WORLD SQUASH NEWS

International Bodies Unite In Refereeing Assessment Initiative

The three governing bodies of World Squash - the World Squash Federation (WSF), the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) - are pleased to announce a joint project intended to gather greater feedback concerning referee performance at major events and, ultimately, to improve refereeing, something that would benefit all concerned with the sport, including the top tournament players.

"Although formal assessments by WSF Assessors remain an integral part of the evaluation and education of WSF Referees and potential candidates for those positions, we recognise that the WSF needs greater input from the professional players to provide more information to the WSF Review Board when making decisions about the appointment of WSF Referees," said PSA Executive Director Gawain Briars, WISPA Director Andrew Shelley and WSF Rules & Referees Committee Director Graham Waters in a joint letter to members of the three associations.  "Attempts have been made to include some players in that annual process, but conflicting schedules and priorities have limited the success of that initiative."

Players competing in major events will be asked to fill out a simple card, evaluating the performance of the referee of each match played, and offering the players space to provide any constructive suggestions as to how that referee could improve. These evaluations will be completed on all referees at the events mentioned below, whether they are existing WSF Referees or those striving for that designation. They would be returned to the Tournament Director or Tournament Referee, who would then return them to the WSF office at the conclusion of the event.

These forms would then be collated, and used during the annual WSF Referee Review. They will provide the WSF Review Board with a great deal more information on which to base their decisions. Any patterns developing from the comments and suggestions will also be forwarded on to the individual referees for their information and a base from which to improve.

The authors of the letter point out that, for the programme to have maximum benefit, a few things are crucial:

"Players must not allow the "heat of the moment" emotions to cloud what they say in their feedback.  The forms should ideally be completed an hour or two after the match has finished and the euphoria or frustrations have subsided.

"The results of the comments must remain confidential, not only during the event, but also after it.  Envelopes will be provided to assure this. The forms will be collected in their sealed envelopes and forwarded to the WSF office in the UK for future use.

"Although ratings in the various categories will be helpful, any constructive suggestions from the players can help the development and improvement of referee performance.

"We hope to get as much information as we can about as many referees as possible and from as many different players as possible. This will provide a much broader cross-section of information, and help minimise any individual conflicts."

The initiative will be launched at next month's British Open in Nottingham.  Information will be gathered from all matches, including qualifying rounds.   The forms will also be used at the following PSA and WISPA events this year, as well as the Men's World Team Championships in October:

PSA: Canadian Open (Edmonton), Oct 30-Nov 3; Dutch Open (Maastricht), Nov. 13-16; Canadian Classic (Toronto), Nov. 17-21; Qatar Classic (Doha), Dec. 1-5; World Open (Lahore), Dec. 14-21

WISPA: Weymuller US Open (New York) Oct 13-16; Dutch Open (Maastricht), Nov. 13-16; Monte Carlo Classic (Monaco), Nov. 19-22; Qatar Classic (Doha), Dec. 1-5; World Open (Hong Kong), Dec. 9-13

"I am very pleased with the co-operation shown by the two professional associations in developing this programme and look forward to some constructive feedback from the top players on the referees that work the top events," said Graham Waters.  "I am confident that this will lead to a better understanding between the two camps, better information for the WSF Review Board to consider when reviewing International Referee nominations, and, ultimately, to  better and more consistent refereeing."