‘The goal is a standardised refereeing level across the world’
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor
The World Squash Federation (WSF) and Professional Squash Association (PSA) have jointly launched World Squash Officiating (WSO), an online education and appraisal portal designed to standardise officiating qualifications worldwide.
WSO has been launched with the aim of creating a worldwide standard in refereeing and a clear referee pathway. Anyone wishing to improve their knowledge of the sport can access a host of resources such as in-depth articles and presentations on rules as well as a comprehensive video library from the SQUASHTV archives which explains previous decisions made by referees on the PSA World Tour.
Users of the platform can also take part in a number of courses starting with a free Level 0 course – which serves as an overview and introduction into the rules of squash – up to Level 5, which is the highest level of refereeing achievable in squash and open to referees who wish to be considered for selection to referee the most prestigious WSF and PSA events.
“Creating a standardised level of refereeing across all WSF and PSA events has been an important goal of both organisations and we are delighted to formally launch our World Squash Officiating platform,” said WSF Chief Executive William Louis-Marie.
“We wanted to create something that could be used by those that are unfamiliar with the rules as well as experienced officials and we believe that this platform will be a game changer for prospective referees.
“I’d like to thank both the European Squash Federation and England Squash for their contributions to the project. Their support has been invaluable and both organisations have had an important role to play in bringing this project to fruition.”
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “We have been working closely with the WSF over the past 12 months to create World Squash Officiating and I am delighted to see this finally come to fruition.
“It’s incredibly important that we create a clear pathway for our referees as well as improving standards to ensure that we further enhance the spectacle of our top tier squash tournaments.”
WSO Director Roy Gingell said: “The World Squash Officiating platform will act as a one-stop shop for global officiating and will improve both the quality and quantity of referees around the world.
“We truly believe that the creation of WSO will have huge benefits to the sport, all the way from a grassroots level to the upper echelons of the game. I’m incredibly excited to take on the role of WSO Director and look forward to working with both the WSF and PSA to make this platform a success.”
About World Squash Officiating
The WSO is a partnership between the WSF and the PSA to create an online education and appraisal portal to standardise officiating qualifications worldwide as well as containing useful resources.
From a basic rules test (Level 0) through to the highest level of elite referees (Level 5), worldsquashofficiating.com is a platform for everyone wishing to improve their knowledge of the game with the aim of creating a worldwide standard in refereeing and a clear referee pathway.
Website: www.worldsquashofficiating.com
About WSF
The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the global governing body for the sport of squash and manages some of the sport’s major events, such as the World Team, Junior, Doubles and Masters championships. The WSF is a proud International Federation of approaching 150 Members and around 50,000 courts worldwide. There are also five Regional Federations under the WSF’s auspices.
Website: www.worldsquash.org
About PSA
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the global governing body responsible for the administration of both men’s and women’s professional squash around the world. With over 1,250 registered players and more than 200 events taking place around the globe every year, the PSA World Tour and the PSA Challenger Tour, both managed and run by the PSA, showcases the game of squash at its highest level in some of the world’s most unique and stunning locations.
Website: www.psaworldtour.com
Pictures courtesy of WSF