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SSA Global Backs Windy City Open: North America’s Richest PSA Squash Event

SSA Global™, the largest Chicago-based software company and a leading provider of extended enterprise solutions and services, today (Tuesday) announced its title sponsorship of the 2006 SSA Global Windy City Open Squash Championships.  

SSA's sponsorship enables the Windy City Open to become the biggest (in prize money) PSA event of the season in the USA. The event supplants the New York based Tournament of Champions (TOC) as the most important men's ranking event in the USA. The TOC, which incorporates concurrent mens (PSA) and womens (WISPA) pro events, as well as a teaching-pro event, still is the largest in combined purse, if both events are included.

Anjema has career event in 2005 Windy City Open (photo © 2005 Debra Tessier)

RICH CHICAGO HISTORY
Squash in Chicago has a long and rich history, with several memorable national championships having been hosted there. The Windy City Open, named for Chicago's nickname, begain 25 years ago as a hardball pro WPSA event, and has run unchanged throughout the conversion from hardball to softball. Now with major sponsorship, Chicago has seized the attention of the squash world. Together with the Motor City Open in Detroit and the Dayton event in January, the USA Midwest is restaking its claim as a vibrant and important squash hub in the USA. Chicago, one of the most vibrant business cities in the USA, and always sports-starved and sports-crazed is a natural location for a major pro event.

The 25th annual tournament, which will take place at the University Club of Chicago from 16-24 January 2006, becomes the richest Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour event in North America.

Considered one of the top-10 PSA events on the world tour, the championship will draw nearly 60 world-renowned squash players, including number one-ranked Thierry Lincou from France.  Squash boasts more than one million players in the USA, with more than 1,500 in the Chicago area.

“Chicago is a vibrant squash community, and we are excited to host a tournament on par with the US, Qatar, British, and Hong Kong Opens,” said John Flanigan, tournament and athletic director, University Club of Chicago. “SSA Global has been integral in raising the game and elevating the tournament to world-class status.”

This year marks SSA Global’s third as the tournament’s title sponsor.  With a prize purse of $100,000, the 2006 SSA Global Windy City Open tops out as the most lucrative tournament in US professional squash history.  International competitors, including more than 200 amateur players of all skill levels, will travel to Chicago to compete in the event.

“SSA Global is competing and winning internationally in the top tier of enterprise software and services. This tournament provides the perfect opportunity to represent our business while sharing our passion for squash with Chicago and the rest of the world,” said Graeme Cooksley, executive vice president, SSA Global.  “Additionally, SSA Global has been headquartered in Chicago for 25 years and we want to help fortify the city’s global cache as a world travel destination through this international sport.”

The University Club expects to seat more than 2,000 spectators in Cathedral Hall alongside a special all-glass squash court.  SSA Global is the title sponsor of the event, while lead corporate sponsors include Cognos, Grant Thornton, LaSalle Bank, Mercer-Marsh and the Tilchen Corporation. Additional corporate sponsors include Foley & Lardner; Uline; Midland Marketing; Alpha Capital; Ancora Associates; Holstein Law and Front Row.

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