German entrepreneur Michael Zehe has ended his long-term sponsorship and personal engagement in international and domestic squash, concluding an era defined by his backing of the Black & White RC Worms and major professional players, according to statements reported by squash-bundesliga.de and squashnet.de. Zehe, who founded the lubricants company ROWE Mineralölwerk in 1995, first entered the sport in the mid-2000s and went on to shape elite competition through corporate backing and team management.
The End of an Era for Black & White RC Worms
Under Zehe’s leadership as manager, the Black & White RC Worms captured their first Bundesliga title in 2011. According to official club records, the team added four more German championship titles in 2013, 2020, 2023, and 2024. Between 2012 and 2015, the ROWE-backed squad also dominated international club competition by winning the European Club Championships. ROWE’s withdrawal follows the team’s earlier departure from the Bundesliga ranks.
Global Squash Sponsorship Strategy
Beyond domestic club play, Zehe and ROWE expanded their footprint across the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour. The corporate sponsorship strategy targeted key international markets by partnering with prominent athletes who served as brand ambassadors. English player Nick Matthew, a three-time PSA World Champion and three-time British Open winner, initiated the broader professional outreach. According to tour records, fellow English star Mohamed Elshorbagy carried the ROWE logo on his jersey for over 15 years, a tenure that included holding the world number-one ranking for 50 months and winning three British Open titles.
International Roster and Industry Impact
The ROWE athlete roster eventually expanded to include players from across multiple continents, including Colombia’s Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad, and France’s Greg Gaultier. Both Gaultier (2015) and Gawad (2016) captured PSA World Championships shortly after establishing their partnerships with the brand. ROWE also maintained a long-standing partnership with the British Open beginning in 2009.
Although management of ROWE Mineralölwerk transitioned to Zehe’s daughter, Alexandra Kohlmann, squash remained part of the corporate marketing portfolio until a strategic shift at the close of 2025 led to the complete unwinding of the sports engagement. Reflecting on the transition, long-time coordinator Peter Schmidl noted that the initiative introduced prominent logo placement to top-tier players’ shirts at a time when such corporate branding was virtually absent in professional squash, paving the way for widespread commercial partnerships across the sport.
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