Sport Fishing Championship announces 2024 regular season schedule; debut of Zane Grey Championship

Sport Fishing Championship © Sport Fishing Championship

Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) today revealed its 2024 competition schedule, a slate of returning and new tournaments that culminate with the offshore fishing league's first "win-and-advance" playoff format.

Season three for the SFC features two divisions of competition - Gulf and Atlantic. The top six teams in each division are invited to participate in the 12-team, three-day winner-take-all Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, with more than $1 Million on the line.

"Since SFC launched, the league has been working relentlessly to perfect a competition format that awards one champion for the sport of offshore fishing," said Mark Neifeld, CEO & Commissioner. "With the growth in stature of the SFC Billfish Championship and in collaboration with our league's competitors and tournaments, we are proud to introduce the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs which will debut in 2024."

Like previous seasons, teams participating in the Zane Grey Championship will need to qualify in their respective division by competing in three qualifying events. The new competition format advances the top six teams from each division into the playoffs. On the final day of the season, four teams will go head-to-head to award a champion.

The open registration format for all qualifying events still allows amateur anglers the opportunity to compete for the SFC Champion Fish Divisions, awarding $50,000 prizes in four competitions - Bigeye Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi-Mahi and Wahoo.

"I cannot remember a more exciting time to be involved in competitive billfishing," said Damon Sacco, Executive Director of the Atlantic Division. "The scale of SFC competition is so impressive, while the regionality of the divisions allows the league to preserve and celebrate local traditions passed down for generations in the sport."

SFC's championship trophy and playoffs are named after Zane Grey, the fishing icon who held numerous world records -- including catching the first marlin to weigh more than 1,000 pounds. In 1998, Grey was welcomed into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame's inaugural class.

Here's a look at the 2024 SFC schedule:

Select SFC tournaments will be broadcast on network TV and streamed on soon-to-launch SFC+. The broadcast schedule, dates/locations of the division championships, and date/host city of the inaugural Zane Grey Championship Playoffs will be announced shortly.

To learn more about the Sport Fishing Championship, visit sportfishingchampionship.com.