Phased return: key dates

27 August 2020:  Satellite Tour tournaments will be sanctioned with ranking points available for players to claim. The first confirmed event is the New Zealand Senior Nationals which starts on 28 August 2020.

10 September 2020: Challenger Tour tournaments will be sanctioned (Challenger Tour 10 and below). Participation will be restricted to domestic and local players, although limited cross-border participation in some areas may be allowed where local government guidelines permit such competitions to be held. Closing dates will be discussed with individual promoters. 

A new Challenger Tour 3 level will be introduced, details below.

Challenger Tour 3: 

Registration fee: $250

Player contribution: $150

Remaining player prize money: $2,850 

(Total compensation is $3,000: $2,850 + $150)

We are working hard to see which promoters are interested in hosting Challenger Tour tournaments, but as yet cannot provide a provisional tournament calendar. We will be contacting those that have shown interest in hosting events in the coming days.

We aim to integrate fully international Challenger Tour events later in 2020, with a date to be confirmed.

16 September 2020: World Tour tournaments be sanctioned with international participation, starting with the Manchester Open World Tour Silver event which starts on 16 September 2020. This will be following an pilot event in September. The provisional schedule is below:

The World Championships in Chicago, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and Grasshopper Cup have all been provisionally confirmed for Spring 2021, and many other tournaments have confirmed their intention to return to the PSA Tour as normal in 2021 should the global situation allow.

Further information

As you are all well aware, the global situation continues to be unstable and can change rapidly. With this in mind, please do understand that this schedule is provisional and subject to change or be cancelled at very short notice. 

There will be some additional tournament conditions put in place. The initial draft of these can be found below, but these are likely to evolve and be added to over time as we work closely with individual promoters and federations. We will publish our full list of temporary Tour Rule Book amendments in due course.

New tournament conditions

Challenger Tour conditions, initial phase:

• A Challenger Tour 3 level will be introduced temporarily, with $3,000 prize money and 16-player draw.
• During this phase, Challenger Tour tournaments will be capped at Challenger Tour 10.
• Where only domestic / local participation is allowed, players must be a national of that country or demonstrate they have been living in that country as their primary residence since 1 January 2020. 
• Depending on the number of events that register, PSA may cap the number of events players can compete in during this phase.
• Cross-border competition may be allowed where travel corridors and local government laws allow.
• At least 50% of the draw will have to be made up of PSA players, or the event will be downgraded to a Satellite.
• All Challenger Tour tournaments will have a risk mitigation plan in place which has to be approved by PSA prior to sanctioning. We will work with you on these plans.
• Accommodation bonuses are temporarily suspended, but individual requests may be considered.
• Functions are temporarily suspended, but individual requests may be considered.
• Tournament registrations deadlines will be relaxed and closing dates will be closer to the start of the tournament. 
• Players will be required to sign waivers before competing in a tournament, as well as a commitment to following the risk mitigation plan in place; there will be a new section of the code of conduct in place to deal with anyone who violates PSA and a tournament’s procedures.

World Tour conditions, initial phase:

• Covid-19 swab testing with be mandatory for players prior to them being permitted to enter the tournament bubble.
• Players will be provided with single room accommodation.
• Prize money may be reduced to cover the increased operational costs as a result of Covid-19. This will vary by individual tournament.
• Functions are temporarily suspended, but individual requests may be considered.
• Tournament registrations deadlines will be relaxed and closing dates will be closer to the start of the tournament. 
• Players will be required to provide proof of appropriate travel insurance, including cover for Covid-19.
• Players will be required to sign waivers before competing in a tournament, as well as a commitment to following the risk mitigation plan in place; there will be a new section of the code of conduct in place to deal with anyone who violates PSA and a tournament’s procedures.

Rankings 

From 1 October 2020 we will be adopting the cumulative total of ‘best’ results (9 for women, 10 for men) and extending the ranking period temporarily. As things progress, we will be reviewing the system to ensure it is working effectively and won’t hesitate to make changes if necessary.