ISLAMABAD Pakistan number one female squash player Maria Toor has demanded that the government should allocate separate funds for female players as the national federation uses the lions share of their annual grants on male players. Talking to TheNation during an exclusive sitting here at Pakistan Sports Complex, she said that due lack of sponsorship, females could not even bear the daily expenses to play the game at their hometown clubs. The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is also spending major share of the annual grant on boys and giving just a fraction of that to top national girls. Now, I am going to feature in the Irish Open Squash Championship and the federation is not giving me sponsorship of even a penny, she said. She further informed that the Irish Open would kick off from August 29 and she would play qualifying round of the prestigious international event. The PSF helps me in just visa process, she said. Maria, who is world number 99, requested the PSF that she be sent to Malaysia for training of six months. There is excellent atmosphere at Kula Lumpur, Malaysia, for squash training and the federation should consider my request seriously, she said. Responding to another question, she said that the ongoing management of the PSF was not doing as good a job for female player as their predecessors Tanveer Mehmood Ahmed and Inam-ullah Khan did in past. Girls merely need support to improve their international squash ranking, she added. Answering a question regarding the ongoing training camp, Maria said that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) held this camp for the 16th Asian Games, which would be held from November 12 to 27 at Guangzhou, China. Muqaddas Ashraf, Sima Shoukat, Zoya Khalid and I am getting training by the national coach Fahim Gul and we are satisfied with the coaching of Fahim Bhai, she said. Maria negated the impression that Indian girls were better than the Pakistanis in squash and said that the financial hurdles barred the greenshirts from moving ahead in international ranking. Indian girls have massive sponsorships for international events but we have nothing in our kitty to visit abroad for international competitions, she said. A player cannot improve her ranking without taking part in international fixtures. I compete a couple of international events at my own expense. It is not possible for me to play 10 or 12 tournaments in one year. Pakistani girls have abilities to produce good performances in the international events if they are provided opportunities, she added. To a question she said that she was reducing her weight and was fully concentrating on her fitness. I am toiling hard in the court and in the gym as well to maintain the required fitness level. Fahim Gul is also giving me useful tip and I will perform well in the upcoming international squash events, she concluded.