Growthpoint Squash SA Renewal

GROWTHPOINT AND SQUASH SOUTH AFRICA RENEW SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT

Johannesburg, South Africa – Growthpoint Properties, the largest South African-based REIT, and Squash South Africa, the governing body for squash in the country, are pleased to announce the renewal of their sponsorship agreement for 2023.

The partnership between Growthpoint and Squash South Africa began in 2017 and has been instrumental in supporting the development of squash in the country. As part of the agreement, Squash SA is able to host the Growthpoint SA Nationals in the iconic the V&A Waterfront, with the event set to return to the venue in August 2023.

Growthpoint also provides financial support for the Growthpoint Interprovincial as well as a development programme titled the Growthpoint Superstars which supports various initiatives across the country aimed at promoting the sport and developing talent in South Africa.

The renewed sponsorship agreement will enable Squash South Africa to expand the Growthpoint Superstars programme to all nine provinces in 2023. This follows the successful trial of the programme from three provinces in 2018, and having grown to six provinces in 2022. The programme will aim to develop new talent and promote the sport to a wider audience.

“We are delighted to renew our partnership with Squash South Africa,” said Estienne de Klerk, Growthpoint Properties SA CEO. “We are proud to support the development of local talent and the growth of the sport of Squash in communities across South Africa.”

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Growthpoint,” said Kyle Potgieter, President of Squash South Africa. “Their support has been invaluable in helping us achieve our goals of promoting squash and developing our players. We look forward to working together to take the sport to new heights.”

“We have seen that the growth of Padel, which is a sport that shares similarities with squash, has actually resulted in an increased interest in squash. People are discovering the fast-paced and exhilarating nature of racquet sports, and we are thrilled to see more and more individuals and communities taking an interest in squash and recognizing its many benefits.”

About Growthpoint Properties:

Growthpoint creates space to thrive with innovative and sustainable property solutions in environmentally friendly buildings, while improving the social and material wellbeing of individuals and communities. It is an international property company invested in real estate and communities in South Africa and across the African continent, Australia, the UK and Eastern Europe. Growthpoint is 50% co-owner of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Growthpoint is South Africa’s largest primary JSE-listed REIT. The leading listed property company is an established leader in commercial green developments and owns and manages the biggest portfolio of green-certified buildings in Africa. Visit growthpoint.co.za for more information, and connect with Growthpoint on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Squash South Africa:

Squash South Africa is the governing body for squash in South Africa. Its directive is to promote and develop the sport of squash at all levels, from grassroots to elite competition in South Africa. Squash South Africa is committed to providing opportunities for players of all ages and abilities to participate in the sport and to representing South Africa on the international stage.

Contact Information:

For more information about Squash South Africa, please contact:

Jennifer Sawyer, National Director

Email: jennifer@squashsa.co.za

Phone: +27 11 442 8056

For more information about Growthpoint Properties, please contact:

Nadine Briers, Head, Marketing & Communication

Phone: +27 (0) 11 944 6251

Email: Bronwen Noble, bronwen@catchwords.co.za

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SQUASH RETURNS WITH REVAMPED TOURNAMENTS

Professional squash is back and set to resume this October with a revamped Growthpoint SA Nationals and Growthpoint Interprovincial.

The revamped Growthpoint SA Nationals will provide more squash players with the chance to compete in the tournament than ever before. The tournament will feature eight regional qualifier events across 8 provinces, with the winners qualifying for the main event. A minimum of 256 Men and 128 Women are expected to compete in the regionals.

The main event will be held in an all-glass squash court in Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria from 15 to 17 October 2020. Fourteen matches, from the quarter-finals to the finals, will be played across the men’s and women’s divisions. The winners will be crowned SA’s best squash players. All matches will be streamed live on the Squash South Africa Facebook and YouTube pages.

“Following the COVID-19 outbreak, we have had to reassess and adjust how we can best cater for our athletes. We are delighted to announce this new structure for the Growthpoint SA Nationals and we believe this model provides more opportunities to more athletes than ever before. We are extremely grateful to Growthpoint for their full support in this new format, as well as Tsogo Sun and Dunlop who have continued to support us,” said Squash South Africa Acting President, Jennifer Sawyer.

