LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Monday, March 13, 2017) - The World Surf League (WSL) has announced a partnership with Visa as the official payment partner of the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast, the first stop on the 2017 WSL Championship Tour.
The partnership was launched today in Austin, Texas with a live stream from the Gold Coast in Australia featuring WSL Commentator Joe Turpel and CT competitor Sage Erickson on the opening day of the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast.
"We are thrilled to welcome Visa, one of the most iconic brands in the world, to the WSL partner family," said Mark Noonan, Chief Commercial Officer at WSL. "We look forward to working with them to showcase their innovative payment technologies to our fans at the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast and those watching the live global broadcast."
In addition to being the official payment partner at this event, Visa will pilot a new and unique wearable product at the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast: payment-enabled sunglasses. The stylish shades feature contactless payment capability, merging function and fashion for surfing fans, and eliminating the need to carry cash or cards on the beach. Visa will also integrate technology and branding at the point-of-sale for fans attending the competition.
To extend the reach of Visa's activities beyond the beach, WSL will also be producing and distributing a series of vignettes highlighting how Visa can help enable the travel experience which is so fundamental to the surfing culture.
"Visa is excited to make waves in the surfing world with a sponsorship of the Quiksilver & Roxy Pro, the first stop on the 2017 World Surf League Championship Tour," said Chris Curtin, Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer at Visa. "Surfing culture represents a lifestyle without barriers, and Visa helps fans achieve a life unbound - whether it's paying with their sunglasses or traveling around the world."
The world's best surfers will kick off the 2017 WSL Championship Tour season in Australia for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from March 14 - 25, 2017.
The event will be broadcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and on Facebook LIVE via the WSL's Facebook page as well as Fox Sports in Australia, Sky NZ, SFR Sports in France, Sport TV in Portugal, EDGE Sports in China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other territories and on Globo TV in Brazil.
For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Michel Bourez (PYF), Conner Coffin (USA), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Stuart Kennedy (AUS), Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA), Kanoa Igarashi (USA), Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW), Connor O'Leary (AUS), Mikey Wright (AUS)
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA), Mick Fanning (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITL)
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Frederico Morais (PRT)
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Owen Wright (AUS), Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Roxy Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Johanne Defay (FRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (AUS), Sage Erickson (USA), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Alyssa Lock (AUS)
Heat 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Silvana Lima (BRA), Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Laura Enever (AUS), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 6: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW), Lakey Peterson (USA)