Women’s Squash Rebrands for a New Era
by Elliot Selby
November 9, 2011 - A new name has been chosen by the governing body of women's squash to reflect the dynamic changes in the game.
Determined to build on the achievements of its parent organisation, the Women's International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA), the Women’s Squash Association (WSA) will be born on January 1st 2012, Olympic year.
With the women’s tour already composed of 70 tournaments across five continents and boasting a growing membership approaching 400, the governing body is ready for its journey into a rapidly changing new era.
The change from WISPA to WSA, which will also incorporate a new logo and website design, was decided by unanimous vote at WISPA’s Annual General Meeting during last week’s highly successful World Open in Rotterdam.
The newly-inaugurated WSA will begin 2012 with tournaments in the USA.
Its leading player, Malaysia’s Nicol David, is an Asian superstar, and the recent World Open produced an Indian quarter-finalist and a Mexican semi-finalist for the first time, reflecting its global presence.
Central to WSA’s ambitions will be further co-operation with the men’s tour, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the game’s governing body, the World Squash Federation (WSF), further enhancing squash’s bid for inclusion in the Olympic Programme for 2020.
WISPA Chairman and acting Chief Executive Officer Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer said: “The new name will make women's squash a much more distinct brand, further enhancing our marketing potential for sponsors. The next two years are very important for squash. Our game is now truly global, television coverage of the World Series with our friends at PSA has improved dramatically giving us exciting new audiences and the Olympic decision for 2020 is pending. It’s exciting; we can’t wait for the challenge.”
Tournaments until the end of December will still be branded as WISPA, after which a new website for the WSA will be launched early in the New Year and will become the hub for the latest news and events in women's squash.
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