The Growthpoint Interprovincial has also undergone changes to prevent large gatherings of teams due to COVID-19 precautions. For the first time ever, different divisions will be played across the country, with Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Pietermaritzburg set to play hosts.

“We know our members have been anxious about whether the Growthpoint Interprovincial would go ahead this year. We believe this is the best possible compromise to ensure the tournament can go ahead in a safe and responsible manner. The heart and soul of the Interprovincial is in the coming together of people to play and bond, and we will aim to return the format back to normal in 2021,” added Ms Sawyer.

The tournaments will all be played according to the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Strategy submitted by Squash South Africa and approved by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. The federation has worked closely with government to ensure the full compliance necessary to proceed.

Only the participating squash players, event staff and broadcast team will be allowed on-site in Brooklyn Mall. All participants will be screened prior to the start of each day. Security will ensure no gathering of crowds and safe social distancing. No spectators will be allowed at the tournaments as well as no hospitality.

“Our focus is to ensure that our athletes can compete in a safe and responsible manner. We will work to ensure that no athletes or staff will be compromised in any way,” said Ms Sawyer.

Tournament Schedule
• 1 – 4 October 2020: East London Pre Qualifier

• 8 – 11 October 2020: Regional Qualifiers
o North West, Northerns, Joburg, Western Province, Free State, Eastern Province, Border,Midlands, KwaZulu Natal.

• 15 – 17 October 2020: Growthpoint SA Nationals (Main Event)
o Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria

• 19 – 23 October 2020: Growthpoint Interprovincial
o Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Pietermaritzburg

About Accelerate Sport

Accelerate Sport and Entertainment is a results-driven marketing agency that focuses on effectively serving the best interest of clients and sponsors. With a collective 70 years of experience in sport and entertainment, Accelerate delivers integrated strategic solutions specialising in sponsorship rights, consultancy, event management, media and public relations.

About Squash South Africa

Squash South Africa is recognised as the South African national governing body of the sport of squash by SASCOC. Together with 138 other countries, Squash South Africa is affiliated to the World Squash Federation and abides by the WSF Rules of Squash for both singles and doubles.

For further information, please contact:

Squash SA: Liz Addison
+27 (0) 11 442 8056
liz@squashsa.co.za
www.squashsa.co.za

Media & PR: Katleho Mashego – Accelerate Sport
+27 (0) 63 224 0268
katleho@acceleratesport.com
www.acceleratesport.com

KERWIN NOEMDO - SHOT PUT ATHLETE

ACCELERATE SPORT LAUNCHES ATHLETE MANAGEMENT DIVISION

CAPE TOWN – The company aims to expand its operations to support the ambitions of local athletes.

Accelerate Sport, who are specialists in sport sponsorship, marketing and consultancy, announced on Tuesday that they have launched a full-service athlete management division. The company also announced their first two signings, WSL pro surfer, Bianca Buitendag, and Maties Parasport Sportsman of the Year in 2019, Kerwin Noemdo.

“The launch of our athlete management arm is a new chapter for Accelerate Sport. By leveraging our extensive network, experience and market knowledge, we want to elevate athletes’ careers on and off the field,” said Gary Grant, Managing Director of Accelerate Sport.

The short-term aim of the division will be to assist athletes on their path to the Olympics and Paralympic Games scheduled to be hosted in 2021, as well as working with athletes participating in niche sports. Accelerate’s work will include developing the athletes’commercial partnerships, PR, marketing, including their social media profiles.

“These athletes often struggle to generate the funds needed to take part in high-performance training and competitions. Our goal is to assist them in finding likeminded partners who can support them on their journey so they can focus on winning that gold medal”, Gary added.

Kerwin Noemdo’s track record includes participating in 3 World Para Athletics Championships. He currently holds the national shot put and discus records in all age groups (U/16, U/18, U/20 and Open Men) as well as the African Men’s record in the F46 category.

Bianca Buitendag is currently the highest ranked female surfer in South Africa and former world number four. She’s spent five years on the WSL World Championship Tour and has already qualified as South Africa’s female representative for the 2021 Olympic Games.

