Fasten your seatbelts, because starting today SquashSite will fully cover the Dutch Premier Squash League (DPSL) … Daniel Lagewaard reports
The DPSL the strongest league in the world, and is fully broadcasted by official PSA partner SQUASHTV.local on Squash Bond TV, which adds up to the DPSL being a highly exciting and very spectacular squash product, available for everyone.
The league features many of the world’s top players – Top 20 players such as Mohamed ElShorbagy, Marwan ElShorbagy, Tarek Momen, Mazen Hesham, Paul Coll, Joel Makin, Youssef Soliman, Baptiste Masotti, Nicolas Mueller and Eain Yow Ng are listed, as are golden oldies like Nick Matthew, Simon Rosner, LJ Anjema and Omar Abdel Meguid. And there is a very exciting young Dutch generation coming, led by former World Junior Champion Rowan Damming.
The women’s league features players such as Salma Hany, Sarah-Jane Perry, Tesni Evans and the Gilis sisters.
Full Team LineupsThe schedule is planned around the PSA platinum, gold, silver and bronze events, so the right circumstances have been created to make sure they will all play – a lot – especially in the men’s league, but more on that later.
League format
- Men’s league consists of 10 teams divided in two Pools of 5 teams, playing each other twice.
- Pool winners advance to the playoff semi-final, consisting of two legs.
- Second and Third in the Pools advance to two-leg quarter-finals, winners go through to the semis.
- The Final is a one-off match.
- Women’s league consists of 6 teams, playing each other twice. Team with most points after 10 matches wins the league.
Team specifics
- A team can have 14 players listed in order of PSA/Dutch ranking.
- Players are awarded points 0-100 based on ranking. Every line-up has a 60 point minimum and a 180 point maximum.
- Numbers 1-4 on each team’s men’s list have to play at least once. Twice to be eligible to play in the playoffs.
- Numbers 1-3 on each women’s team list have to play at least once.
Game specifics
- A line-up consists of 3 players, which must include at least one Dutch player.
- Matches are best of five to 11, two clear
- A point is awarded for every game won, plus 3 bonus points for the winning team.
The format and regulations encourage teams to field their strongest lineups as often as possible, aiming to avoid extra matches by winning their Pool
In conclusion there are some exciting developments in the Netherlands that could revolutionize the status of club and competition squash next to the professional PSA circuit, and it is clear that Squash Fans need a front row seat.
