Manchester To Host Equal Prize Money Men's And Women's 2017 World Championships by Nathan Clarke May 3, 2016 -
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) have today announced that the
2017 PSA Men's and Women's World Championships will be held side by
side in Manchester, England from December 9 -17, 2017 when record equal
prize money will be on offer across both draws.
For the
first time ever the prize purse for the pinnacle event on both the
Men's and Women's Tours will be equal, with the winners set to take
home over $45,000 each.
The event will see almost 200 of the
world's best squash players descend on Manchester for the week-long
tournament, which will be staged at The National Squash Centre before
moving to Manchester Central from the quarter-final stage onwards.
Manchester
will be only the second destination ever, and the first since Rotterdam
in 2011, to host concurrent Men's and Women's World Championships and
will welcome squash players from upwards of 30 countries when the
action begins.
"We are delighted to confirm that the 2017
PSA Men's and Women's World Championships will take place in Manchester
during what will be a watershed moment for the professional tour," said
PSA CEO Alex Gough.
"Since hosting the Commonwealth Games in
2002, Manchester has become synonymous as a world class sporting
destination and achieving parity in prize money for the most
prestigious tournament on the PSA World Tour is a huge step forward
that everyone in the sport can be proud of.
"We look forward
to working closely with all at England Squash and Manchester City
Council over the forthcoming two years to ensure that the 2017 World
Championships go down as one of the most memorable of all time."
England
Squash Chief Executive Keir Worth said: "We are very excited to be
bringing both the Men's and Women's World Championships to Manchester in 2017 in what we feel will be a great move for squash not just in England but globally as well.
"England
is the birthplace of squash and we feel that it is fitting that we take
the lead in becoming the first country to rightly offer equality in
prize money to all the competitors across both draws.
"We
already enjoy a strong working relationship with the PSA and look
forward to building yet further on that over the next two years as we
continue to build towards what will be a fantastic week of sporting
action her win Manchester."
Manchester City Council's
Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Rosa Battle, said:
"We're committed to continuing to showcase the city as a hub of world
class sporting activity and are delighted to add the 2017 Men's and
Women's World Squash Championships to a calendar including athletics,
netball, basketball, cycling and football events.
"Manchester
is already a regular host of high profile squash tournaments, such as
the British Grand Prix at The National Squash Centre, so the addition
of the World Championships will continue to inspire a new generation of
players across the city."
The 2017 World Squash
Championships will be National Lottery funded by UK Sport. Simon
Morton, Chief Operating Officer at UK Sport, said: “UK Sport’s aim is
to inspire the nation through hosting world class sporting events here
in the UK, so we are very excited that the 2017 World Squash
Championships has been awarded to Manchester following England Squash’s
excellent bid.
“Squash is a dynamic, accessible and global
sport, in which we have enjoyed huge success with players like Nick
Matthew and Laura Massaro inspiring the next generation. The bid
partners were determined to secure a combined men’s and women’s event
and so it will be fantastic to see the world’s top athletes competing
here in the UK for the sport’s most sought after prize.
“We
look forward to working in partnership with the PSA, England Squash and
Manchester City Council to deliver a wonderful showcase for the sport.”
