Rise of the groms

 

There is something happen right now in the British surfing community the like of which we have probably never seen, and that is a huge rise in the number of groms surfing, and at a really high standards. Not only are the numbers and performance growing, the surfers are coming from a large number of ’hubs’ and they are all connected from the top of Scotland to the south of Cornwall, and from west Wales to east England. Competitive yet supportive. 

It is quite something to see! And with an approachable role model like Lukas Skinner leading the the way it is only going lead to good things with competitively, but more importantly on a social and community level.

Will Bailey investigates the rise and rise of groms clubs. 

In recent years British Surf clubs have undergone huge changes. The days of exclusive, male dominated clubs, prioritising socialising over surfing are fading fast, replaced by an era of inclusivity, skill development, and elite young talent. Today’s groms are already at the standard of past professionals by the age of 10, and are setting new standards for British surfing.

In the past older surfers viewed groms as an annoyance, inexperienced children filling up the lineup, lacking etiquette or skill. For years, these attitudes slowed youth development, framing surfing as an adult lifestyle rather than a structured sport for all ages. This mindset effectively restricted young surfers progress, limiting the potential of British surfing’s next generation.

However, (fortunately) the culture has shifted. Gone are the days of the grom abuse and bullying. Surf clubs increasingly recognise the importance of youth, valuing their enthusiasm and potential to drive the sport forward. 

As groms, we all experienced the dreaded ‘grom abuse’. Strangely and slightly concerning but it was kind of a right of passage, to be expected and tolerated.  But now, as a Dad I’m more than happy to see the complete turn around in the attitude towards groms/ children. They are welcomed with open arms, generously given preference, allowed to go on any wave they choose, and basically have the support of any and every lineup, well most lineups! Don’t drop in on a grom or you’re dead!

Supporting and encouraging junior surfers has become central to club goals, recognising that the strength of any surf club lies in its commitment to developing and protecting the youngest members.

Younger members, and their parents, represent the future of the club and its community. If junior members don’t feel valued or can’t see opportunities for growth, they’ll naturally gravitate towards other sports or clubs that provide a stronger sense of connection. This scenario is common, but it is avoidable, with the right approach.

However, surfing in the UK poses unique challenges that set it apart from other sports. Unpredictable ocean conditions, the cold, and a lack of controlled environments make it difficult to organise structured activities, which is a key factor for engaging young surfers and their families. Creating a sense of continuity and building enthusiasm for a sport that often requires braving cold water and inconsistent waves is tough. Recognising this, British surf clubs have begun focusing on building an inclusive environment that keeps the sport fun and enjoyable, socially engaging, and encouraging for young surfers.

There are clubs out there all over Britain that are over coming these problems and growing the member numbers month on month. 

But it’s no easy task. It takes a huge amount of organisation and funding. The clubs rely on volunteers and fundraising for the majority of their support. So effectively the more members a club has the stronger it will become, and the British surf clubs have exploded in member numbers.

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  Jackson

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  Harley Boydell

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  Eddie Green

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  Cass Woudberg

Clubs like the Newquay Boardriders. Established in 1969 by the late John Owen and Neil Harris, they have weathered decades of change to become one of the UK’s finest surf clubs. Today, the club is thriving, with record high participation and a new generation of young talent coming up through the ranks.

Newquay Boardriders has produced world class athletes before, Luke Dillion, Russ Winter and Spencer Hargreaves stand out, but the current momentum suggests an even brighter future.

Among the rising stars is Boardmasters Men’s and Junior Champion Lukas Skinner, whose impressive performances have drawn admiration from the global surfing community. Lukas competes at a world class level, with extraordinary consistency and remarkable competition stats. His success sets a new benchmark for the club’s younger surfers, inspiring them to reach for the sport’s highest levels. NBR has seen record success in recent years with junior members claiming the majority of national titles and filling team England spots to represent the country, among those are British women’s and junior champion Lauren Sandland, English and Ripcurl Grom Search Champions, Sunny Ingram (U16), Lila Skinner (U14), Harvey Waters (U12) and Ellie Hickie (U12) just to name a few.

The club’s reputation extends beyond the UK. It is now recognised internationally as an excellent club. In January 2025, Newquay Boardriders will make history as the first British surf club invited to the prestigious Usher Cup competition at Snapper Rocks in Australia. Where Lukas Skinner, Fynn Gillespie, Jowan Pegg and Lauren Sandland and Team Manager Mikey ‘Sheriff’ Durkin, will represent the club and Great Britain at the highest international level.

The club attributes its success to the dedicated Committee members and local businesses who are involved. The club is fortunate to receive funding for projects, from our young women initiative and giving them a space, while also providing financial help to our top athletes to compete internationally and give opportunities to members to gain qualifications and further their career prospects.

By introducing children to surfing from an early age through weekly Grom clubs, training opportunities with top level coaches,water safety, fun social events and running fundamental grassroot level surf contests, such as the Northshore Pro Cadets. Which sees competitors from as young as 4 through to 13 battle it out in their divisions over 3 events throughout the year. These contests are pivotal in the development of our Groms and gives them access to learn everything they need to become our future champions. Competitions like these would not be as successful without the vast expertise of the people volunteering and running them, including NBR Vice Chairman, UK pioneer surf legend and top judge Gary Collins and British, English and UK Pro Tour Champion Zoe Sheath, who has been the club’s Contest Director for all of NBR’s events for the last several years.

