Newcastle Beach has lost out to Burleigh Heads as the venue for the Australian Boardriders Battle grand final after a run of seven years hosting the televised surfing event.
Surfing Australia announced the move to the Gold Coast break on Friday along with the schedule and format for the 11th season of the national club contest.
Cronulla held the first three editions of the grand final but Newcastle has been the venue since 2017. Burleigh Heads will host the 2024 decider on March 9-10.
Surfing Australia also revealed an expanded grand final format to include 32 boardrider clubs, up from 24.
The change in venue means Hunter clubs will no longer have the chance to qualify through local wildcard trials, held on the Saturday morning before the main event.
Merewether Surfboard Club, who were national champions on Newcastle Beach in 2019, won the local trials this year and progressed to the deciding teams final, where they finished third.
Clubs compete in regional qualifying events, starting at Trigg Beach in Western Australia on Saturday, to decide the 2024 grand finalists. More than $115,000 in prize money is up for grabs throughout the series.
Hunter clubs compete in the NSW Central regional contest at North Narrabeen on November 11.
