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 29-Oct-08:
PUTTING THE
RECORD STRAIGHT…
Needless
to say that Steve and I have been overwhelmed by all the support
we’ve been getting from all over the world over the last two weeks.
And we were as surprised as anyone to see the article from Rod
Gilmour, in the Telegraph, “SquashSite and PSA must act together”.
If we ever needed to feel that the work we’ve done for no financial
reward for the past five years was useful, that article spelled it
out for us, but it also underlined the fact that we need to make
sure that everybody has a clear picture of what led to the closure
of the site. So here goes ...
For months and months the lack of money, of structure to support
our efforts, of response for our pleas to all involved, and
frustration at not getting the conditions to work in or the respect
we honestly thought our hard work truly entitled us to, had really
damaged our will to go on to a breaking point.
If PSA played a role in the sudden closure of SquashSite, we had made
clear to a lot of people during the past months that we were
thinking of closing, that we were desperate for help, and still, our
pleas found no listeners. PSA was only one of the actors of
the drama that came to unfold during the World Championships
in Manchester, but they didn’t have the Starring Role, they just
happened to feature in the last act.
Ultimately the responsibility lies on the squash community in
general, the majority of whom were blissfully unaware of the sorry
state of our finances and minds, and the failure of all our attempts
to make the site financially viable.
The project we proposed to PSA was to merge PSA and SquashSite to
create new PSA branded site to serve the whole squash community.
At this point in time, the Board didn’t think it was achievable for
reasons, we understand, of finance and fairness. We may not agree with it, but they
took the decision they thought was the best for their members in
particular, and squash in general.
At the end of the day, PSA happened to be our last port of call, and
got all the blame for it. And that's unfair, we think.
With a new Chief Executive, new chairman and several new members,
they have great plans for our sport, great enthusiasm and some very
positive momentum.
However disappointing the whole affair has been, we feel it’s
time for all involved to turn the page, and work together to write a
new chapter for Squash, a chapter that will hopefully include a
higher profile for our sport and of course, our admission to the
Olympic Games.
As they say in many of the countries Steve and I have travelled to
recently, “Inshallah”. Look it up…
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Meet Mick Todd
Telegraph Article
SquashSite
& PSA
On 21st Oct, in response to a few negative reactions on the forum
to our closure, Steve posted this message to put the record
straight, and it's been on top of the list ever since ...
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SPOTLIGHT ON MICK TODD
We’ve received a lot of messages asking us about our new
Financial Director, Mick Todd. One thing is for sure, he is not your
typical “City Boy”, and to know him is to respect and adore him.
Here is “in a nutshell”, as he likes to say, “everything you didn’t
know you needed to know about Mick”…
Tell us a bit about your background…
 I
was educated at Pontefract Boys School, then went into the mining
industry at Kellingley Colliery in the heart of Yorkshire as
Mechanical Engineer. At the age 20 I was a member of Pontefract
Squash Club (I was a late starter!!!). I have been married to Cindy
for 18yrs and have an amazing little man called Sam, aged 5 (who
started squash at 2).
What about the Ponte story?
I came to buy Pontefract Squash Club 10yrs ago, at the time it was
under threat of development, and with the help of the staff, members
and our local MP Yvette Cooper we secured its future, and it has
gone from strength to strength.
It has just undergone a £500k refurbishment and we hope to complete
the rest of the club by 2009, as we will be hosting the European
Club Championships in 2010.
In your opinion, why is Pontefract such a success?
I think it is the commitment from its staff and coaches, the support
from new and old members, but mainly - and the reason I got into the
squash world - is in my eyes the best coach in the world, a man who
never tires of coaching 24/7 & 365 days a year, the legend and my
mate Malcolm Willstrop.
You are heavily involved with the Willstrop family, aren’t
you?
Yes, I have managed James Willstrop for the past 18 months. He is
now Prince and British no1. Our goal is for him to become world no1
and with his hard work and unbelievable work ethic, surrounded by
his team, we aim to achieve this in this ever increasing pool of
outstanding world class squash athletes ... and by the way, James is
my mate too!
Why did you decide to take on SquashSite?
I had a meeting with James and an other about four months ago, and
SquashSite was mentioned. This sparked up a few brain cells and I
mentioned I wanted to have a chat with Steve and Fram, but both
being very busy that's as far as it got.
Only when I found out with the rest of the world that the site had
closed did I act, under the suggestions from Malc & my wife. As if I
was not already busy enough, "you can sort it," they said !!!
What do you hope to achieve with us then?
Initially my aim was to get the site up and running asap, as it is
so important for the game and to millions of squash and sport fans
worldwide.
The next stages will take between three and six months to achieve -
there will be new memberships for all our viewers old and new, prize
draws, extra benefits throughout the squash world, and more
sponsorship and marketing opportunities.
I'm delighted to be on board, and know we can take SquashSite to new
levels ...
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