Good luck to all concerned in the ambitious new Squash Design Tour which is about to start in the USA.

The USA is a major growth area for squash and the development of new professional events is a logical extension of an increase in court numbers across the continent, the rapid growth of the US College circuit, and progressive health club chains like the Life Time group recognising the value of making squash one of their prime activities.

Now the Squash Design Pro Tour is set to launch with a tournament in Madison, Wisconsin, from October 20-25, followed by further events in Goshen, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Rhode Island, Philadelphia and Boca Raton, finishing on December 13.

That’s seven events in less than two months and represents a major breakthrough for the PSA and their ability to provide a solid tournament structure for ambitious young members in the States.

As well as the new events, it’s also good to see the Squash Design brand undergoing a commercial renaissance. I know that company founder Rich Walton was pleased to find a good home for the brand after one or two disappointments with earlier partnerships.

“We are hoping to increase awareness of squash by bringing more events across the United States,” said Sahel Anwar, partner in Squash Design and Premier Performance Squash. “It is our hope to organise this tour annually – bringing the sport to even more cities.”

In addition to players earning PSA World Ranking points and prize money, there will be a separate points standing for the Squash Design Tour which will allow the players to earn additional prize money based on their points standing.

Gus Cook, PSA Representative for the Americas, added: “The communities are excited to see international level events being played in their home clubs.  The players, particularly the new rising stars, are happy to have a tour support their efforts, and showcase their talent.  This is obviously good for squash.

“Having the events linked together on a timeline, and not being too far apart in location, should make it much easier financially for the players travelling from further away. The new tour could grow to include a number of additional new smaller size events in 2010 that will provide great opportunities for the up-and-coming US players along with many others too.”

Leading US touring pro Gilly Lane also added his enthusiasm for the new initiative, saying:  “I am very excited for the upcoming Squash Design Tour. This series of events is great not only for the players but for the growth of squash in the US. 

“With new tournaments in Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, Squash is expanding to areas all across the country. These tournaments will draw some of the world’s best players and provide a great showcase for our sport in America.  I am looking forward to competing in these events and hope that it is a stepping stone for future US tours.”

SQUASH DESIGN TOUR: TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Madison Open: Madison, WI (Oct 20–25)

Goshen Open: Goshen, IN (Oct 25–31)

Pittsburgh Open: Pittsburgh, PA (Nov 04–08)

Baltimore Cup: Baltimore, MD (Nov 10–15)

Rhode Island Open: Newport, RI (Nov 18–22)

Fairmount Open: Philadelphia, PA (Dec 02–06)

Betty Griffin Memorial Florida State Open: Boca Raton, FL (Dec 08–13)

One league, three systems

One league and three scoring systems. Sounds confusing, but that’s the situation in Vancouver as the new season starts.

The Vancouver Squash League will feature PAR11 for Division One male players, PAR15 for Division One females, and traditional hand-in, hand-out to nine for all other competitors from Divisions Two to Eight.

We look forward to receiving some feedback from the VSL, who have posted the following notice on their website: “The above scoring systems will be in effect throughout the season and can only be discussed, changed or debated at the next AGM. We hope that you attend the next AGM to voice your opinion and vote on the direction that the league takes in future seasons.” 

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, Squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

BY Alan Thatcher

Behold! The Magnificent Mile.

To say that Chicago is proving a popular location for the Aon US Open would be a staggering understatement.

The event has been playing to sell-out crowds around the glass court set up in Pioneer Court, just off Michigan Avenue, which is known as the Magnificent Mile.

And magnificent is a tribute heard often at courtside as spectators familiar with the sport and those watching it for the first time gasp in admiration at the speed, skill and athleticism of the world’s leading players.

Photographs of the glass court in front of the architectural splendour of the Chicago skyline provide iconic images of squash’s location-driven potential as a money-spinning spectator sport.

Squash enthusiasts unable to secure a seat around the courtside have been able to take advantage of the free view through the front wall. Several hundred passers-by stopped to watch the quarter-finals and organisers were considering the option of installing more seats for the semi-finals and final this weekend.

