WORLD SQUASH NEWS

PSA Poach WSF CEO Ted Wallbutton

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has announced that it will be hiring the professional services of the World Squash Federation Chief Executive Ted Wallbutton following his retirement from the WSF in January.

From 1st February 2005, Wallbutton will join the PSA as Event Marketing Executive with the special brief of exploring new avenues for bringing in further tournaments to the expanding PSA World Tour calendar.

A career-long marketing professional, Ted Wallbutton enjoyed a highly successful period as Marketing Manager of the English Squash Rackets Association (SRA) from the early 1980s, thereafter becoming Chief Executive of the English Table Tennis Association.  He returned to squash 14 years ago when appointed to the position of Chief Executive of the WSF, during which time the membership of the federation more than doubled and the organisation was completely restructured. 

PSA Chief Executive Gawain Briars said:  "I am really pleased to make this announcement.  Whilst the tour has had its best season ever this year in events and prize money, it is an ongoing process to continue to find the best means of generating even more events for our members who play all the year round now.

"I have known Ted for many years, since before I started at the PSA.  He will be working with us, in the first instance, to specifically assist in helping source new events globally.  His experience places him in an ideal position to maximise the potential of marketing our best players to the world.

"Highly qualified in marketing, Ted's career experiences with the SRA and then the WSF mean that he knows and is also known by everyone in our sport's family," Briars added.

"From my few years of witnessing Ted control the operations of the WSF, I can say that he has deservedly commanded the respect of federation members and delegates around the world.  And it is through national federations that the PSA receives so many of our existing events onto the tour calendar.  In many ways this appointment respects the special relationship PSA enjoys with the world governing bodies, and I hope that this moment will mark a further cementing of PSA's continued recognition of these goals.

"I am delighted to have Ted join us and I look forward to following his own changed but continued role within our game," concluded the PSA CEO.

Wallbutton responded:  "Working with the PSA will be a wonderful way to continue being involved with Squash at world level after I leave the WSF.  My passion for Squash remains undiminished and the opportunity of working on a slightly different facet of the sport is both challenging and exciting.

"In my meetings with Gawain and the PSA Board, I have been impressed by their plans for the future and am looking forward to bringing some of them to fruition."