Bajwa Retains Rights To Super Series Finals
US-based squash promoter Satinder Bajwa of Complete Squash Solutions (CSS) has reached an agreement with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) to retain exclusive rights to the Super Series Squash Finals for a further five years, making it the professional game’s longest-running promoter partnership in the UK and the second longest worldwide behind the Hong Kong Open.
Last year Bajwa, currently Head Coach at Harvard University, celebrated his tenth anniversary as promoter of the prestigious eight-man event and his sixth year of promoting the tournament in partnership with London-based Sports Marketing Agency, WSM. The new deal will see him take the tournament through to the year 2010.
"The Super Series Finals has become a landmark event on the professional calendar and is held in high esteem by players and fans alike," said Bajwa. "The event has continued to grow year on year and I look forward to working with my event partners WSM to build on the success of the past decade.
"These are exciting times for the world game. Standards are higher than ever, the world elite is as competitive as it has been for many a year and the sport is looking increasingly attractive to sponsors. We hope to take the event onto a whole new level in the coming years.”
Gawain Briars, Executive Director of the PSA, said: "This extended five-year agreement comes at a time when the professional game is surging on the international arena. Satinder Bajwa has successfully renegotiated rights to the PSA Super Series Finals when the top match ups in squash are at a fascinating time. The PSA circuit is expanding rapidly and so the Super Series "qualification" events are taking on even more importance for final points to this pinnacle season end tournament.
“Committed promoters like Bajwa are the lifeblood of a professional circuit, and PSA is grateful to and acknowledges his continued drive in presenting the next phase of the Super Series Finals Tournament,” he added.
The Super Series Finals brings together the top eight qualifiers from the annual PSA Super Series Tour to compete in a week-long, grand final. The tournament boasts one of the richest prize funds in the sport and TV highlights are distributed to a large global audience.
The tournament was first staged at the Vitis Club in Switzerland back in 1992, at which time Bajwa was coach and mentor to world champion Jansher Khan. After two years, he then took the event to the Galleria shopping complex in Hatfield and sponsorship investment from Equitable Life quickly followed.
Three years later, in 1999, and with Khan's career drawing to an end, Bajwa felt it time for another change and the event was moved once again - this time to the unique location of Broadgate Arena in the heart of London's Square Mile. Again the event attracted vital financial support, this time from British Land plc, owners of the Broadgate Arena - and when Equitable Life bowed out in 2002, Brit Insurance stepped in to take on the title sponsorship.
The tournament has produced some classic encounters over the years. Peter Nicol's victory over Simon Parke in the 2000 final is still considered one of the finest matches of all time, and earned a standing ovation from, amongst others, the then Minister for Sport Kate Hoey MP. Nicol's defeat to arch rival Jonathon Power three years later is also widely talked about as one of the greatest of the 43 matches played between the pair.
Satinder Bajwa (left) and Gawain Briars sign the historic five-year Super Series Finals agreement