Following the disappointment of the IOC vote that banished squash into the Olympic wilderness for a further four years, this Chicago success story has given the sport a timely boost.

The players have underscored their entertainment value, which has to be their greatest priority and a path which leads to commercial rewards, and reinforced the view that no further tampering with the rules is necessary.

The package they can deliver is a high-quality product that has attracted significant sponsorship interest from Windy City corporations for this year and future editions of the tournament.

The success of last year’s Sweet Home Chicago Open, played at the same open-air location, resulted in the the organisers securing the rights to the US Open.

The local media are gradually taking an interest, with TV, radio and newspaper coverage gradually taking shape and adding further value to the efforts of US Squash, the sponsors and Imran Nasir’s brilliant team of volunteers.

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, Squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

BY Alan Thatcher

Sadly, news emerges that the IOC vote to nominate golf and rugby sevens for the 2016 Olympic Games was decided before squash even made its final presentation to the IOC.

WSF Olympic Bid Co-Ordinator Dr George Mieras, writing in his official report on the WSF website and here on SquashStars, admits that a well-informed insider had let slip that golf and rugby sevens had been agreed on as far back as June.

IOC chief Jacques Rogge subsequently claimed that the sports had been selected in Berlin because “they would bring extra value to the Games.”

Those remarks were discussed in my last column, but one glance at the nations represented by the 15-man IOC Executive Committee responsible for the nominations may also give a clue as to the likely outcome of any voting procedure, whether genuine or otherwise.

As well as the Belgian Dr Rogge, the other officials came from Greece, Japan, Germany, China, Singapore, Italy, South Africa, Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, Namibia, Morocco and Puerto Rico.

Now, Squash hardly makes a ripple in any of those countries, and in some, the Squash communities, small to start with, are showing signs of decline.

So it hardly needs an Einstein to work out that our sport was never going to make much of an impact on such a collection of individuals, no matter how professional the presentation.

As I mentioned in my last column, we need to find ways to expand our global base in terms of participation numbers, and completely rethink the way the professional game is marketed. Hopefully both ends will meet somewhere in the middle as we seek to raise the profile of Squash.

By becoming stronger at all levels, we can dream of becoming a sport that can stand on its own two feet, attract major sponsors, deliver value to those companies by creating fantastic tournaments that generate extensive media coverage and attract newcomers to the game. And not worry overmuch about the Olympics until we can show that Squash can provide the kind of commercial value obviously required by the IOC.

TWO SCORING SYSTEMS ARE NEEDED, AND A NEW BALL

The introduction of PAR11 scoring is causing raging controversy throughout the UK, with the leading club players happy to adopt but members lower down the leagues absolutely against it. Sean Hayden, who plays league squash in both Surrey and Middlesex, writes with some interesting points about the choice of scoring systems, plus his views on the double yellow dot ball.

I just wanted to make a few points about the scoring system that has now forced its way into both the Surrey Cup and, from next season, the Middlesex League.

I personally think that Squash is a poorer game for it and I completely agree with you that there is no harm and more benefits in having two scoring systems in place.

My biggest argument is this: The PAR scoring system was brought in primarily for the spectators at PSA tournaments. I don’t know about other leagues, but in both the Surrey and Middlesex First Division leagues in which I play the only spectators we get are your team-mates, who are anxious for you to hurry up and finish, and possibly one of the opposition’s bored girlfriends who has been dragged out of the house against her free will.

Another example to show how following the pros has led to a deterioration in the game is the ball. The double yellow dot was introduced for the professionals and the upper levels of Squash.

These days, even during the midst of winter, you see the ‘beginners’ in the eighth team, where the average rally is TWO shots, STILL playing with a double yellow dot. It’s ridiculous.

Anyway that’s my 2p worth. I must say I do hope this scoring system continues to be debated and is reviewed nationally in a year’s time.

