Australia & Namibia Declare Intent To Host PSA World Tour Events In 2010

Two top level squash events in Australia's Gold Coast and Namibia are to be established as part of the re-structuring of the Professional Squash Association's World Tour in 2010.

Quinton Van Rooyen, Managing Director of Namibia's Trustco Group, and John Preston, President of the Gold Coast Combined Chambers of Commerce are the driving forces behind the new initiatives.

Van Rooyen, an active squash player, declared his interest in bringing top level sport to Namibia: "Namibia is a great sporting venue and the country is ready to host more major sports events. The media, local government and business community will all get behind the tournament to ensure that the players and fans have a fabulous experience here for many years to come."

The emergence of the Gold Coast, Australia's premier tourist destination, is also a major boost for squash in a country which has a rich tradition in the sport, but has not staged a major tournament for the past 17 years.

John Preston, who heads a successful event promotions company as well as being President of the Gold Coast Combined Chambers of Commerce, explained his reasons behind seeking to run a PSA event as part of the World Tour.

"The Gold Coast annually supports a number of top level sports events, and we see squash as a natural complement to these. The Gold Coast has already declared its candidacy for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, in which squash is a core sport - so this is a good fit for us. We have tremendous facilities, fantastic weather and an enthusiastic sports-playing population. The fact that squash has also emerged strongly in the Middle East is significant for us, as this is a part of the world that regularly sends many tourists to the Gold Coast."

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke has had a long association with the sport: "In an earlier life I was involved, in the formation of a world series tour of Australia by Jonah Barrington and Michael Corby from the United Kingdom competing against Geoff Hunt and Ken Hiscoe, then later built up a champion team at Cannons Sports Club in London when the professional league first started in the UK - so I am looking forward to renewing my association with the sport, and seeing it re-kindled here on the Gold Coast."

Richard Graham, Chief Executive of the PSA, explained how the discussions evolved with both venues: "In June of this year, we set a target for the PSA to secure two major events by the end of 2008. We've achieved this with about a month to spare.

"This announcement is just a first step in a process we are undertaking to overhaul squash and have it recognised as a media-friendly, commercially-successful sport.

"Both the Gold Coast and Namibia reacted enthusiastically to the prospect of joining the PSA World Tour from the outset.

"We have found two fantastic people in John Preston and Quinton Van Rooyen who can bring fresh ideas to the sport - and who have expertise in entertainment and the media.

"Namibia is a country that is sports-mad and will get 100% behind the event. Australia has a glorious heritage in squash - producing world champions over many years. It is essential that the sport has a showcase event in Australia. The Gold Coast is an ideal venue to become the home of Australia's premier tournament for many years to come," added Graham.

"The fact that squash is so resilient to the economic woes of the world at present shows that it is a sport of real quality. These two events will add around 10% to the overall prize money of the PSA Tour, and there aren't many sports that are expanding at the moment. We now have over 240 PSA-sanctioned events worldwide.

"As we continue to build our media value during 2009, we will offer prospective sponsors an economical and exciting way to reach an audience whose demographic profile is second to none and hopefully make a compelling case for squash to be included in the Olympic family for 2016," Graham concluded.