‘Why should we invest in you?’: Dawn award winner Layne Beachley lifts lid on fight against surfing establishment

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Layne Beachley is being awarded the Dawn Award from Sports Australia.  Getty

This mentality has come through years of grappling with a personal life marred with pain and a career endured through the disappointment of being let down by surfing’s careless nature towards female athletes.

Now, at 53 years old, Beachley spoke to Wide World of Sports on surfing’s progress and “passing the baton” to the younger generation to continue paving the way for the next female surfers.

The Dawn and Don Award

Sport Australia handed their annual Hall of Fame sporting awards to Beachley – the Dawn award – and Oscar Piastri – the Don award.

One of the most prestigious sporting honours in Australia, the Dawn award, named after Dawn Fraser, celebrates trailblazers in sport – people who change their sport for the better.

Even years after her retirement from world surfing, Beachley embodied this honour in her exceptional career.

“I’ve been retired for 17 years, so it’s rewarding and satisfying to be recognised for the impact that I had on surfing,” said Beachley to Wide World of Sports.

“But I also believe that this is not just about what I’ve done, it’s also for what else is possible and it’s wonderful to see women’s surfing thriving and progressing in the way in which it’s done.

“People often ask me, ‘Are you happy that the women’s surfing is growing and benefiting from the fact that they’ve got prize money, equity and opportunities, and great waves, and expanding the cohort?’

Layne Beachley strived to improve the sport of surfing for females coming up after her.  World Surf League via Getty Imag

“And I always say, I’m very grateful that the battles that I had on tour have amounted to the success that they’re enjoying today.”

Changing the game

Beachley has been candid about her time at the top of the surfing arena. She once described herself as having a “tiger shark mentality” in her career.

She was usually the lone female in line ups at local competitions in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, her local stomping ground.

When she entered the sport professionally in 1988, women’s surfing was an afterthought of those in charge.

Beachley went on to tower over her competitors, winning a record-breaking six consecutive Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) women’s world tour titles from 1998-2003.

No other surfer, male or female, has ever matched this record.

Layne Beachley became a force to be reckoned with on the ASP tour.  World Surf League via Getty Imag

Her final title came in 2006 at 34 years old, the crowning glory of her longstanding career, before she announced her retirement in 2008.

When Beachley reflects on her time in professional women’s surfing, she understands that her mentality of chasing success as an athlete was attached to her self-worth as a person.

She now wants the younger generation of surfers to escape this enduring cycle and understand their importance as role models to the next generation.

“One-hundred per cent, because when I reflect on that, I realise that I wasn’t just about winning and chasing world titles, I was actually really focusing on changing the game for those who come next, and making it a better place than where I found it,” she said.

“Leaving surfing in a more safe, inclusive, and equitable place and that took a lot of courage, a lot of bravery and a lot of pain.

Layne Beachley spent her career making surfing a better place, to the detriment of her own mental health.  Getty

“And a lot of athletes, I don’t believe have that same level of intention or investment in the future generation, but if there’s one piece of advice that I would give every aspiring champion today, it’s that you’re paving the way for the next generation.”

“And I feel that perhaps, I was very fierce and very focused and very driven, but I was also very conscious of leaving the sport in a better place.

“And perhaps my ferocity and the way in which I went about things was either misinterpreted, misunderstood, or misread.

“But my intention was always to ensure that the next generation didn’t have to endure the same levels of hardship and intensity and threats and intimidation that we endured, and that my predecessors endured.”

Beachley, in her 19 years as a professional surfer, won $550,000 AUD in prize money in total.

Layne Beachley won an unprecedented seventh ASP World Title in Maui, Hawaii. World Surf League via Getty Imag

When she joined the professional surfing world, the women competed in 10 championship tour events around the world for a total prize purse of US $155,000.

In the same year, the men’s tour enjoyed more than double the amount of events with 24 on the calendar and shared a total earnings of US $1.26m.

“The men had it all laid out for them,” she explained.

“They had the support of the industry, they had the support of the media, they had the support of each other and the governing body, whereas the women were treated like a sideshow.”

“So it took a lot of challenging of the status quo and having the courage to stand up and fight for what we believed we were worth.

“And despite continuously being told you’re not worth anything and you are not valued and we don’t need you, and in actual fact; when you are here, you detract from our monetary or our ability to earn money, generate sponsors, attract a crowd.

“So why should we invest in you?”

Now, females in the surfing landscape regularly outnumber the males, with the community boasting a depth of female talent that rivals any previous generation.

In 2023, the WSL honoured International Women’s Day by having every competitor wear the jersey of a woman that inspires them during the Rip Curl Pro in Portugal.

Sally Fitzgibbons wore Beachley’s, highlighting the profound impact she had on the next generation of champions.

“It took a lot of courage and resilience and belief for the girls to keep coming back and standing up and fighting for what they believed in,” Beachley added.

(Left to right) Sally Fitzgibbons, Layne Beachley and Stephanie Gilmore are part of the ‘pantheon’ of Australian female surfers.  World Surf League via Getty Imag

“The beautiful thing is that my predecessors and then my generation, we had the courage to stand up, speak up and never give up.

“And that despite being constantly harassed or threatened or intimidated or devalued or disrespected, we kept coming back for more because we wholeheartedly believed in what we had to offer.

