ISLAMABAD, Jul 14 (APP):Professional Squash Association (PSA) Refereeing Director Lee Drew has been appointed as the Head of World Squash Officiating (WSO), an organisation dedicated to the regulation and development of squash officiating worldwide.
WSO – established in a partnership between the World Squash Federation (WSF) and PSA in 2019 – was created to professionalize and standardize squash officiating across the globe, said a press release.
Drew, a former World Tour player and England Junior National Coach who became Refereeing Director for the PSA in 2014, will spearhead WSO’s efforts to improve officiating standards across the sport, strengthen the organisation’s operational team, and hire the sport’s first full-time professional referees.
“The opportunity of evolving WSO is exciting because it can have a huge impact on officiating and the way the game is played and portrayed,” he said.
WSO needs to move forward as a high-performing entity that offers world-class products and delivery.
“A major goal for WSO is to introduce more people to the rules and officiating as early on in their experience of squash as possible. To achieve this, it is crucial that we get our messaging and content circulating worldwide with the support from as many squash stakeholders as possible,” he added
WSF Chief Executive William Louis-Marie said, “We are confident that WSO will greatly contribute to the growth of the refereeing community in a more diverse and inclusive way in keeping with the universality of our sport and offer more opportunities for the international referees to officiate at all major events around the world. Lee’s input has already been visible with the recent addition of new educational courses aimed at giving all our players a better understanding of the rules of the sport.”
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said, “In his nine years as PSA Refereeing Director, Lee has played an important role in overseeing the development of refereeing within the professional game, and I am confident he will be a valuable asset to the WSO. We want squash to be an entertaining and free-flowing sport and the WSO will play a crucial role in developing referees and educating our athletes to ensure that the sport remains an engaging spectacle at the highest level.”