SailGP Inspires The Next Generation

The action-packed SailGP Inspire programme will reach into the local community, schools and boating clubs to engage more than 200 people in the lead up to and during next summer’s event (18 - 19 March 2023).

Launched in the league’s inaugural season in 2019, Inspire is SailGP’s community, education and outreach pillar — driven by the belief that sailing can be a force for good, powered by nature and driven by purpose. Designed to leave an enduring legacy in host communities by providing meaningful opportunities for youth, SailGP Inspire is delivered in all host venues around the world and has engaged more than 10,000 young people to date. The programme has three pillars: Learning, Racing and Careers.

For next summer’s event, organisers are thrilled to announce an array of initiatives which will engage the local community through the sport of sailing — and they’re looking for interns, careers candidates and aspiring youth sailors to get involved.

The Inspire Careers programme is aimed at providing young adults with unique opportunities and pathways into the sports, events and engineering industries. They will get the opportunity to work alongside some of the most experienced professionals in the heart of the action and get real-world experience.

More than 30 interns will be matched with SailGP teams and in other roles across the organisation for a week-long immersion in various fields - from boatbuilding and hydraulics to broadcast media and hospitality.

Providing hands-on learning experiences throughout the event week, Inspire Learning will engage year eight students from Christchurch schools in a series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based learning activities and challenges, centred around the sport of sailing. Schools, which are yet to be finalised, will be selected on a number of factors, including proximity and expanding opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds.

Canterbury Yacht Clubs will also be in on the action, with nine local clubs paired with a respective national team in an event-week partnership that will include a technical tour of the SailGP event village and a visit with their adopted team.

And finally, more than 34 youth sailors will get to go behind the scenes, meet the world’s best athletes, with some (WASZP sailors) taking part in a racing programme on the F50 racecourse, directly in front of sold-out crowds at Naval Point.

Engaging young, aspiring sailors and the local sailing community, Inspire Racing includes two styles of racing – WASZP and RS Feva. Open to U21 athletes, WASZP sailors will be selected on the basis of skill and a willingness to learn, while RS Feva participants will be selected from local clubs. Inspire Racing aims to select an equal number of male and female participants, with one in five participants from racially-diverse backgrounds.

SailGP, together with ChristchurchNZ, is also working on a number of other community initiatives, to be delivered under and outside the Inspire umbrella.

You can learn more about the SailGP Inspire programme at sailgp.com/inspire.

Get involved:

• Apply for Inspire Racing x WASZP.
• Apply for an on-site internship.