant entry levels from around the country. New Zealand representatives are back in the country after having just competed at the 2008 ISA World Surfing Games in Portugal. The team members should have an advantage over many of the other surfers who have not had significant competition throughout the winter months. The event also takes on increased significance for the surfers in the Junior Men’s Division for whom this event represents the last of the calendar year.

The Hyundai National Champs presented by Quiksilver is the second event of the series and will be held at Piha Beach. The eight-day-event sees the biggest gathering of surfers for any domestic event in New Zealand with twenty divisions contested. A title at this event is the most sought after prize in New Zealand surfing.

The Billabong Pro held at Whangamata is the third stop on the Corona Crown Series. The event, held on Auckland Anniversary Weekend has long attracted a huge field of surfers and big crowds not to mention the vibrant on-land activities throughout the weekend. The Billabong Pro is a six star rated event meaning top points and prize money are on offer.

The Corona Pro at the Mount makes up the fourth of six events. The last two years have seen big swells during this event, although the most recent event also endured torrential rain and howling onshore winds. Given the right conditions in 2009 this event will be a fantastic spectacle.

The Rip Curl Pro at Raglan denotes the last of the open-entry events. Held at the prime location of Manu Bay, New Zealand’s top surfers get to test their mettle on the long lefthanders Raglan offers up. Again being six star rated, this event offers up valuable points toward qualification for the final event of the year.

The Corona Super 16 marks the end of summer and the Corona Crown Series. The event caters for those Open Men and Women who have secured enough points throughout the year to qualify. The top 26 males and 6 females from the Corona Crown Series ratings qualify for the event. A further two positions in the open division and one position in the women’s division are allocated to the top surfers from the South Island Circuit. The event also features the National Interclub Championship and the North vs South Challenge which were introduced last season. The SNZ Awards Night will follow the Corona Super 16 on the Saturday night.

The sponsorship deal cements Corona as one of the major investors in the sport of surfing in New Zealand. Corona continues to invest in Surfing New Zealand across the entire organisation.

“The continuation of this relationship is paramount to Surfing New Zealand as a sporting organisation. Corona invests significant time, money and resources into surfing in this country and this allows us, as an organisation, to deliver numerous initiatives” commented Townsend on the extension of the seven year relationship.

Corona Marketing Manager, Kerry Wheeler is keen to see the summer of surfing kick into action. Commenting on the renewed relationship with Surfing New Zealand she said, “We are thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with Surfing NZ. Corona is the perfect beer for enjoying after a long day at the beach and we’re looking forward to another series of great Corona surf events this summer.”

Dates and Locations of the 2008/09 Corona Crown Series

O’Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro - 1-2 November 2008, Gisborne, 4 star event
Hyundai National Champs presented by Quiksilver - 10-17 January, Piha Beach, 5 star event
Billabong Pro - 24-26 January, Whangamata, 6 star event
Corona Pro - 13-15 February, Mount Maunganui, 4 star event
Rip Curl Pro - 20-22 February, Raglan, 6 star event
Corona Super - 16 - 3-4 April, Piha Beach, 6 star event
Surfing New Zealand Awards Night - 4 April