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Squash Nationals: Glass court in Pune will help audience get closer to the game
Now, with the nationals taking place in the city, it has also brought along with it a portable glass court all the way from Mumbai. This court took three days to set up and cost the federation a fortune
The level of squash in the city is currently at an all-time high and with the 76th Senior National Championships taking place at three different venues, the sport is certain to have gained a few popularity points over the past week. However, one grave concern that still eludes the game in Pune is the lack of a permanent all-glass squash court.
Now, with the nationals taking place in the city, it has also brought along with it a portable glass court all the way from Mumbai. This court took three days to set up and cost the federation a fortune, but they feel that it is money well spent as not only does it enrich the experience of a number of a junior players, but it also brings the sport closer to the audience as it is set up right in the middle of Amanora mall with seating allocations in place for the public.
Anand Lahoti, secretary of the PSRA (Pune Squash Rackets Association) and Pradeep Khandre, president, MSRA (Maharashtra Squash Rackets Association) spoke particularly about the court and how bringing the competition to Amanora has enriched the viewing experience of the audience and brought some amount of knowledge to the masses.
“The idea of keeping it in a glass court in the middle of the mall was to get the sport to the public. Nationals prior to this took place at private places with the venues conducting the tournament themselves. Due to this, the common public knew nothing about the game and to change that, we erected a glass court right in the middle of the mall. Instead of getting the public to the stadiums, we took the stadium to the public,” explained Lahoti.
The federation stumbled upon the idea of keeping the tournament in the middle of the mall after watching the World Juniors at Chennai in 2017.
“The PRSA took the initiative to conduct a national tournament here in the city and that’s why we brought the 76th Senior Nationals to Pune. Also, a number of squash players are coming from Mumbai as the game is very popular there. So, to promote the game we thought about bringing it here to Pune,” he continued.
Standing at 20 feet tall, 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, it’s hard to miss this magnificent structure that stands in Amanora mall between the East and West blocks. People from all four sides have an uninterrupted view of the action.
Conducting a tournament of this magnitude and bringing the glass court all the way to Amanora has not been a cheap proposition for the Pune and Maharashtra federations, but it’s something they believe needed to be done. Discussing the finances that went behind setting up the court, Khandre said, “The entire expenditure of having a few set of games at Amanora was 35 lakh. For the entire week, including all the other venues, it is 50-60 lakh. Our major expense is the prize money which is 12 lakh. In merchandise for the participants, we’ve spent 4 lakh. Another 5 lakh, we’ve spent on referees for their food, accommodation, air fare and their daily charges.”
Paying such a hefty fee for the court may seem like an avoidable luxury, but the players are enjoying their experiences playing on it. India women’s number 1, Chinappa went on record to praise the bounce of the court and believed it’s a fantastic surface to play the game on.
