For all who play and love the game, it is a source of great frustration that squash has been consistently unable to force itself into the sporting mainstream.

Played by an estimated 15 million people worldwide, the professional game has nonetheless traditionally struggled to impose itself on an already crowded sports market.

Before the advent of all-glass courts, the principal problems were ones of scale and presentation: no more than a few hundred spectators at best could ever fit in behind the back wall to watch at any venue while the sheer speed and athleticism of the top players somehow never translated on to the small screen.

Glass courts were obviously a major step in the right direction and offer a quite spectacular, 360 degree view of the action. White balls and coloured courts have helped with television definition and less of the impact that you get from watching the sport live is lost on TV than has ever been the case before.

On top of all this, and to their great credit, the Professional Squash Association understood that the portability of the court could be used to the sport?s considerable advantage.

This has led to the erection of courts in the most unlikely ? and often most breathtaking ? of locations including right beside the Pyramids in Giza, Grand Central Station in New York and the Boston Symphony Hall.

Yet despite all of this, professional squash remains a sleeping giant.

Prize money at the top of the game does not compare favourably with the higher profile racquet sports such as tennis while it is very rare to see squash broadcast live on television.

Its failure also to convince the International Olympic Committee that it is worthy of a place in the Games ? some would argue bizarrely when you look at some of the so-called sports that have been allowed in ? has adversely affected its profile.

It would be difficult for anybody who has seen squash at its very best to deny that it is an exhilarating, fast-paced spectacle which boasts some of the fittest, most dedicated and athletic sportsman anywhere.

And there are people out there who appear determined to open the world?s eyes to the game?s many delights.

One of these men is Commonwealth Games gold medallist Peter Nicol of England, who with 49 career titles under his belt, is considered one of, if not the, greatest players of all time.

Now in his final year on tour, the 32-year-old has been busy developing his own squash promotions company which runs a couple of increasingly important tournaments in the UK.

While in Bermuda last year, he spoke of his determination to spread the gospel of squash when he eventually stops playing, while he was also enthused by the exciting new technology that Masters title sponsors Virtual Spectator, an international sports graphics company, were attempting to incorporate into the game.

VS?s technology is used for the BBC?s coverage of the Wimbledon championships as well as Formula One and Gold Cup sailing.

At last year?s Masters they were trialling all sorts of innovations, such as 3-D modelling of the players? movements on court as well as heat sensors to see which player was working harder in the rallies and therefore more likely to tire first.

?I love squash and I really believe in this game,? Nicol said.

?I think this a great time to be involved in the sport, but at the same time it is important we adapt to modern life and make sure we market and present squash as an exciting product.

?If you look at any sport, whether it is tennis, golf, or a lot of the American sports, the presentation includes all manner of extras that keep the viewer interested.

?If you don?t give people something for even ten seconds they switch channels and lose interest ? and squash needs to keep pace with that.

?Some of the stuff Virtual Spectator are doing is absolutely incredible. This is the sort of technology that the viewer wants and needs and hopefully it can be eventually be harnessed through the Internet and on television to improve the game as a product.?

Masters tournament director Ross Triffitt is another man who has never been frightened to champion squash?s cause and he too believes a more aggressive approach is needed ? backed of course by a dramatic increase in investment across the board.

?This is not to criticise those that run the sport but it is stating a fact to say squash is not promoted as widely and relentlessly as it could be,? he said.

?Our marketing budgets simply do not compare with a lot of other sports and that has undoubtedly held squash back slightly.

?Saying that though, the game is growing, particularly in North America, which is obviously a very important market. New and exciting tournaments keep popping up all over the world while there is more squash on television now ? mainly pre-recorded highlights packages ?than there has been in the past.

?There are one or two things which are still stopping the sport from developing as it should, but from my perspective I think the future looks good.?