January has been a very interesting month for Squash, from the perspective of planning for major “GROWTH” in 2023.
Obviously, there was the British Junior Open which kicked off an exciting prospect for the juniors, but further into January the month there have been more interesting developments in the sport, which are talked about more in the coming year.
Working towards GROWTH
if there was one word, to sum up, the best stories in January, it would be – GROWTH, as these stories were focusing on talent growth talent and using investment in order to develop more growth in the sport.
Guyana’s $65M investment to host international Squash Tournaments
National Racquet Centre, Guyana (credit: News Room Guyana)
In News Room Guyana, the Guyanese Squash Association announced by with plans to develop a $65m squash facility, alongside the National Racquet Centre, in Georgetown; with the goal of hosting international tournaments.
The new facility has received funding from the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport and should be ready for usage within six to eight months. Also, there is going to a double Squash court – which is a first for the island.
Jason-Ray and Ashley Khalil (credit: SportMax)
Our view on this is going to game changer for Guyana, as the country has a great grassroots squash program and a host of talented Squash players (Jason-Ray and Ashely Khalil – above), who deserve to compete in international tournaments, hence seeing them competing in a world PSA-sanctioned tournament in Guyana is going to good see for the island, along with boosting more participation too.
Pontefract teenage squash on the rise
Asia Harris with Nick Matthew (credit: Yorkshire Post)
Last month in our review of the 2023 British Junior Open, we mentioned Asia Harris becoming a talent everyone is going to be talking about – well, it turns out this could be true in 2023.
The Wakefield Express, a local paper in Yorkshire did a feature on her and talked about her meteoric rise in the sport with success overseas.
In December, Asia took home a bronze medal at the US Open in Philadelphia, where a third-place finish was achieved, bringing home a bronze medal – note was the Brit do so.
Overwhelming public support for outdoor Squash
Sarah-Jane Perry at the launch of outdoor Squash in Birmingham ( credit: England Squash)
Our good friends, the PSA Foundation conducted a worldwide survey to gain some valuable insights into the perception and potential of outdoor squash. With over 1,000 responses from 65 countries around the world providing opinions on whether there is a need to develop more outdoor Squash provision, with the goal to make the sport more visible and most importantly accessible.
Outdoor Squash Court (Image credit: ASB Squash Courts)
A spokesperson for the PSA Foundation, said: “Outdoor squash symbolises accessibility and opportunity to enjoy the game at a grassroots level and have fun playing a fast-paced and social game”.
We have said a number of times that outdoor squash is needed to boost participation in the sport and give its racquet cousins – Tennis and Padel some serious competition when it comes to outdoor racquet sports during the summer months.
The findings from the survey highlighted the following:
- 70% of respondents were squash fans or recreational players, with 11.5% having decision-making roles in regard to squash.
- 90% of respondents said they enjoy physical activity outside, with a further 83% agreeing that outdoor squash is something that would grow participation levels in the sport
- Over 88% would personally enjoy being able to play squash outdoors as well as their indoor squash sessions
- 83% also believe that having opportunities to play squash outdoors in public settings would help grow membership levels at squash clubs
- 28.5% of the respondents felt that there could be challenges to playing squash outdoors, with bad weather, too cold/hot weather, and the cost of building outdoor facilities as the leading concerns.
When it comes to maintaining outdoor squash provision, there is some housekeeping of the outdoor courts – we would suggest appointing a local squash club or management group to help manage it along with support from the regional squash body to provide the necessary fund for security.
Kids are encouraged to get active by taking up squash in Frinton
Squash Stars Frinton-on-Sea credit: Colchester Gazette
If you ever hear about a Squash star that comes from Frinton, this is due to a new squash initiative at Frinton Lawn Tennis Club a prestigious sports club in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex launched their Squash Star program.
In the Clacton & Frinton Gazette, parents in the seaside town and a former civil parish were being encouraged to allow to their children get more active by taking up squash.
This comes as a survey conducted by Sport England titled Active Lives discovered activity levels among young people have generally returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The findings showed a number of children aged seven to nine taking part in sports or physical activity for at least an hour each day hasn’t recovered as well as other groups.
With this in mind, data showed that 39% of children that age are considered active – 4.5% lower than before the pandemic. With so many physical and mental health benefits linked to regular exercise, encouraging children to be more active is being considered a priority.
England Squash, the governing body which oversees the sport domestically, is determined to play its part and has launched a program aimed at not only introducing children to the sport but getting them active in the process.
The program will teach children aged 5-9yrs, the fundamental skills needed to play squash, and expert coaches will help them improve their hand-eye coordination and physical literacy, in addition to learning important life skills like resilience and teamwork.
Veteran Squash player wins over 60s crown
Steve Martin (right) beat top seed John Parkes in the final. Photo: England Squash Masters.
As we all know Squash is a sport that can be played competitively well into your 80s.
Nevertheless, on 15th January, Steve Martin, from Bessacarr, won the over-60s championship at the East of England Masters tournament in Ipswich.
“Apart from playing for England in 2017 it’s my best achievement in squash,”
Steve Martin, Men’s Over 60s East of England Masters Champion.
Having played Squash since the age of 17 (circa 1979), Steve has always played competitively and was pleased to have won a regional title at the age of 60.
Well done Steven.
Final Thoughts
These stories alone show that 2023 is going to busy year for Squash in general – how so?
Well, news of the Squash Stars program in Essex highlights that grassroots squash is going to be important to help young people become more active and furthermore, expect bookings for squash coaching sessions to be more in demand than ever before.
Steve Martin’s success shows that Squash is a good sport to compete in even when you reach a milestone age – either way, well done to him.
Meanwhile, outdoor Squash provision – all we can say is the research showing support for this, needs to be translated into actual development. Yes, it may be costly and security conscious – either way, a strong management team can help make it a reality and ensure the safety of the provision.
As for Asia Harris, we stand by our prediction that she is going to important role model for the sport, with Nick Matthew, being her mentor; we know this going to happen.
Guyana Squash Association’s investment in improving their Squash provision highlights the island means business and echo’s the battle cry of the President of the Jamaican Olympic Association statement of the Caribbean hosting international squash tournaments.
In conclusion, even though we may be one month into 2023, these stories are just the tip of how great Squash is going to be this year – watch this space.
