GeorgeF
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Courtesy of www.pba.com
PBA to Open Membership to Women
Seattle, WA - March 29, 2004
In what may be a first in professional sports, the PBA will allow women to join its membership beginning immediately. The women will need to meet the same requirements for membership as the men, namely, maintaining a 200 average or greater for two consecutive 66 game league seasons.
“We have had requests from women over the past year to participate in our regional tournaments,” said PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer. “We thought about it for a long time and concluded, why not? We currently allow non-members to participate in our tournaments on a regular basis, and we felt that if a woman can meet the same criteria she should be allowed to compete and become a member.”
Women who join the PBA will be able to participate in any PBA Regional event, and in the weekly PBA Tour qualifier for a spot in that week’s event.
The 2004 PBA Tour Trials is open to any PBA member who has participated in five PBA events (PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour or PBA Senior Tour). Therefore if a woman has participated in at least five events before the June 1 start date, she may enter and compete for one of the eight remaining season-long exempt spots.
“I want to make it clear that this in no way means we will create or run a women’s tour,” continued Schreyer. “We just wanted to expand our membership to anyone who meets the requirements and give them an opportunity to compete at the highest level.”
The 2004-2005 PBA Regional Tour season begins April 1. It was previously announced that there will be approximately 200 regional tournaments with a $600,000 increase in prize money, bringing the Regional Tour’s prize fund to nearly $4 million.
PBA to Open Membership to Women
Seattle, WA - March 29, 2004
In what may be a first in professional sports, the PBA will allow women to join its membership beginning immediately. The women will need to meet the same requirements for membership as the men, namely, maintaining a 200 average or greater for two consecutive 66 game league seasons.
“We have had requests from women over the past year to participate in our regional tournaments,” said PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer. “We thought about it for a long time and concluded, why not? We currently allow non-members to participate in our tournaments on a regular basis, and we felt that if a woman can meet the same criteria she should be allowed to compete and become a member.”
Women who join the PBA will be able to participate in any PBA Regional event, and in the weekly PBA Tour qualifier for a spot in that week’s event.
The 2004 PBA Tour Trials is open to any PBA member who has participated in five PBA events (PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour or PBA Senior Tour). Therefore if a woman has participated in at least five events before the June 1 start date, she may enter and compete for one of the eight remaining season-long exempt spots.
“I want to make it clear that this in no way means we will create or run a women’s tour,” continued Schreyer. “We just wanted to expand our membership to anyone who meets the requirements and give them an opportunity to compete at the highest level.”
The 2004-2005 PBA Regional Tour season begins April 1. It was previously announced that there will be approximately 200 regional tournaments with a $600,000 increase in prize money, bringing the Regional Tour’s prize fund to nearly $4 million.
