SQUASHTV plan live coverage of Dunlop British Junior Open and European Team Championships
By ELLIE MAWSON
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has reached agreements with England Squash, Edgbaston Priory Club and the University of Birmingham which will see SQUASHTV, the broadcast arm of the PSA, produce live coverage of January’s Dunlop British Junior Open and May’s European Team Championships, both of which will take place in Birmingham and be made available for free to SQUASHTV digital subscribers.
Following on from last year’s successful production of the Dunlop British Junior Open, an agreement has been reached with England Squash which will see SQUASHTV broadcast live action of both the 2019 tournament – which will be held between January 2-6 – and the 2020 edition.
The Dunlop British Junior Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in junior squash and features the most talented young players from across the globe. The tournament makes up part of the newly-created WSF & PSA Satellite Tour which came into effect on August 1 as part of the PSA’s new tour structure and will be held at various venues in Birmingham, including Edgbaston Priory Club and the University of Birmingham.
Meanwhile, SQUASHTV cameras will be on-site at the European Team Championships in Birmingham for the first time ever between May 1-4 after an agreement with Edgbaston Priory Club. France and England currently hold the men’s and women’s titles respectively and the tournament will be held in England for the first time since 2003.
“We have made continual improvements to our SQUASHTV platform year after year and we are pleased to expand our coverage of squash by broadcasting live action from the Dunlop British Junior Open and European Team Championships,” said PSA COO Lee Beachill.
“SQUASHTV currently showcases the professional game at the highest level. We have ambitions of making the platform the home of squash as a whole and adding these tournaments to the schedule will assist us in fulfilling that goal.
“Junior squash in particular is a breeding ground for the future stars of the sport and we are excited to reach a new generation of squash players and fans with this agreement with England Squash. We are also looking forward to working with Edgbaston Priory Club to make the European Team Championships a success.”
England Squash Chief Executive Keir Worth said: “We are thrilled to have SQUASHTV on board once again to broadcast the Dunlop British Junior Open. This is a great opportunity to showcase the world’s most iconic junior event to new audiences.”
Edgbaston Priory Club Head of Squash and Racketball Mike Edwards said: “It is superb to have top-level squash here at Edgbaston Priory Club where we will be erecting an all glass court for the first time in history.
“We have held a number of junior national events at the club in the past few years and I have had the pleasure of being the event director for the Dunlop British Junior Open here in 2018. The European Team Championships is special for us as we will be attracting some of the world’s best players to the club and we can’t wait to welcome all of the competitors, volunteers and spectators.”
About SQUASHTV
Launched by the PSA in 2010, SQUASHTV is the official home of live and on-demand squash, providing fans with unrivalled access to the world’s best squash action. Since January 1st, 2016, SQUASHTV has also partnered with Eurosport Player to expand coverage of the sport in Europe. With hundreds of matches shown live every year, SQUASHTV is the number one place to watch the drama unfold on the PSA Tour. Â
Pictures courtesy of PSA