Inverness Tennis and Squash Club manager Ailsa Polworth believes the 2021 Springfield Scottish Squash Open will be “a big recovery event for squash” after months of inactivity due to Covid-19.
Scotland’s flagship professional squash tournament is taking place at the Inverness club from September 22-26.
Polworth said: “We’ve had time to think about how we can make this work really well and I can start to visualise it already.
“It will be a massive stand-out occasion for the club and something that’s exciting us.
“We’ve had a number of meetings, with plan A, B and C in place to cater for any issues down the line regarding Covid.
“So things are really taking shape and we aim to transform the club for the week.”
She continued: “I look at this as a big recovery event for squash and we’re getting the council, local trusts and businesses involved so we can make it a significant occasion for the whole region.
“We really want to showcase our sport to the broader community, reach out to schools and encourage more people to give squash a try.
“We also want to further encourage existing players of all ages to get back on court after so long away.”
This year’s prize fund of $20,000 will be equally split between male and female players, as it was for the inaugural Springfield Scottish Squash Open which took place at Oriam, Scotland’s National Performance Centre, near Edinburgh.
Polworth added: “We aim to get as much activity going on before and during the event and hopefully we can get some of the professional players involved in our coaching workshops.
“The tournament represents a real opportunity for us and we have some plans for a smaller competition to run alongside the main event.
“There’s lots of potential areas still to explore and we have a brilliant team at the club, and volunteers, helping with the planning. It will be great to see it all coming together.”