Welcome to the official surf school of English Surfing -
Learn in a fun, professional environment.
Our aim is to offer the best value for money and top safety standards in a laid back atmosphere. The English Surfing Federation (ESF) Surf School is owned by the governing body for surfing in England. We have been operating for 11 years and in that time have helped nearly 40,000 surfers and bodyboarders to take to the waves for the first time, then perfect their skills with fast track improvements. As the flagship school for English Surfing we pride ourselves on offering the best quality, professional surf tuition at the right price. Our instructors are fully accredited surf coaches and qualified, insured beach lifeguards.
Whether you’re 8 or 80 (or any age in between) we use the best surf coaches, equipment and surfboards and the internationally renowned waves off Fistral Beach, Newquay to initially help you to learn to surf. If you surf already come and join one of our intermediate or advanced classes.
We offer professional surf coaching for the complete beginner, competing professionals and everything in between. The ESF's aim is to introduce new comers to the 'sport of kings'. A percentage of the revenue from the surf school supports the countries competitors through the Federations work with grass roots to national team level surfers.
About the Federation:
The English Surfing Federation (ESF) is on a mission. Not content with sitting back and letting English surfing develop at its own pace, the ESF is injecting a level of professionalism that will help to churn out the country’s future champions. It may have its roots in the early surfing days of the laid-back 1970s, but the organisation has moved with the times and is in the business of preparing athletes for success in a highly competitive contest scene.
(Interview with ESF chairman Pauly Jefferies by Elliott Walker for Wavelength Magazine)
What is the ESF?
Some surfers may not have heard of the ESF but this surf collective has been working behind the scenes of the sport for decades. The likes of Russell Winter, Lee Bartlett, Robyn Davies and Alan Stokes have all benefited from ESF support and gone on to represent England at the highest level. The ESF is a non-profit making, voluntary organisation staffed by a group of committed surfers who have worked in and around the sport for many years.
What does it do?
The ESF strives to support and develop young surfers and provide them with the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential. This involves talent spotting, training, organising competitions and managing the English surf team. In recent years, the ESF has launched a national training programme for promising groms. While many dream of producing an English world champion, the ESF’s goals are much more grounded and realistic. It simply aims to groom athletes to compete in this country and abroad, while ensuring that English surfing maintains a strong presence in Europe.
Who is it for?
While it does have its own surf school for beginners, intermediate and advanced surfers the Federation deals primarily with the premier league of English surfers. These are either youngsters who show real promise in the sport or competition surfers who need a helping hand to step up the next level. The ESF has admitted that its job has become more difficult in recent years. Groms now rip at surf spots all around the English coast, so identifying the next generation of surfers is a hard yet rewarding task.
How does the ESF benefit surfers?
The ESF provides money to allow up-and-coming surfers to compete at the highest level. It also organises the English junior and open surf teams, enabling the surfers to compete against European and International surfers. One of the most exciting developments for the ESF has been the introduction of the national training programme, with training camps in Newquay, Bournemouth and Tyneside. At these camps, youngsters receive advice on diet and fitness and tips on competition surfing by top professionals. This year, Russell Winter took time out from a busy competition schedule to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of English surfers.
Who are the great hopes for English surfing?
There are a number of youngsters who are snapping at the heals of the country’s top surfers. Among these are Tom Butler and Reubyn Ash, who are already well known in the surf media. But Holly Donnely, Alex Baker, Lewis Clinton and Jayce Robinson also show great promise. Robinson from St Ives in Cornwall showed he can hold his own against the best in the world by winning Rip Curl’s European GromSearch final in France aa couple of summer’s ago.
What have been the ESF’s biggest achievements?
The guys at the ESF are particularly proud of the national training programme because it has helped to raise the standard of up-and-coming surfers. The ESF has also managed a national team that is consistently in the top three in Europe and placed tenth place at the last World Championships. The crew also organise the English Surfing Championships, which is Europe’s biggest surf contest.
How is the ESF funded?
That’s the problem. It isn’t. The ESF’s existence relies purely on the selfless determination of its team of volunteers. Any money it makes from its surf school and competitions are ploughed back into English surfing to help young competitors build a career in the sport.
What is the biggest challenge facing the sport in this country?
If the ESF has a bee in its bonnet, it’s the rather important matter of funding. England is the top performing country of the home nations. It receives no government funding, whereas Wales and Ireland do. The ESF also believes it is the only country in the top ten of surfing nations not to receive public support. The French surf team is heavily funded by its government and is dominating the sport in Europe. The ESF is worried that the English team will start slipping further behind if it does not receive more money to organise and develop its team.
What are the plans for the future?
The ESF has a lot of exciting projects on the cards. Among these is a bid to make surfing an exhibition sport in the 2012 Olympics. But its chief aim is to secure more funding for the sport in this country. Following a recent public awareness campaign, the ESF’s quest for funding was featured in local and national newspapers and on national radio. Following this coverage, a number of potential commercial sponsors have stepped forward. Although the team feels that surfing has little chance of much public funding in the run up to the Olympics, the ESF has secured a meeting with the boss of Sport England, so fingers crossed!