Top Level Pro Squash
Circuit Launched in USA
Seeking to capitalize on the expansion of professional squash events in the USA and on projections for future growth of the indoor racquet and ball sport, Event Engine, Inc., the leading promoter of professional squash in North America, has announced the creation of a new men’s tournament series.
The 2003 – 04 U.S. Pro Squash Tour will feature six stops between September and April and offer a total of $220,000 USD in prize money. Competition will feature players from the top 30 in the world rankings, as determined by the Professional Squash Association, and each event will be a sanctioned PSA World Tour event. The men‘s World Tour features 40+ tournaments in 20 countries and offers $1.5 million in prize money.
The premier stops on the U.S. Tour, the U.S. Open in Boston’s Symphony Hall and the Tournament of Champions in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, will feature play on a four sided glass court set up temporarily for competition.
These two 'top ten' World Tour events will attract all the world’s best male players, while the remaining U.S. stops, Volvo Motor City Open, Marsh & McLennan Apawamis Open, EBS Dayton Open and Windy City Open, will draw a wider range of players. The Chicago stop will also be played on a portable court.
Tour Commissioner John Nimick, President of Event Engine, Inc., outlines the strategy behind the launch:
"Squash is a very popular international sport and has
a high quality participant base of about 300,000 regular players over here in America. The U.S. Pro Tour will present top level competition in an organized, easy-to-follow fashion while introducing these incredible athletes and the sport to new audiences. At the heart of our Tour will be the goal of using hi-tech, see-through portable courts wherever possible. Each year, tens of thousands of people get introduced to squash simply by walking past the New York event.
"The game is compelling. Squash remains the first and only world class sporting competition to be hosted by venues like Symphony Hall and Grand Central. We expect U.S. Tour events to replicate that experience in new markets thereby increasing awareness of squash and building value for sponsors."
The first sponsor affiliated with the U.S. Tour is Squash Magazine. Publisher Jay Prince comments, "Squash Magazine is proud to present this groundbreaking initiative in its inaugural season. We want to help bring the excitement of the international game to more fans in the U.S. We’ll profile the Tour in our magazine and website and help build the interest that will make the Tour and sport grow in the future."
Prize money earnings will be calculated from Tour events to produce an annual U.S. Pro Tour ranking. The Tour plans to add events and create a season-ending championship in 2005.
The complete 2003-04
Tour schedule is:
U.S. Open
September 13-16 $50,000
Symphony Hall, Boston
Volvo Motor City Open
September 17-20 $30,000
Birmingham Athletic Club, Detroit
MarshMcLennan Apawamis Open
January 9-12 $25,000
Apawamis Club, Rye, New York
EBS Dayton Open
January 14-17 $40,000
Dayton Squash Center
Tournament of Champions
February 21-28 $70,000
Grand Central Terminal, NYC
Windy City Open
March 31-April 3 $30,000
University Club of Chicago