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, Squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

By ALAN THATCHER

I’m currently packing my bags for the Aon US Open and looking forward to my first trip to Chicago. The draw looks phenomenal, with Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana the top two seeds, followed by David Palmer, Peter Barker, Adrian Grant, Wael El Hindi, James Willstrop, Olli Tuominen, Hisham Ashour, Shahier Razik, Saurav Ghosal and US wild card Gilly Lane.

The all-glass court in Pioneer Court, between Tribune Tower and the Chicago River

This PSA Five Star tournament takes place in the open-air, with the glass court in a fantastic city centre location, so let’s hope for some balmy evenings that will help to attract sizeable crowds.

The organisers have worked phenomenally hard, in conjunction with US Squash, to get everything ready in time and they deserve a successful week.

I look forward to filing daily reports from the Windy City.

Email me with your news and views: alan@squashuk.com

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, Squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.

By ALAN THATCHER

The news that squash was not selected as one of two sports to go forward to the big IOC vote in October was disappointing enough. To learn that the sport failed to register a single vote at the IOC meeting in Berlin yesterday was devastating.

Let’s consider that position.

No votes at all. Zero. Nil points. Nothing. A total blank.

That’s where we are, folks. Not even on the radar when it came to the big IOC vote.

In squash terms, it was like the ultimate humiliation of a triple-bagel scoreline.

After golf and rugby sevens got the nod, ahead of squash and four other sports, IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “In the end, the decision came down to which two sports would add the most value.”

That’s protocol shorthand for “these two sports will make the most money for us”. I have written many times in the past about this subject and perhaps Mr Rogge’s admission proves that the IOC places higher value on commercial success than sporting integrity.

We were always led to believe that the ideals and moral values of the Olympic Games meant that we were watching the purest form of sport in the world. However, by adopting a “variety” of a major sport, as in the case of rugby sevens, it is like having the synchronised swimming and diving but without any actual swimming events.

Lots of raw emotions came tumbling out from squash lovers yesterday as the IOC decision was announced. There were bitter criticisms of the IOC on Facebook and various squash forums, plus one or two minor snipes at the squash governing bodies, but let’s examine Mr Rogge’s statement in depth.

In terms of the IOC’s commercial activities, large American corporations who sponsor the Games, and the TV networks that pay large sums for the broadcasting rights, must surely have some kind of input into the decision-making process. We would be rather naïve to expect otherwise.

The TV broadcasters know they can sell prime-time advertising slots for commercials during the golf and rugby sevens competitions, but squash does not enjoy the same kind of profile.

That’s not surprising. I hope I don’t get lynched at the US Open in Chicago for saying this, but ask any American about squash and 99 per cent of them will tell you it’s a vegetable. Most of the other one per cent think it’s a kind of racketball.

If you don’t believe me, set up a Google Alert to have any article about squash sent to your email inbox. You will soon be inundated with all kinds of recipes about what to do with left-over squash.

So, in terms of product recognition, we are not performing terribly well in the world’s major economy.

This is despite a vibrant governing body, a booming College League and a growing number of professional tournaments in the USA, which is rapidly becoming a major magnet for many of the world’s leading coaches.

All things considered, perhaps it’s not too surprising that an excellent presentation by the WSF for a sport that ticks all of the necessary Olympic boxes failed to make any headway.

So, where do we go from here? Our priorities as a sport must be to raise the profile of squash at all levels, increase participation levels, fight court closures and deliver high-quality TV coverage on a regular basis throughout the world.

I am preparing a dossier for the WSF with a selection of ideas as to how we can achieve this and look forward to reporting back in due course.

I do know that one brave individual is attempting to mount a legal challenge aimed at proving that the IOC’s voting procedure in Singapore four years ago, when squash and karate were voted in at the first stage and then removed by a subsequent second round of voting, was illegal.

Alan Thatcher is a journalist, squash’s No.1 TV commentator, a tournament promoter and a club coach. He is also busy with a sports club he recently co-founded in England (called TriSports) which provides sporting opportunities for young people, especially those who are homeless, unemployed or disadvantaged.