The number one solution to boosting squash participation is to show more coverage of major squash tournaments on terrestrial channels and more community outreach.
With sports like football, rugby, and F1, the TV coverage for these sports of their major events – whether it highlights or live coverage is immense on terrestrial channels; so why is no consistent coverage of major squash tournaments?
Already there is coverage on digital channels, such as BT Sport, but how is squash growing like other sports such as Cycling and Women’s Football. Perhaps the BBC should consider showing squash to fill the gaps with the sports they have lost out on.
Already, they show major tennis events, Wimbledon and Queens; so why not the British Squash Open, AJ Bell British Grand Prix or highlights of the prestigious Canary Wharf Squash Classic, in London.
As squash is one of the top priority sports as recognised by Sport England, should not be more TV coverage to increase awareness and encourage participation among the youth and perhaps inspire former payers to get back into the sport as a coach?
Show major squash tournaments on free-to-TV
Compared to other countries such as India and Japan, the coverage of squash is popular as a result of the Professional Squash Association (PSA). Earlier this year, the PSA agreed with SNTV to broadcast major squash tournaments via their broadcast partners such as Al Jazeera and Zee TV.
With a channel or programme dedicated to squash, the ideal content would be:
- Interviews 1-2-1 with the current UK squash players
- News on grassroots development across the UK
- Highlights from major international tournaments
- Interviews with Legends of the Squash
- Historic matches
If the BBC cannot do this, maybe show coverage on Channel 5 or even Channel 4. A bold move could be developing its own channel on Freeview HD with the backing of a major blue-chip sponsor. Another avenue could be showing coverage on local channels such as London Live for the capital city based events or Manchester Live for the Manchester Open – either way it will be the perfect catalyst to boost participation.
Make it accessible
Squash is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, with more than 30 million players in 185 countries. But it could be much bigger—and that’s why we need to make sure people are aware of and able to watch this amazing game. Here are a few ideas on how to get squash on everyone’s radar, so they’ll want to start playing.
To make squash more accessible, consider adding it to your club’s programming. It’s a sport that can be played anywhere and by anyone. Squash is also an ideal partner for organizations like schools, hospitals, and retirement homes. In fact, the National Squash Centre in Manchester was built on land owned by Manchester City Council!
Although it’s a great way to get your members moving and active (and if you have access to courts), there are plenty of other ways you can encourage people to try out this incredible full-body workout:
- Hold a squash clinic or workshop as part of your next event or fundraiser
- Run an open house or demo day at the club every month or so where executives from local businesses come down for some friendly competition (and maybe even offer some prizes)
Final Thoughts
Squash is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, with more than 30 million players in 185 countries. But it could be much bigger—and that’s why we need to make sure people are aware of and able to watch this amazing game. Here are a few ideas on how to get squash on everyone’s radar, so they’ll want to start playing.
In conclusion, we can see that there are many opportunities for Squash to grow in popularity and become more recognised. We have looked at the benefits of this sport for people of all ages and abilities, including health & wellbeing as well as social interaction and development of sports talent.
From this, you can see why so many people are already involved in Squash and why others should consider trying it out too!
