Wakeboard competitions in the UK: the Nationals, licences and judging

• What it is: Judged freestyle contests for wakeboarders, from the UK Wakeboard Nationals behind the boat to European and World Championships with the GB squad.
• What you need first: Current BWSW membership, a BWSW competition licence and an IWWF EMS competition licence.
• How long it takes: The Nationals are a summer weekend, with a practice day before. 2027 dates aren't published yet, so see the British Competitions 2027 guide and Wakeboard UK's events page.
• What's next: Riding track: Progressive Edge Platinum is aimed at European and international level (see the awards). Officials track: judging (below). Coaching track: cable coaching.

The UK Wakeboard Nationals

Wakeboard UK is BWSW's official committee for boat wakeboarding. It runs the UK National Championships, crowning national champions in a range of divisions, and it also runs the Wake Open, which opens the UK season.

• Divisions: age groups from under-12 Groms through under-14, under-18, Open, over-30 and over-40, for men and women. You can ask to ride in a different division, such as Intermediate or Open.
• Who can enter: recent Wakeboard UK events have been open to British citizens, plus dual nationals who haven't ridden for their other country in the last 12 months.
• The GB squad: Wakeboard UK picks the British Boat Wakeboard Squad for the European and World Championships.

Entering

BWSW says that to enter a competition you must be a current BWSW member, hold a BWSW competition licence and have an EMS competition licence. For the full list of competitions, it points to the IWWF's EMS website.

How boat wakeboard is judged

• Riders do a freeriding routine in any order they like. The boat runs straight down the lake and back.
• After the second pass you get a double-up in the direction you choose, but not in the qualifying round.
• There are no set points for tricks. Judges score difficulty, how big you go, variety, creativity and flow, up to 100 points.
• With obstacles, there are 10 extra points for obstacle composition.

Cable

Cable wakeboarding has two international councils, the E&A Cable Wakeboard Council and the Cable Wakeboard World Council, both part of the IWWF. BWSW is affiliated to the IWWF through its Europe and Africa region.

Becoming an official

• Boat wakeboard: judges, calculators and drivers, through a mentoring scheme.
• Cable wakeboard: judges and calculators, through a judging seminar. Seminars can be set up for a group of 6 or more.

Source: Events, About and Squads, Wakeboard UK (part of BWSW); Events & Results, Boat Wakeboard, Cable Wakeboard, About Us and Officials, BWSW; Boat Safety Recommendations and Cable Tow Safety Recommendations, BWSW; Beach safety and Float to Live, RNLI; checked October 2026.

Governing body: British Water Ski and Wakeboard (BWSW). It sets the UK safety standards and training awards for wakeboarding, so it's the official place to find out more.

Typical prices, checked October 2026. The club or coach sets and bills the price.

The club map lists some of the UK clubs for this sport. It is a starting point, so check with the club before you travel. To have a coach found for you, use the enquiry form.