CSR Viridian renews partnership with Australian Squash Open
The Australian Open Squash Championships are proud to announce CSR Viridian as the major sponsor of the 2011 CSR Viridian Australian Open.
The CSR Viridian Australian Open in Canberra will showcase world class squash, with over a hundred of the best men and women competing to be the champion of this historic and prestigious title.
The event will be played on an all-glass squash court in the Royal Theatre that allows spectators to see the action through the glass walls whilst innovative technology ensures to the players, the walls appear solid and opaque.
“Our partnership with Viridian as Australia’s leading glass innovator is a natural fit and our objective is to further improve the spectator experience and television coverage to promote the sport,” Tournament Director Gary Hampson said.
Viridian is the largest manufacturer of residential and commercial glass in Australia and is a division of leading building products company, CSR.
Lachlan Austin, Viridian General Manager Marketing, sees real value in the partnership:
“Squash is the one major sport that now relies heavily on glass technology – fully adopting the unique and remarkable properties of this material, and truly using glass in extraordinary ways – so it is a natural fit for us,” he said.
“The current glass court technology has been around for decades, yet advances in glass technology are opening up exciting new capabilities and design opportunities every day.
“We see outstanding opportunities to apply some of our technical expertise to build a better court.
“If we can improve the overall experience for players and spectators, then this can only act to grow interest and participation in the sport.”
The ACT Squash Association is looking to extend the partnership to include the use of a wide range of CSR building materials in the construction of two new squash centres in the region.
“The wide range of innovative building materials from CSR and Viridian will allow us to construct quality, energy efficient, low cost, low maintenance and environmentally friendly squash centres to meet the growing demands from players in the Canberra region, “ Hampson said.
“We are planning that at least one new centre will have a permanent glass court and ten traditional courts to cater for the large, participation tournaments that attract 600-800 players,” said Gary Hampson.
About the Australian Squash Open
Held in Canberra from 8-14 August, the Australian Squash Open is a major world tour event with World Series status for both men and women. Over a hundred of the world’s top players will compete, including the top eight world ranked men and the top four women. Nick Matthew, world number one will return to defend his title from 2010. He will be joined this year by the women’s world number one, Nicol David from Malaysia. They will be competing for the historic Australian Open title and over $225,000 in prize money.
Play begins with qualifying matches at the Woden Squash Centre from Saturday 6 August and then moves to the Royal Theatre of the National Convention Centre in the CBD of Canberra from Monday 8 August.
Play will be held in the comfort of the Royal Theatre on the Centre Court and supported by the Australian Open Shop showcasing new sporting equipment and a Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening before the finals on Sunday 14 August.
About CSR Viridian
CSR Viridian is a Australia’s largest residential and commercial glass producer, employing 1,500 staff across Australia and New Zealand. Challenging its market to “use glass in extraordinary ways”, Viridian specialises in high performance glass including large format specialised laminates and structural glass, low-E insulating energy efficient glass, noise reduction glass, security glass, bushfire resistant glass and double glazing.