Queen's Club To Be New Home For ATCO Super Series Finals

The world-famous Queen's Club in London will host the ATCO Super Series Finals next year.

One of the most important squash championships on the PSA Tour, the ATCO Super Series Finals - The Queen's Club 2009 sees the top eight players in the world competing for one of the richest prize funds in the sport.

The Queen's Club is best known as the home of the Artois Championships, the premier pre-Wimbledon grass court tennis championships.

Promoters of the four-day championships, which will take place from 14-17 March, believe the decision to hold the event at The Queen's Club is ground-breaking for the game of squash.

Among the star names expected to take part are world number one Amr Shabana, of Egypt; fellow countryman Ramy Ashour; Australian David Palmer, the reigning British Open champion; leading English players James Willstrop and Nick Matthew; as well as title-holder Gregory Gaultier, the world number two from France.

Ziad Al-Turki, Vice-Chairman of the ATCO Group, said: "Since acquiring the rights to this major event, we have been working very hard at finalising a solid and sustainable commercial platform from which the championships can prosper over the short, medium and long-term. Bringing this prestigious event to The Queen's Club has the potential to take the profile of professional squash on to a new level.

"The Queen's Club is one of the world's greatest rackets clubs and many things about it really appealed to us, including its unique heritage, its convenient location, its track record of hosting top quality events and the enthusiastic reception we have received from its members. I am sure that staging the event at The Queen's Club will help us greatly to further drive the success of the championships."

Paul Walters, Chief Executive of internationalSPORT Group, which is jointly promoting the championships with ATCO Group, said: "The Super Series Finals is without question one of the most important events on the men's World Tour and Ziad and I are delighted to be bringing the championships to The Queen's Club. The ATCO Super Series Finals - The Queen's Club 2009 will offer one of the richest prize funds in the sport and a comprehensive programme of TV coverage will ensure that the event is distributed to the largest possible global audience."

The Queen's Club Chairman, Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge commented: "We are tremendously excited by the accord we have struck with the ATCO Group and internationalSPORTgroup. Top squash live is absolutely thrilling and spectators will be able to see it on a state-of-the-art all-glass show court. Our aspiration is to help Paul and Ziad build on what is already a terrific sporting fixture and grow it into a spectacular sporting occasion, broadening its appeal and attracting a wider audience."

Since concluding a seven-year agreement with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) in 2007, the prestigious annual season-ending championships, and the squash equivalent of the Tennis Masters Cup, has grown from strength to strength under the joint-stewardship of Ziad Al-Turki and the internationalSPORTgroup. The 2009 championships will boast a prize fund in excess of $100,000 and will feature the world's top eight players who will compete in two pools of four players, leading to finals which will produce a 1-8 finish.

Steeped in history and with unrivalled sporting facilities, The Queen's Club has several elegant rooms and high quality catering to ensure that spectators will enjoy a memorable occasion in an historic setting alongside the best squash in the world. The ATCO Super Series Finals - The Queen's Club 2009 will end with a gala dinner after the final, attended by all players and sponsors.

Tickets for the ATCO Super Series Finals - The Queen's Club can be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing; by telephone on 0844 870 0000; or for further information e-mail info@iSPORTgroup.com