“I’m really glad that we all collaborated and fought for that because now it’s the current generation that are the benefactors.

“I’m very grateful for those challenges because it’s resulted in the success and the prosperity of women’s surfing today.

“So I wish I didn’t have to go through them, but I’m grateful that they’ve amounted to something because the biggest disappointment would be to have gone through all of that and still maintain the status quo.

“That would be completely unacceptable.”

Where the Tour is now

The World Surf League is at a point where equal pay is mainstream, having introduced it in 2019 after years of female competitors struggling to compete for equal prizemoney.

But although they have achieved gender equality in the financial stakes, Beachley believes there is still more to be done about the “undercurrent of misogyny” in sport.

“I feel there’s a groundswell of support and encouragement and belief in women in sport at this point in time, but there still seems to be an undercurrent of misogyny and sexism that needs to be brought to the surface and washed away,” she admitted to Wide World of Sports.

Layne Beachley was part of a surge to create more opportunities for female surfers.  Getty

“It’s unacceptable to have this mentality that women are worthless when they play the same sports, perform at the same level, compete at the same level, perhaps even have to invest more because they perhaps have to manage family, manage households, manage having less money.

“Sometimes we have to work twice as hard to be worthy of the same level of respect, admiration and investment.

“That’s unacceptable because that literally says to women that you’re only worth half as much.

“That attitude needs to shift, and it’s not just men that need to shift it. We’re all responsible for elevating and celebrating a recognised effort and rewarding it equally.

“Irrespective of gender or skill set. I mean, if you’ve reached the top of your field in whatever profession that you’re in, you deserve to be rewarded and recognised and celebrated for that effort equally.”

She pinpointed an area in the industry that she believes needs to change. For sponsors to keep both men and women from world surfing on as long-term ambassadors.

Beachley wants big surfing brands to retain their sponsored female athletes after retirement.  Ripcurl

For big names such as Mick Fanning and Owen Wright, they are both kept on by Rip Curl as ‘ambassadors’ of the iconic surfing brand into their retirement, reaping the financial benefits associated.

In contrast, every single female surfer who is part of the Rip Curl team is an active surfer on the Tour.

“I don’t believe it’s changed [the sponsorship landscape], but it’s still something that can evolve with time,” Beachley said.

“And that’s not, I don’t believe it’s my responsibility, but it’s certainly an intention and an opportunity for growth for women in sport, especially in surfing.

“Something I would really like to see happen.”

Passing the baton to the next generation

The ‘pantheon’ of Australian female surfers grows every year.

Most recently, Gosford-native Molly Picklum joined the club with her first World Surf League world title this year at just 22 years old.

Beachley and Picklum have a long, storied history. The latter was picked as ‘most promising’ at Beachley’s talent identification camp in 2017.

Molly Picklum and Layne Beachley met in 2017 at Beachley’s talent identification camp.  Twitter

“Molly Picklum actually reflected on this on a social post recently…it wasn’t until 2017 where she was identified through the Surfing NSW programme as a potential champion athlete [and] invited to come and participate in my talent identification camp up at Surfing Australia,” Beachley revealed.

“And that’s where I truly got to lay eyes on the incredible depth of talent and beautiful attitude that she portrayed.

“So to be able to connect with her at that level, see the extraordinary depths within her, to then propel her on her way to become a sponsored athlete and then a world champion athlete fills me with immense pride and satisfaction because that’s very edifying, but it also reaffirms that I’m doing my job.

“Investing in surfing has always been my life’s mission.

“And to see Molly now become the world champion and embrace the opportunity to inspire and empower the next generation feels like I’ve officially passed the baton over now.”

Molly Picklum took a commanding win for the World Title in Fiji.  World Surf League via Getty Imag

Although the baton has firmly been passed on to the younger generation out in the surf, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still get out in the waves at her local beach, Freshwater.

“That doesn’t prevent me from still investing in the sport through my talent ID camps, through mentoring,” she added.

“I’m still competing. I compete for my local board riders club. And cheering everyone on.

“I feel like I’m women’s surfing’s biggest cheerleader right now. And I’m extremely excited.

“And, well, I am grateful to be in this position. I’m really motivated to keep changing the game for those who come next.

“And I’m grateful also that there’s people like Steph [Gilmore] and Sally [Fitzgibbons] and Tyler [Wright] and Molly [Picklum], who have embraced that opportunity and will take [surfing] into a much bigger realm than I can ever do it justice.

Layne Beachley (right) is handing the baton to Stephanie Gilmore (left) and other trailblazers of Australian surfing.  World Surf League via Getty Imag

“I’m a little overwhelmed by the reward of this.”

Beachley now takes her painful life lessons and is able to find growth from her past, helping others on the same path of progress with Awake Academy, a co-driven pursuit with Tess Brouwer, former Head of Partnerships with Virgin Active.

The podcast and program allows Beachley to speak about the state of play in women’s sport, young athletes and their mentality and how she grapples with unresolved struggles.

“It enables me to reflect on the past, grapple with perhaps some unresolved tension, wrap my arms around the growth and deliver that to ensure people don’t have to endure the same level of struggle as I have,” Beachley explains.

“And that’s what Awake Academy is all about, is enabling [and] empowering people to thrive.

“So I take my life lessons and distil them into applicable life tools that are backed by science to help people live happier, more purposeful lives.”