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Chaloner to focus on Communication within PSA
By Martin Bronstein © 2002 SquashTalk; all rights of reproduction reserved.
Jan 1, 2003             

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“It’s all about communication,” says Mark Chaloner, the new president of the PSA who promises to push for greater changes in the new year.

New PSA President Mark Chaloner speaks with Squashtalk's Martin Bronstein. Photo © 2002 Debra Tessier

Mark has been on the circuit for eleven years and was one of those players who never really got involved with the voting at the AGM when the new board was appointed. As a player, Chaloner, now aged 30, has been there, done that: top ten player and England team member that won the world team championship in the early nineties. He is known for his superb athleticism and recently has shown that he can slip into an attack mode to surprise his opponents who feel his weakness is at the front of the court.

When the circus landed in Antwerp for the world open – the first in three years – no-one expected any fireworks at the AGM, but Chaloner, for reasons revealed in this interview with Squashtalk, decided to take an active part. He gathered a mountain of proxy votes and when the dust had settled after the voting for the board members, president David Palmer had been voted out as had been Robert Edwards, who calls himself The Voice of Squash. There were 92 votes, more than at any time in the history of the association, and suggestions that for the first time ‘the few’ had been outvoted by the true membership. Rodney Eyles and Mark Cairns, had resigned, as they no longer played the circuit so the four vacant places went to Chaloner, Alex Gough of Wales, Graham Ryding of Canada and Irish Irish businessman Martin Macdonald who join existing members Robert Graham, the US-based former
English player; England player Tony Hands; and Jack Herrick, the Chairman from the USA.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO GO ON THE BOARD?
Chaloner: I was fed up with moaning on the sidelines. I’ve done my share of moaning and I got frustrated because things don’t seem to be happening. Maybe they are but you can’t see it from outside. I felt it was about time and that I was now in a position to dedicate a reasonable about of time to benefit the game. I want to make my views heard and possibly that will make a difference.

WAS THERE ADEQUATE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PSA MANAGEMENT AND THE MEMBERS?
Chaloner: I don’t believe there has been in the past which is one reason why we set up a sub-committee, composed of players so that we can have a say in what decisions are made and get the message out to the rest of the players. We are going to make sure that the news gets out to players of all rankings. Normally the lower ranked players would miss out on any information simply because they would not be at major events.

BUT DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE A BIGGER SAY IN THE WAY THINGS ARE RUN AT THE PSA?
Chaloner: I’m one of the seven board members and it takes four out of the seven members to agree on a change.

THAT’S THE BOARD; WHAT ABOUT THE SUB COMMITTEE?
Chaloner: The players committee will be able to get the views of players of all different rankings and from different cultures. We can then put forward the suggestions from the members to the board.

WHAT HAS ANNOYED YOU OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AS A NORMAL MEMBER?
Chaloner: It has been the communication. You don’t get any feedback as to what is happening. You ask questions and you never get to find out what is happening. Communication is one of the most important aspects of any business…and I think it is about professionalism as well.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY?
Chaloner: We are looking to get up-to-date electronically. So we can enter a tournament via the website and check the entry lists. That one of the major frustations of a lot of players. Obviously players that travel a lot aren’t at home to get their mail. So e-mail is obviously the way forward and in the long run it will save quite a bit of money. It’s also a major selling point for promoters.

ANOTHER MAJOR OBJECTIVE?
Chaloner: We’ve got to make our members more aware of being professional and how they should act. Remind them that promoters put a lot of money into tournaments and basically supply us with a living. Players should understand what is expected of them, and we have to look after the sport.

ON THAT SUBJECT OF BEHAVIOUR, THERE HAS BEEN SUCH A BAD REACTION OVER PLAYER BEHAVIOUR, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARDS TO ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE REFEREES, THAT THE WSF WERE FORCED TO ISSUE NEW DIRECTIVES TO THE REFEREES. DID YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
Chaloner: Yes, I think they could be much stricter. It has reached a stage where there is too much abusive communication going on. I think it is very dangerous if you stop communication altogether because spectators enjoy a bit of banter as long a sit is good-hearted and informative.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW TO STOP YOUR PLAYERS ABUSING THE REFEREE?
Chaloner: Every time a conduct point is levied a report is sent to PSA and WSF and from that report there is a procedure for disciplinary action.

BUT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED RECENTLY. ANTHONY HILL WAS RARELY PENALISED FOR HIS CONSTANT OUTBURSTS. DAVID PALMER WAS NOT PENALISED FOR HIS MANY TANTRUMS.
Chaloner: The feeling now is that things are going to get stricter. We realise how important it is to look the part and also to be seen doing the right things by coming down quite hard on players who are disruptive.

DID YOU NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE ON THE PART OF THE REFEREES AT THE WORLD OPEN?
Chaloner: Yes, I thought they came down pretty hard and were quicker and to an extent in worked. The difficulty is drawing the line: stamping their authority on the game without jumping down the players’ throats and stifling any communication.

I HEARD THAT DAVID PALMER WAS VOTED OUT BECAUSE OF HIS CONSTANT RUN-INS WITH REFEREES. AS PRESIDENT OF THE PSA PLAYERS FELT HE SHOULD HAVE SET AN EXAMPLE. IS THIS TRUE?
Chaloner: I wouldn’t like to comment on that.

DO YOU THINK THAT ROBERT EDWARDS SHOULD CONTINUE AS THE WORLD TOUR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR?
Chaloner: I’m sure that will be discussed at the next meeting.

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