April 4, 2001. On the Peter Nicol's move from Scotland to England...
Sir,
Recently I looked at the Melbourne website http://www.melb2001squash.com.au and, as ever, I was greatly impressed by the dedicated, enthusiastic and professional approach adopted by the Australians when it comes to promoting and participating in sport. They are a world apart, in more than the physical sense, from some of the seemingly negatively motivated sports organisations in the UK, where World Squash Champion Peter Nicol has switched allegiance from Scotland to England.
The response to his defection was a threat, issued by the Scottish Commonwealth Games Council, to prevent him from defending his Commonwealth title in Manchester this summer, which I believe typifies the lack of understanding of the needs of professional, and amateur, sportsmen and women by the Scottish Commonwealth Games Council.
Peter Nicol was not a product of any SportScotland or national governing body-funded development programme, yet it seems inevitable that Scottish sports administrative bodies will now seek to penalise a man who, at the age of twenty-seven, must put professionalism before patriotism if he is to remain physically capable of competing at the highest level in the most demanding of racket sports; it is also disappointing that those same administrative bodies seem unwilling or unable to accept the consequences of their own policies, for they contributed nothing to Nicol's rise through the rankings, nor did they help him to win any championships; Nicol did it himself: primarily through the backing of his father, Pat, and also through the inexhaustible enthusiasm of Dr. Eric Farr MBE. Nor was the refinement of his game in England the sole reason for his success; one cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. However, these factors, combined with the uniqueness of Nicol's self-belief and sheer determination, and also through the professionalism of his English mentors, are what provided the invaluable support required to continue the development of a Scottish-born-and-raised World Champion. It is important to add that such 'real-world' support passes far beyond the realms of pure administration, and if there is one thing that Nicol must be, especially at this stage of his career, he must be realistic.\
If the powers-that-be could match the courage and, with it, the brutal honesty and pragmatism shown by Nicol in making such a fundamentally challenging and controversial decision, the development of squash in Scotland might undergo a rapid and significantly beneficial revolution; if not, a precedent may have been set which others of similar status to Nicol's might seek to follow. What better time than now, with the installation of a new regime in the administration of Scottish Squash, to reassess the attitudes of sport-based bureaucrats towards those to whom it is their duty to offer meaningful support?
What better way to begin to heal an already catastrophic rift, than to raise the status of those who excel in squash (where financial rewards, even at the highest levels, are miniscule when compared with those of other, more high-profile games) above that of those who serve purely as administrators?
If this approach seems over-simplistic, one might consider the impact, or lack thereof, created by spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to create the Centre of Excellence at Heriot-Watt; how many junior players who have passed through the centre have mirrored, or even approached, the level of success achieved by a man who, in his formative years, worked in isolation, in Inverurie, with his father and a family friend?
While one must acknowledge Nicol's unique characteristics, one should also be aware that the late Colin Keith, and both Martin and David Heath, all shared the same coach as they developed from junior regional and national levels to senior National, European and World participatory levels. All were coached, in the main, outwith the Scottish Squash development programme.
Is it just, then, for Scotland to seek a return from its current professional and independently developed players? Is it right that 'imported' players should benefit financially under current regulations, while home-grown players cannot? Is it morally defensible that Scottish administrators should seek to impose a penalty that would, quite clearly, impinge upon the career and earning potential of a World Champion? \
Possibly, Peter Nicol awaits the outcome of this affair with gritted teeth. But this most amiable and popular sportsman does not wait alone: the World waits with him.
- Eric Burey National Development Officer Scottish Squash 1991-95
