Our major skateboarding tour, the Rumble Pro Series, has received a much-needed funding boost, via a three-year partnership with BMD, which has secured official naming rights of the nation-wide skateboarding tour. This is the single biggest investment to date into the tour and will dramatically assist a sport growing faster than its investment. The Series will now be known as the BMD Rumble.

The coveted Rumble Series, which has grown to become a four-stop annual tour, will this year ‘drop-in’ to Port Kennedy Skatepark in Rockingham, Western Australia; Redbank Skatepark in Ipswich, Queensland; and Sugar Bowl Skatepark in North Mackay, Queensland, following a highly successful first stop at Morton Park Skatepark in Christie Downs, South Australia in November.

With more than 1000 of the top Skateboarders from Australia and overseas set to skate — including the likes of Haylie Powell, Shaun Boucher, Chloe Covell & Tommy Fynn — the partnership with BMD will provide an enhanced skateboarding experience for participants and help grow the sport on a national level, including creating pathways for new skaters. 

The Rumble Pro Series Managing Director, Donny Fraser, said that while skateboarding currently has doubled its participation in 3 years, and is severely underfunded.

“Skateboarding experienced a 50 per cent increase in participation between 2019 and 2022 alone, and we are seeing a huge influx of skaters through the Rumble Pro Series,” Mr Fraser said. 

“The sheer volume of skateparks across Australia and the accessibility of skateboarding makes it a prime target for children and even adults to start and practice in their own time. Combined with the Olympics and the Rumble Pro Series, it is also more publicly accessible as an alternative to traditional sports.  

“The big issue is the need for structure and organisation, particularly as the sport continues to gain popularity. It has never reached its peak size and is still in a development phase. The sport needs large investment and support to grow sustainably.

“The team at BMD understands our sport, culture and values, and we are stoked to have them involved for the benefit of our members and the broader community.”  

The Rumble Series was first awarded a $2500 grant through BMD’s Community Assistance Program during the COVID-19 pandemic to support its  Rumble on the Reef event in 2021 — now the largest skateboarding event in the southern hemisphere.

BMD CEO, Scott Power, said the company has long supported the ongoing development and wellbeing of the communities in which it operates through investing more than $1 million annually in sponsorships and financial support. 

“We are thrilled to come on board as the official naming rights partner for the Rumble Pro Series — a mainstay on the Australian skateboarding calendar that provides an opportunity for athletes to make a living through skateboarding and competing,” Mr Power said. 

“At BMD, our family-oriented culture has us focused on the lasting impact we make through the infrastructure we deliver and through enduring partnerships like this we are proud to open opportunities that strengthen communities.

“Through this partnership we will provide the equipment and infrastructure needed for the Rumble Pro series, and look forward to our support building the profile of skateboarding and promoting Australia’s next generation of incredible talent, particularly in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” 

BMD is Australia’s largest privately owned civil contractor, achieving a record turnover of $1.64 billion last financial year and maintaining its growth trajectory with a record $2 billion of work in hand.