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 16-Oct-08:
Saudi Ziad Al-Turki
To Chair PSA Board
In a major shake up of the board of the Professional Squash
Association, former world number one and event promoter Peter
Nicol, MBE, and businessman Ziad Al-Turki, have been
elected directors of the players' organisation which boasts a
flourishing men's world tour valued this year at more than $3
million.
Al-Turki has been appointed Chairman of the new board. The
UK-based Saudi, Vice-Chairman of the ATCO Group, is the driving
force behind the Saudi International. Launched four years ago,
the event will offer a record $250,000 prize fund this December.
Last month, Al-Turki announced that the ATCO Group will sponsor
the PSA's flagship Super Series Finals Championship, which will
be staged for the first time at The Queen's Club in London next
year.
With Nicol and Al-Turki on the PSA board are Robert Graham,
the US-based Treasurer; former player Mark Chaloner, who
has stood down as Chairman; British lawyer Richard Bramall;
and players Lee Beachill, who assumes the position of
President, and Frenchman Renan Lavigne, who becomes Vice
President.
Tony Hands and Martin Macdonnell, who retired from the
board, have been appointed Honorary Life Members of the PSA.
 "The
appointment means a lot to me, it also means a lot to Saudi
Arabia - going from a country not known in Squash, to having a
Saudi head the PSA in four years is an accomplishment of its
own.
"I have been working for some time at ways to raise the profile
of squash, from meeting with potential sponsors to media and
marketing companies - and this appointment will validate my
position with them. It shows that the efforts I have put are
appreciated by all!
"But there’s a lot of work ahead, and with the PSA Executives,
the Board and of course the players, I feel that we can reach
our goals. All of us have the same objectives and I feel that
everyone feels positive about the direction the PSA is heading
towards."
Richard Graham, the
recently-appointed PSA CEO, added his enthusiasm for the new
board line-up: "There is an important array of skills and
experiences which are now reflected in the new board - led by
the new Chairman's proven international business expertise and
the event promotion experience introduced by Peter Nicol.
"While there is continuity within the board, there is also a
sense of change with the new appointments," Graham added. "The
board provides valuable support to the efforts of myself and my
colleague Alex Gough, the Chief Operating Officer.
"Our objective going forward include the re-launch of the top
events on the PSA Tour in 2010, including planning dates and the
sequence of events a year in advance to enhance broadcasting and
sponsorship opportunities; the renegotiation of PSA's
international TV and other commercial rights; and the elevation
of the profile of Squash and, in particular, our players."
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24-Jun-08:
PSA appoints Gus
Cook as
'Consultant for
the Americas'
The Professional Squash Association
has underlined the importance of the burgeoning Squash market in
North and South America by appointing Justin (Gus) Cook
as a consultant for the territory.
US-based Cook, the long-time promoter of the
Davenport Professional Championship in Virginia, has been
given responsibility for seeking new promoters and assisting
them, and current PSA partners, to create and develop new events
for the World Tour.
Cook is positive about the potential for his
new role: "I am very pleased to accept this newly-formed
position with the PSA and excited by the great many new pro
tournament prospects that certainly exist in North America.
"The sport in general has been gaining
momentum in this part of the world over the last 15 years and
the PSA represents the top echelon of elite players," Cook
continued. "These players are incredible to watch in action and
can help raise awareness of the sport to a new audience along
with creating added excitement in established squash
communities."
Cook started work
on this new project in April and has already made contact with
many potential promoters. He can be reached on e-mail at
guscook29@hotmail.com
or by telephone on (+1) 443 622 0360.
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18-Jun-08:
Frenchman Lavigne
to join PSA Board
 Renan
Lavigne will be the first Frenchman to become a Director of
the Professional Squash Association when his new position is
ratified at the next PSA Board meeting in August.
The 33-year-old world No27 from Marseille was invited to take up
the role by Chairman Mark Chaloner, replacing former President
Alex Gough (now the PSA's Chief Operating Officer) as a
senior player on the Board.
