SquashTalk >News > WISPA Invests in American Court

State of the Art Tour Court Purchased by WISPA
by Ron Beck © 2002 SquashTalk

May 7, 2002 © 2002      

WISPA Takes Big initiative in North American Market

The Women's Professional Squash Tour, just going into the second in a swing of four tour events in the USA — Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle — announced last week support for its growing North American circuit through WISPA purchase of its own portable all-glass squash court.

NORTH AMERICAN GROWTH
In 2002, eleven WISPA tour events take place in the USA and an additional three in Canada, close to one quarter of their global calendar. Recognizing the movement of events towards the North American market, the new WISPA German-made ASB One-Way Vision glass court will be based in the United States and made available, at advantageous rates, for women's events in north America.

The rapid increase in WISPA event is North America over the past three years is made more remarkable by the absence of any American or Canadian players in the WISPA top twenty.

"Our primary aim is to give WISPA Tour events the opportunity to upgrade onto glass at an affordable rate," said Andrew Shelley, executive director of WISPA."We are also more than happy to make the court available to any promoters of events in North America."

STATE OF THE ART
The new court is scheduled to arrive at ASB USA in Georgia in the July timeframe. The next major event after arrival of the new court is a men's event, the US Open in Boston in September. That event is currently scheduled to be staged on the aging Event Engine plastic court. Event Engine recently purchased that older court from the PSA.

The new state-of-the-art all-glass court offers excellent playability and superb clarity for television coverage. The WISPA court has the same specifications as the one unveiled earlier this month at the British Open at England's new National Squash Centre in Manchester, the venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

The glass court is compatable with the state-of-the art glass courts at Yale University, Trinity College, and Pennsylvania's Hill School. Playability should be similar — the glass courts tend to reward spin and shotmaking well.

MYSTERY DONOR
The WISPA purchase has been made possible by a link with LSW Logistics, a US-based information systems company which is sponsoring the purchase. LSW, though, refused to supply any more information about themselves or the reasons for their largess to the women's pro tour.

The London-based women's player body will manage bookings for WISPA World Tour and any other events that wish to use it, with transportation and venue builds being handled by ASB America. The WISPA women's tour in North America has rapidly expanded from a prize fund of less than $50,000 in 1997, to a projected 13 events boasting a total prize fund in excess of $280,000 this year.

"We have a blossoming Tour, with North American events to the fore, but little opportunity for them to grow and for our members to reap the benefits," explained WISPA Director Andrew Shelley, who initiated the scheme. "Now, we can solve the problem by providing the first glass show court on the continent - thus offering our promoters a really high quality, as well as economical, option.

"We are delighted that LSW see the benefits of a link with the WISPA Tour and their support has enabled us to realise this plan. Promoters are our lifeblood and we are committed to encouraging them at every turn," Shelley added.

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