Creating Safe Spaces: Inclusion in Australian Surfing and Skateboarding
Event description
Surfing and skateboarding have been Olympic sports since Tokyo 2020; Australian athletes are winning on the world stage, and more women and girls are participating in these action sports.
But visibility isn’t the same as belonging. At the local break and the neighbourhood skatepark, many women, girls and gender-diverse, LGBTQIA+ and culturally diverse participants still face barriers to taking part safely and on their own terms. These barriers range from crowded lineups and territorial behaviour to harassment, judgement, and a lack of representation in leadership.
This panel draws on a UTS Business School research project that asks: what do safe, inclusive spaces actually look like in Australian surfing and skateboarding, and how can they be created and sustained?
Researchers Dr Ece Kaya and Dr Indigo Willing will moderate the panel, which brings together skaters, creatives and community leaders working to make action sports more welcoming.
What you'll gain
Emerging findings from new research with participants and leaders across Australian surfing and skateboarding
An understanding of what “safe spaces” mean to women and diverse communities across four dimensions:
Physical
Social
Psychological
Structural
First-hand insight from people driving change at the skatepark, in the water and in the media
Practical ideas for policy, facility design, programming and investment that you can take back to your club, council or organisation
Connections with others working towards more inclusive sport
Who should attend
Surfers, skaters and anyone who cares about who gets to take part in action sports
Coaches, club leaders and community organisers
Sport administrators and governing bodies
Local government staff, urban planners and facility designers
Industry, brands and sponsors with diversity and inclusion goals
Researchers, educators and students in sport, gender studies and management
Why attend
Olympic success has put surfing and skateboarding in the spotlight. At the grassroots, though, many people still don’t feel safe or welcome, and things can improve. This is a chance to hear directly from researchers and from people who have lived experience. You’ll leave with evidence, ideas and connections that can help make the local surfing break and skatepark places where everyone belongs.
Speakers
Felicity Turner (Skate Australia National Team World Skate Competition Women’s Coach and Mentor, Totem Skateboarding & Skate of Mind)
Felicity Turner is an Australian skateboarder from the South Coast region of NSW. She’s a rising Australian skateboarding star who has competed in major street skate events and represented Australia in international competitions. Beyond competing, she’s known for teaching and promoting skateboarding, especially through community outreach programs with groups like BIG hART and Totem Collective. She’s actively involved in introducing skateboarding to young people in regional and Indigenous communities, often combining travel with coaching and workshops. She is passionate about sharing her love for skateboarding and inspiring others.
![Michelle Granger [President of the Bondi Girls Surf Riders (BGSR)]](https://images.humanitix.com/i/bec09174-f955-49a7-b75f-906bda206c69.jpg@responsive-500.webp)
Michelle Granger [President of the Bondi Girls Surf Riders (BGSR)]
Michelle Granger is the President of the Bondi Girls Surf Riders (BGSR), Sydney's original all-female, council-approved, non-profit boardriders club based at Bondi Beach. BGSR is a proud all-female club offering a safe and welcoming environment where women of all skill levels can develop their surfing, compete in monthly events, and enjoy a supportive and encouraging community.
Dr Indigo Willing (Researcher & Skateboarder)
Dr Indigo Willing is a skateboarder and has a PhD in Sociology. She is the co-author of ‘Skateboarding, Power and Change’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) and a co-editor of The Leisure of Grey Spaces, Urban Play and the Chromatic Turn (Routledge, 2023. Her community work includes serving as the Co-Chair for the International Advisory Board for Skateistan and Co-Founder of the internationally recognised Respect is Rad / Consent is Rad. She is also the founder of the Skate, Create, Educate and Regenerate (SkateCER) Lab. Her current research includes as a recipient of a 2025-2027 Advanced Olympic Research Grant from the IOC. Her Fellowships include as a 2024 NSW Churchill Fellow, 2025 Hon. John Oxley Fellow, QLD State Library and current Visiting Fellow, University of Sydney. Community recognition for her work includes being named 2025 Skate Scholar of the Year, receiving the 2024 QLD Government Individual Achievement Award from Outdoors QLD and receiving the 2023 Team Award for ‘Consent is Rad’ – Social Skate Project of the Year from Skate Like a Girl.
Dr Ece (AJ) Kaya (Researcher at the UTS Business School)
Dr Ece Kaya is a Senior Lecturer and HDR Coordinator in the School of Management, Enterprise, Innovation and Impact Discipline at UTS Business School and is a member of the UTS Centre for Sport, Business and Society. Her research focuses on gender equity, leadership, inclusion, and social impact in sport, as well as interests in urban transformation, industrial heritage, and placemaking through events. Her current research explores experiences of women, girls, and participants from diverse backgrounds in Australian surfing, examining barriers to participation and pathways to more inclusive surf cultures.
![Michelle Granger [President of the Bondi Girls Surf Riders (BGSR)]](https://images.humanitix.com/i/bec09174-f955-49a7-b75f-906bda206c69.jpg@responsive-250.avif)
Agenda
- 5:30 pm
Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
- 5:35 pm
Research snapshot
Dr Ece Kaya and Dr Indigo Willing share what participants and leaders told them about safety and inclusion in both sports.
- 5:50 pm
Panel discussion
Felicity Turner and Michelle Granger discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and what surfing and skateboarding can learn from each other.
- 6:30 pm
Audience Q&A
- 6:45 pm - 8:00 pm
Refreshments and networking at the Cafe 80 on Level 2
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
Get tickets
Get tickets