A member of the PSA since 1994, Lavigne has enjoyed a
distinguished career on the PSA Tour, reaching 14 finals and
winning eight titles, including the Danish Open, Kenya Open and
the Colombian Open twice.
The former world No17 has also represented France in six
successive World Team Championships since 1997.
The PSA Board meeting in August is expected to confirm Lee
Beachill as the Association's new President, with Lavigne
taking up the Vice President role.
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 "It
will be a great honour for me to get this position and I would like
to thank the PSA Board for its trust in me."
"I am passionate about squash and I am looking forward to
contributing to the growth of our Tour. I have the strong belief
that our Association is moving in the right direction."
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05-Jun-08:
PSA
appoints
Alex Gough as Chief Operating Officer
Former world No5 Squash player Alex Gough
has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Professional
Squash Association.
Gough will work closely with the
newly-appointed PSA CEO Richard Graham on the operational
aspects of Tour development, media coverage and promotion. His
primary role will be to instigate and monitor quality control on
all PSA Tour events, to ensure that they run to a consistently
high professional standard, and advise promoters on effective
management of their events.
Martin Macdonnell,
the PSA Board member who chaired the interview panel for the
recent CEO appointment, explained: "The majority of PSA events
are run very efficiently by highly experienced promoters, but as
we expand our Tour we are increasingly finding a need to assist
newer promoters in ensuring that their events are run in
accordance with our rules and marketed effectively to the Squash
public.
"We had identified a need for this position
before appointing the new CEO and the interview panel recommended
that now was the perfect time to further invest in the future of
the Tour. Alex's long term experience as a player and President
of PSA will make him effective from day one and his knowledge will
enable him to support the management and marketing experience of
our new CEO."
The 37-year-old Welshman, currently ranked 25
in the world, will immediately resign his position as President of
the PSA Board and retire from the Tour. [So
Long, Goughy]
Alex Gough has enjoyed a distinguished career
in squash since graduating from Cardiff University with a first
class honours degree in mathematics. A member of the PSA since
1993, Gough has appeared in 16 Tour finals, with title triumphs in
10. He has represented Wales with distinction in eight World Team
Championships and 18 European Team Championships. In 2006, he won
the British Open Over-35 title, and in Bermuda last December
became the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals of the
World Open.
"I am extremely excited to have been given this
opportunity at the PSA," said Gough. "I believe we have found a
fantastic new CEO in Richard Graham and I am looking forward to
working closely with him. The PSA Tour, and squash as a whole,
has huge potential right now and I am looking forward to the
challenge of making the sport look as exciting and as attractive
as we can.
"The PSA is incredibly lucky to have a
fantastic depth of talent in its players and I know that they are
ready and willing to help push the sport to the next level. We
need the top players in the game to become well known
personalities in the wider sporting world and be identifiably
associated with the PSA brand." |
Bye Bye Brackets
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02-Jun-08:
PSA appoints Richard Graham
as CEO
The Professional Squash Association has appointed Richard
Graham as its new Chief Executive. The former Chief
Operating Officer of the Parallel Media Group plc takes
up his position today (2 June).
"We received a very large number of applications for this great
opportunity - and from over 30 people who were seriously
considered for the appointment, we finally selected eight for
the short-list," said PSA Board member Martin Macdonnell,
Chairman of the Interview Panel.
"I was fortunate enough to be able to call on an interview panel
with a great depth of experience. In addition to the majority of
the PSA Board, the panel included Ziad Al-Turki, Vice
Chairman ATCO Group and promoter of both the Saudi International
Squash Tournament and the Super Series Finals; Peter Nicol
MBE, founder of Peter Nicol Squash and a Director of Eventis
Sports Marketing, promoters of the Canary Wharf Classic and
English Open; and Gordon Baird, the former Dunlop
Marketing Director and Managing Director of Adidas and
Timberland. Furthermore, the process was facilitated by PSA
Interim CEO Ted Wallbutton.
"The selection of Richard for the CEO post was unanimous and I
am confident that we have found and appointed a person with the
skill set and personality to take PSA forward into an exciting
new era," Macdonnell concluded.