About Accelerate Sport

Accelerate Sport and Entertainment is a results-driven marketing agency that focuses on effectively serving the best interest of clients and sponsors. With a collective 70 years of experience in sport and entertainment, Accelerate delivers integrated strategic solutions specialising in sponsorship rights, consultancy, event management, media and public relations.

For further information, please contact:

Media & PR: Katleho Mashego – Accelerate Sport
+27 (0)63 224 0267
katleho@acceleratesport.com
www.acceleratesport.com

Nelson-Mandela-Bay-Surf-Pro_IanThurtell_Joshe-Faulkner2-1-1024x683

CITY SURF SERIES TO MAKE A RETURN IN 2021

CAPE TOWN – The City Surf Series, a fully private owned surfing property by Accelerate Sport, will be making its much anticipated return to the South African shores in 2021.

The Series is the biggest, annual series of its kind amongst professional surfing events in the world and was poised to kick start on the 11th of April 2020. Unfortunately, due to the global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and with the health and safety of all involved being top priority, it was decided that the best route would be to cancel the 2020 edition.

Accelerate Sport has been working in close co-operation with Surfing South Africa (SSA), World Surf League (WSL) and its respective partners to establish new dates to stage the tournament in 2021.

Gary Grant, MD of Accelerate Sport believes it was a responsible move to reschedule the series to next year, “We had previously hoped to delay the City Surf Series to later this year in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen. However, following continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by WSL, Surfing SA and the government, it is safer for everyone concerned to move the series to 2021”.

Gary further added, “We are working on some exciting new ideas and additions for 2021 and we look forward to bringing together the surfing community in a healthy, safe and entertaining environment when the event returns next year. We would like to thank all our valuable partners who are supportive of the decision to move the series to 2021. Most importantly, our thoughts and sympathies are with all the families who have lost loved ones due to this pandemic”.

2021 provisional dates and venues:

• 3 – 5 April: Royal St. Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Classic

• 9 – 11 April: Nelson Mandela Bay Pro

• 16 – 18 April: George Vic Bay Classic

• 22 – 26 April: Cape Town Pro

• 12 – 16 June: VW SA Open of Surfing

In addition, plans are underway to secure events in Durban, Lambert’s Bay, the KZN South Coast and Mossel Bay – further details to follow.

Commenting on the legacy of the series in the world of surfing, Francisco Spinola, WSL Regional Director (Europe – Middle East and Africa) for EMEA said, “The City Surf Series has helped not only South Africa but the rest of the world to show how to run very successful series of smaller QS events back to back with great success. It has been the foundation of the resurgence of surfers from South Africa”. He concluded, “The international wins by David Van Zyl in Hawaii, Jordy Maree in Indonesia and Shane Sykes who came in 5th place in Morocco, has shown that a healthy domestic tour like the City Surf Series will go a long way to grow the level of surfing in the region”.

Robin de Kock, GM of Surfing South Africa said, “Surfing South Africa is disappointed that the City Series will not be taking place this year. The health and safety of the surfers, officials and spectators at Surfing South Africa sanctioned events is paramount and clearly the right decision has been taken. We look forward to working with all of our partners on the City Surf Series when it gets underway in early April next year”.

Accelerate Sport will continue to monitor the situation, with the priority being placed on the health and safety of athletes, officials, fans and the community at large.

To learn more, please visit www.citysurfseries.co.za

About City Surf Series

The City Surf Series is an Accelerate Sport owned and managed surfing property. Accelerate Sport has collaborated with Surfing South Africa (SSA) and the World Surf League (WSL) in order to create and facilitate a competitive platform for WSL Qualifying Series events to the benefit for local South African surfers.

About Accelerate Sport

Accelerate Sport and Entertainment is a results-driven marketing agency that focuses on effectively serving the best interest of clients and sponsors. With a collective 70 years of experience in sport and entertainment, Accelerate delivers integrated strategic solutions specialising in sponsorship rights, consultancy, event management, media and public relations.


About the World Surf League (WSL)

The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the enablement platform for surfing and surfers worldwide. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality and stoke.

About Surfing South Africa (SSA)


Surfing South Africa is the governing body for the sport in South Africa and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).


For further information, please contact:

Media & PR: Katleho Mashego – Accelerate Sport
+27 (0)63 224 0267
katleho@acceleratesport.com
www.acceleratesport.com