England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy and USA’s Amanda Sobhy have joined the PSA’s Board of Directors, which were officially confirmed at the association’s annual AGM on Tuesday December 19.
ElShorbagy, 32, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport and has spent 216 weeks at World No.1 in his career, picking up 49 PSA titles since his debut in 2006.
“I’m really excited to join the PSA Board and I’d like to thank my fellow players for voting for me,” said ElShorbagy.
“In my 17 years on the tour I’ve experienced first-hand the development of the professional game and I’m looking forward to helping to drive this sport forward even more.”
Sobhy, 30, is the most successful American-born player of all time and reached a career-high ranking of World No.3 in 2021, while she has won 20 PSA titles to date in her 15-year career.
Sobhy said: “Thank you to my fellow peers and competitors for voting me onto the PSA board, I greatly appreciate the support. As everyone knows, I am very passionate about our sport and the tour.
“This is a player’s tour, we make the tour happen and without the players, there would be no tour. I want to use my voice to make sure the players are getting supported in the best way possible, so we can deliver the best product to the public. I hope that during my time on the board I can make a positive impact for the players and leave the tour in a better place.”
ElShorbagy and Sobhy are the first players to hold the position of Player Directors and were voted in by their fellow PSA Tour athletes.
Ziad Al-Turki has been re-elected as PSA Chair, a role he has held since 2008, while Daryl Selby, Claudia Schürmann-Lowe and Mike Puertas have stepped down from their positions on the board. Schürmann-Lowe will rejoin the PSA as Head of Tour in January 2024.
“I am delighted to welcome Mohamed and Amanda onto our Board of Directors,” said Al-Turki.
“Having been voted onto the board by their peers, Mohamed and Amanda will represent the views of the player base together with the PSA Presidents, Saurav Ghosal and Sarah-Jane Perry, and I look forward to working with them closely to shape the future of the association.
“I would also like to thank Daryl, Claudia and Mike for their contributions to the board and wish them all the best for the future.”
PSA Board of Directors:
Chair: Ziad Al-Turki
Men’s President: Saurav Ghosal
Women’s President: Sarah-Jane Perry
Board Members: Ahmad Bassam, Ashley Bernhard, Mohamed ElShorbagy, John Nimick, Amanda Sobhy