Richard Graham brings to the role considerable experience in
sports marketing: During his tenure at Parallel Media Group plc
- an AIM-listed sports/media company - the company posted its
maiden profit, raising around €5 million in new sponsorship
revenue. Graham managed 16 staff in London and Hong Kong, and
the company ran two major golf tournaments in Asia for the PGA
European Tour.
Previously, the new PSA CEO worked with a number of sports
federations, including the Lawn Tennis Association, the
Lipton International Players Championships in Miami and
British Equestrian Promotions. Since leaving PMG in
January, Graham has acted as an independent sponsorship agent to
a variety of rights holders, including Birmingham City FC,
Honda F1 Racing, SnowsportGB and the English
Open Golf Championship.
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 "I’m
extremely excited about the potential that exists within squash and
delighted to be joining the PSA. I feel that all of the experience
that I have gained from working in sport can be brought together in
this role.
"My principal objective is to help create an environment in which
all professional squash players can have realistic expectations of
earning a good living from the sport.
"I believe that squash has a strong base from which the Tour, the
PSA’s commercial partnerships and the sport’s media coverage can
each be developed. It is in these three areas that I hope to focus
my energy from the outset.
"I’ve already been impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of the
people that work within squash and in the PSA. I’m now looking
forward to meeting the players, event promoters and the various
federations within the game."
The PSA manages and promotes the men’s world professional squash
circuit from its head office in Cardiff, Wales. The annual PSA World
Tour, which forms the backbone of men's elite squash, features over
100 events, valued at US$2.6 million, in more than 40 countries. |
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31-May-08:
Richard Bramall
elected to board
British lawyer Richard Bramall has been elected onto the board of
the Professional Squash Association.
Specialising in commercial, employment and insurance law, Bramall is
an equity partner in a firm of solicitors in Yorkshire, England.
With wide interests in sport, including Squash, motor sport, winter
sports and football, he is also a director of Pontefract Squash
Club.
 "It
was a huge honour and privilege to be approached to sit as a board
member of the PSA," said Bramall. "I have worked for some time as a
director of Pontefract Squash Club and have thoroughly enjoyed
helping with the challenges of running a successful Club, while
witnessing the success of the players of all abilities and levels.
"Squash is clearly at a very exciting and progressive stage with the
sport and player-profile increasing, which is in turn raising Tour
revenue. I will endeavour to play my part in ensuring that the trend
continues."
Bramall succeeds Jack Herrick as a Director of the PSA. Herrick, a
former Chairman, retired last month after 14 years on the Board.
An announcement on the new PSA Chief Executive is expected shortly
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27-May-08:
PSA
Revises
PAR Scoring Reporting
The Board of the PSA
has decided to revise the reporting of its scoring system with
effect from 1 June.
The PSA's move in August 2004 to reduce of
the points in a game from 15 to 11 transformed men's
professional squash - making the sport more attacking, more
exciting, and considerably enhancing its spectator and
television appeal.
When a game score reached 10-10, a
'tie-break' was introduced, the winner needing a lead of two
clear points. A game finishing at, say, '15-13' was reported as
'11-10 (5-3)'.
From 1 June, all game scores will be reported
in full.
"Our original intention was to make the
presentation of our results simpler, with all games finishing at
11 points," said PSA President Alex Gough. "But after
lobbying from various sections of the game - and the realisation
that the full presentation of the scores is clear and acceptable
to the general sports world - we have decided to make the
change."
Steve Cubbins,
the webmaster of
www.squashsite.co.uk and one of the leading
campaigners for the change, commented: "PSA's move to 11-scoring
was undoubtedly a great success, and the '2-clear' element added
much excitement to many matches.
"However the 11-10 (x-x) reporting method
took a simple system (first to 11, 2 clear) and made it
unnecessarily complicated, so SquashSite decided to report
matches 'as they happened', eg 15/13.
"We are delighted that a standard method of
recording the score, reflecting what actually happens, has been
agreed."
WISPA, who recently announced that the
women's professional game will also move to PAR scoring to 11 in
July, will also adopt the new presentation.
Bye Bye Brackets |
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