September has been an interesting month for the sport, especially with the focus being The CIB Egyptian Squash Open; nevertheless, for most venues, their focus was making the final preparations for World Squash Day 2022 on 15th October.
CIB Egyptian Squash Open Winners: Hania El Hammamy and Ali Farag (credit: Inside Games)
In light of this, there were some interesting stories within the community ranging from calls for change in the sport in terms of widening the participation to funding for developing more opportunities for young children to participate in the sport….
South London gains more squash provision
Planning permission has been granted unanimously by the Royal Greenwich Planning Board for an impressive new leisure centre, high-quality homes, commercial space and a community square in Woolwich, South London.
One plus, the new leisure centre will feature squash courts; YES – squash courts, at this new leisure centre.
As well as being a state-of-the-art leisure centre, the venue will provide space for a wide range of sports and leisure facilities, including a gym and spa, swimming pools (both for serious swimmers & learners), a sports hall, badminton courts, and a five-a-side football pitch, along with a café, crèche, soft play area and flexible community spaces.
No official date has been given as to when the venue will open but is going to replace the existing Waterfront Leisure Centre.
Squash stars to descend on Tauranga for this year’s New Zealand Open
Paul Coll and Joelle King (credit: Stuff.nz)
Some of the biggest stars of the squash world are set to descend upon Tauranga for this year’s New Zealand Open.
In what is the first co-sanctioned tournament in the country since 1993, the November 8-13 PSA World Tour Silver event has a huge number of nations represented.
The tournament will see players from 20 different countries, headlined by Kiwi world No 2 Paul Coll.
Fans will be able to watch the star do battle in the state-of-the-art glass court in the Trustpower Baypark Arena; as added bonus, those who love to watch Squash can see the tournament on Squash TV broadcasting it around the world.
We look forward to seeing the impact of this tournament on New Zealand squash, especially their new mission to increase participation in the country.
Squash club boosted by £3k grant
Credit: Abergavenny Chronicle
One of Wales’s most famous squash clubs, the Abergavenny Squash Club received a £3,021 grant from Sport Wales to increase participation in the sport, especially for women and girls.
The grant will go towards upskilling the existing coaching team, and purchasing more equipment so that the club can offer both squash taster/coaching sessions to more groups in the area.
Jamaica’s squash association president Karen Anderson wants more women in squash
(L-R) Julian Morrison, Karen Anderson and Chris Binnie (credit: Jamaican Squash Association)
Speaking in the SportsMax, Karen Anderson made a call to see more women be involved with Squash.
Towards the end of September, there is a global campaign called International Women’s Squash Week, an initiative designed to bring about greater awareness of the sport, along with encouraging more women to get involved in the sport.
With Jamaica coming off a successful staging of the Caribbean Squash Championships, Anderson believes it’s time for more local women to get involved and not just as players.
“It’s all about trying to get women to come out and play, giving them some exposure to the sport,”
Karen Anderson,
Let’s not forget, Karen Anderson is a true Squash pioneer and has been active in the sport for over three decades since she was a junior player. Not only does she now serve as a coach and president, but she also competes in the veteran’s category.
When it comes to the current generation of ladies squash from Jamaica, some other outstanding women in the sport include Katherine Risden, the current U17 Caribbean champion, Mehar Trehan, the current U15 Caribbean champion, Sanjana Nallapati ranked third in the U17 in the Caribbean, Mia Todd ranked fifth among U19s in the Caribbean and Savannah Thomson, a former U13 Caribbean champion.
Squash officials meet with European Olympic Committees for talks
According to Inside the Games, following the successful 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in which Squash received great coverage – it seems talks about Olympic inclusion are heating up, following a meeting between squash officials and the European Olympic Committee (EOC).
The EOC secretary general, Mr Raffaele Pagnozzi met with the President of the European Squash Federation Thomas Troedsson, along with the President of the Italian Squash Federation Antonella Granata, the honorary President of the Italian Squash Federation Siro Zanella; in addition to vice-presidents of the Italian Squash Federation Pier Maria Spettoli and Marco Micoli, and secretary of the general direction of the national teams Davide Babini was also present.
The main discussion of the meeting was about the sport’s possible inclusion in future editions of the European Games. One of the most discussed topics was the promotion of squash and its contribution to healthy living in Europe and the potential for future collaboration at the EOC’s flagship event.
It was said that Squash’s earliest admittance to the European Games would be for the 2027 edition, which is yet to have a host city.
Meanwhile, in other continental events, Squash is due to appear at the African Games for the first time in 20 years after being included in the Accra 2023 programme.
All roads lead to World Squash Day 2022
With World Squash Day 2022 in under two weeks, the outlook for squash looks good following the successful 2022 Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham.
The news story that stood out of these stories was the meeting with squash officials and the EOC, was very intriguing in the context that the sport has made great strides in becoming a favourable sport for all – hopefully, the EOC will take notice of the wonderful health benefits of what the sport has to offer young people.
To sum up, these stories highlight that Squash is definitely on the rise and those involved are making their voices heard to get the sport to the forefront of people’s minds.
Let’s hope there’s more exciting news to come.
