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13/09/2015
psa news
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PSA and ESF Announce European Under 23 Circuit
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The Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the European Squash
Federation (ESF) are delighted to announce the launch of a new European
Under 23 Tour which will begin with the JW Cannon British Under 23 Open
on Friday January 8, 2016.
The initiative has been put in place with the dual purpose of helping
young players reach their full potential and assisting them in
successfully making the transition from junior tournaments to fully
fledged PSA World Tour events.
Each host venue will offer $2,000 in prize money in both the Men's and
Women's events while the participants will be able to earn points that
will count towards their PSA World Rankings – helping new players
bolster their position within the professional ranks before making the
move to compete alongside the world’s best players.
“The inception of the European Under 23 Tour will enable young players
to go through a seamless transition as they aim to make the step up from
junior competition to participate on the PSA World Tour,” said PSA Chief
Executive Officer Alex Gough.
“This endeavour is in keeping with our aim of making PSA World Tour
events more accessible for all our members, helping young players reach
their maximum potential and increasing playing opportunities across the
sport as we continue to try and grow professional squash around the
globe.”
The highly regarded British Under 23 Open, which takes place at the
Roehampton Club in London, makes its first appearance on the calendar
since 1990 when luminaries such as Jahangir Khan, Rodney Martin and
Susan Devoy lifted the prestigious trophy in the past.
“The ESF and the PSA have for some time wanted to work together towards
improving the opportunities for our post-19 players'” commented ESF
President Zena Wooldridge.
“This is a much needed collaborative venture which we hope will grow
just as the ESF junior and masters' circuits have. We are grateful to
Tim Garner and the PSA for their commitment to this project, to the
Swiss Federation for delivering the pilot event and to Roehampton Club
for hosting in January. I'm sure this new circuit will make a real
difference to our aspiring future professionals."
Roehampton Racquets Manager Paul Lindsay said: "Roehampton Club is
delighted to be confirmed as the host of the JW Cannon British U23 Open,
which is part of the new ESF & PSA Under 23 circuit.
“The British U23 Open, with principle sponsor JW Cannon, sits perfectly
alongside other external tournaments including the JW Cannon BSPA GP
Finals and is a reflection of the members’ efforts to drive squash
participation both internally and externally.
"Roehampton Club now boasts six glass back courts including a new sixth
show court with options for both singles and doubles play. We are
excited to welcome everyone to the event in January 2016 and seeing some
world class squash at our club.”
Further events are set to be added to the European Under 23 Tour from
February 2016 onwards as the Tour looks set for some encouraging growth
going forward.
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