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WORLD SQUASH
NEWS PSA Welcomes Top Level Pro Squash Circuit Launched in USA The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has welcomed the creation of a new men's tournament series in the USA announced by Event Engine, Inc., the leading promoter of professional squash in North America. The series is seeking to capitalise on the expansion of professional squash events in the USA and on projections for future growth of the indoor racquet and ball sport. The 2003/04 US Pro Squash Tour will feature six stops between September and April and offer a total of US$220,000 in prize money. Competition will feature players from the top 30 in the world rankings, as determined by the PSA, and each event will be a sanctioned PSA World Tour event. The men's World Tour features more than 40 tournaments in 20 countries and offers $1.5 million in prize money. The premier stops on the US Tour, the US Open in Boston's Symphony Hall and the Tournament of Champions in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, will feature play on a four-sided glass court set up temporarily for competition. These two "top ten" World Tour events will attract all the world's best male players, while the remaining US stops, the Volvo Motor City Open, Marsh & McLennan Apawamis Open, EBS Dayton Open and Windy City Open, will draw a wider range of players. The Windy City event in Chicago will also be played on a portable court. Tour Commissioner John Nimick, President of Event Engine, Inc., outlines the strategy behind the launch: "Squash is a very popular international sport and has a high quality participant base of about 300,000 regular players over here in America. The US Pro Tour will present top-level competition in an organised, easy-to-follow fashion while introducing these incredible athletes and the sport to new audiences. "At the heart of our Tour will be the goal of using hi-tech, see-through portable courts wherever possible," Nimick added. "Each year, tens of thousands of people get introduced to squash simply by walking past the New York event. The game is compelling. Squash remains the first and only world class sporting competition to be hosted by venues like Symphony Hall and Grand Central. We expect US Tour events to replicate that experience in new markets, thereby increasing awareness of squash and building value for sponsors." Gawain Briars, Executive Director of the PSA, said: "As with sub-set tours in other regions of the PSA World Tour, I am very pleased to see this latest development of Event Engine, Inc, in gathering together the more lucrative and prestigious tournaments on the North American sector of the PSA World Tour to form a cohesive platform to exploit further marketing and sponsorship opportunities whilst presenting the world's best players in more identifiable groupings. "John Nimick and his team continually seek new and dynamic ways of showcasing professional squash and PSA welcomes this latest initiative but which also importantly includes his fellow promoters who present the balance of PSA events included in this US Pro Squash Tour. It remains my belief that initiatives like this can only act as a catalyst in increasing the chances of spreading the fire and optimism of our great game throughout America," Briars explained. The first sponsor affiliated with the US Tour is Squash Magazine. Publisher Jay Prince comments: "Squash Magazine is proud to present this groundbreaking initiative in its inaugural season. We want to help bring the excitement of the international game to more fans in the US. We'll profile the Tour in our magazine and website and help build the interest that will make the Tour and sport grow in the future." Prize money earnings will be calculated from Tour events to produce an annual US Pro Tour ranking. The Tour plans to add events and create a season-ending championship in 2005. The complete 2003/04 Tour schedule is: US Open ($50,000), September 13-16, Symphony Hall, Boston Volvo Motor City Open ($30,000), September 17-20, Birmingham Athletic Club, Detroit Marsh & McLennan Apawamis Open ($25,000), January 9-12, Apawamis Club, Rye, New York EBS Asset Management Dayton Open ($40,000), Dayton Squash Center Tournament of Champions ($70,000), February 21-28, Grand Central Terminal, NYC Windy City Open ($30,000), March 31-April 3, University Club of Chicago For more information, contact: John G. Nimick, President, Event Engine, Inc., (Tel: +1 617.731.6874); Email:
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