The Professional Squash Association has confirmed the forthcoming ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship as one of nine PSA World Series events of 2011.
The ROWE British Grand Prix – Manchester 2011, the biggest event to be staged in the UK this year, will take place at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.
The championship, which boasts a record $115,000 prize-fund, is promoted by the internationalSPORTgroup – and joins events in New York, Canberra, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Doha which are also part of the new elite PSA World Series.
Launched this year, the PSA World Series represent the pinnacle of the men's game and are the main focus of the PSA’s global TV coverage provided by the online squash channel www.psasquashtv.com. The events form a series throughout the year that will produce eight players who will compete in the PSA World Series Finals.
The ROWE British Grand Prix, for the second year the biggest event to be held in England, will be the fourth World Series event of the year, following the Australian Open in Canberra in August.
"We are delighted to have secured another great World Series line up for 2011 – particularly including a major event in the UK,” said PSA CEO Alex Gough of the year’s elite programme of PSA events which boast a total prize-fund of $1,225,000. “The prize money is ever increasing and the standard of the events is improving all the time.
“Event organisers like internationalSPORTgroup have to be congratulated as we are looking at more and more commitment from promoters as we push the game forward in many areas. This year's TV output and distribution will be the best yet and we are all looking forward to the players battling it out for this year's PSA World Series title."
Full 2011 PSA World Series calendar:
21-27 January JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, New York, USA
20-26 February North American Open, Richmond, Virginia, USA
08-14 August Australian Open, Canberra, Australia
19-25 September ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
30 Sept – 06 October US Open, Philadelphia, USA
16-21 October Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
15-20 November Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong
24-29 November Kuwait Open, Kuwait
12-18 December Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, India