Alan Torner - Dream of WPPT becomes a reality
The founder of the World Pitch and Putt Tour (WPPT), Alan Torner, kindly gave us an insight into the new and exciting organisation ahead of its inaugural tournament.
• What is the motivation behind the World Pitch and Putt Tour (WPPT)?
The WPPT is the world's first Pitch and Putt circuit and aims to take this sport to the highest possible levels, always being an equality driven and inclusive sport and under the principles of sustainability and respect for the environment.
• How do you see the World Pitch and Putt Tour interacting with FIPPA?
It is a necessary collaboration to be able to achieve the objective that both the FIPPA and the WPPT have, which is none other than to make our sport known to the whole world and that more people can enjoy this sport that we love so much.
• Will tournaments like existing international opens, World and European championships be impacted?
First, it must be borne in mind that it is an individual competition, so all national team championships will continue to be held under the framework of the FIPPA.
As for the international open and world championships, we hope that the WPPT can be a support for the increase in the number of participants in all of them. We might achieve this by assigning places for the WPPT to the first classified of each of these tournaments. The number of places and the format will be made according to the criteria of each member of the FIPPA.
• Who are your partners in the WPPT Organization?
The people responsible for bringing the WPPT to this point are:
- Alan Torner: CEO, director of sports, marketing and communication and president of the FCPP Referees Committee
- Josep Maria Chaqués: director of development, business, and innovation
- Gerard Falcó: CFO
• How will the WPPT be funded?
The WPPT is a private company and will be financed through sponsors and collaborators.
• How will you attract the best players?
Extraordinary organization, coverage of tournaments in media / tv and making the players feel like what they are, the best players in the world, playing for great cash prizes. The prize for the first classified in each event will be € 3,600 (before taxes) and the first 20 classified will receive a cash prize.
• What are the prospective locations for WPPT events and do you have an approximate schedule for 2022?
The dates and venues are open, but the calendar for 2022 might be something like: Catalonia - March/October; France - June; Netherlands- July; Ireland - August; Andorra - September.
• Tell us a little about the initial event at Lleida in November 2021?
On November 12, 13 and 14, the WPPT presentation tournament will be played at the P&P Lleida.
This first tournament must be the first step of this ambitious project and for this we are working so that the best Pitch and Putt players from all over the world come (always according to COVID conditions)
To ensure the success of the event, we are preparing a VIP place for the players, with a catering service, relaxation area with a physiotherapist, photocall, an interview set, and all kinds of details and attention so that they feel that they are the elite players.
The event will be broadcast live on television through the TV3 chain, in its Esport3 section.
The English-language version will be broadcast live on our Youtube Channel.