 

At the other end of the country there is the Broch Surf Club situated in Fraserburgh on the North East coast of Scotland. It is another UK club that has seen a surge in grom participation and high performance levels on the junior front.

Local Broch Surf Club surfers such as Lola Mitchell (16), Callie Cruickshank (14), Gabriel Noble (14), Sebastian Ballantyne (13) and Kai Cruickshank (12) have achieved UK podium successes across the high profile junior events such as the Ripcurl Gromsearch and Boardmasters and are all current Scottish Junior Champions in their respective age categories.

Callie Cruickshank by Leigh Brown/ Only fins

It wasn’t so long ago that you could go up to Scotland and there might be a handful of local surfers surfing to an advanced standard. Now, in Fraserburgh in particular, the groms are shredding, competing and winning against the best young athletes in the country.

They’ve really done something right. I spoke with Russell Cruickshank, and again they have focused on the younger members. Just like in England, the national body of Scottish surfing (the Scottish Surfing Federation) have organised a series of junior surf events throughout the year. Each event is hosted by a local surf club and focus on youth participation and performance development.

These junior surf events are run at an exceptionally high standard with all judging, officiating done by ISA qualified judging panels, online live score support and use of priority boards (from U12 years upward) It has provided a fantastic platform for the youngsters to progress into the sport of competitive surfing. 

These events don’t cost a lot to host, most of the funds can be raised easily through local councils and businesses, but they take time and commitment. This input from the clubs has paid dividends with the results, member numbers and the development of Scottish surfing .  

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  Lola Mitchell

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  Kai Cruikshank

Broch Surf Club do a number of training sessions and club surf trips around Scotland to support their elite grom crew. Training sessions and trips focus on trying to find the best waves, fun and some performance feedback sessions through video analysis. It’s all voluntary run supported by the older surf crew from the area. Over the whole of the UK, Scotland is definitely on the fastest trajectory with results, talent and club members. It really is an exciting time to be a Scottish grommet.

 

A Welsh club that has seen a major change in direction change is Pembrokeshire Surf Club. It lay dormant for several years, and has now been reformed by Welsh Junior Team Coach, Phil Sadler. Phil runs Pembrokeshire Surf School and has merged his already establish sessions with the club. Numbers have jumped from 10’s to 100’s. They run weekly training and coaching sessions, competitions, and provide a fun competitive pathway for the juniors. To date the grom coaching programme has provided the juniors for over half of the Welsh team, for the last five years. Surfers such as Josie Hawke (14) 2024 U14,16,18 Welsh Champion, Euan Buick (18) 2024 U18 Welsh Champion, 4^th in U18 GB Cup in Jersey. Seth Reed U18 Welsh Longboard champ. 

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  Katarina Roth Gale

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  Indi Jones

Senior club members such as pro surfer Seth Morris and seasoned competitors Ryan Thomas and Georgina Lewtas regularly offer to help inspire the groms at training sessions. They along with other volunteers are what helps push the club forward.

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  Ray Bailey

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  Bryn Bailey

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  Ollie Phillips

 

Phil runs the coaching at cost price so it is affordable and encourages the kids to come weekly. The main focus is on fun and educating the kids in all aspects of surfing, and then as they progress a more structured approach. Exploring different breaks, using all types of boards, skating, photo and video analysis and regular fun comps. What the club is doing has had a massive effect on membership numbers and also the standard of surfing coming from West Wales.

 

Another thriving community surf club is Budewaveriders which was founded 12 years ago by Martin Reay, Lee Norman and Charlie Green. Over its time its seen current GB surfers Stanley Norman and Ellie Turner progress through the junior section of the club. Alongside these hugely talented short boarders, current WSL longboard tour competitor Emily Currie has also progressed through Budewaveriders comps and sessions.  

The club prioritises grass roots development of young surfers with beginner and intermediate sessions, with the recent addition of their new advanced development squad coached by X-Big Wave Tour female charger Tammy Smith from South Arica.

 

Their crop of young surfers coming through the ranks include Issac Friend and Coco Arthur who both train with the England squad along with rising new talents including Betsie Reay who is ranked 2nd on the Junior Surf Series. With inspirational role models like Jobe Harris, giving their time back to the club as coaches and judges, the new school of groms from Bude are aspiring to be like their heroes and take it to the next level.

British surf clubs show a shift toward inclusivity, youth engagement, and skill development, fueling a new era for British surfing. Clubs like Newquay, Bude, Pembrokshire and Broch embody this transformation, providing structured pathways from beginner to elite levels. By prioritising junior members, these clubs ensure that young surfers feel supported and inspired to pursue the sport, despite the challenges posed by unpredictable conditions and physical demands.

As Newquay Boardriders makes its historic appearance at Australia’s Usher Cup, it reflects a new global respect for British surf clubs that are now recognised for talent and reputation. British surf clubs are shaping the next generation of surfers to reach new heights not only in competitions but also cementing a life long love of the sport, securing British surfing’s future on the world stage.