You would think that come August, the world of Squash would be quiet? This has not been the case, especially with local tournaments taking place and new corporate partnerships, supporting the local Squash programmes.
With 2019/2020 approaching, you could say there is going to be a new era of Squash, with some of the current players who are looking to step up to the mantle of Squash no.1 and become standout stars of the sport.
Away from the major Squash headlines, there have been five interesting news stories that have shown the world that Squash is the greatest sport in the world:
1. Team Jamaica retains corporate backer
JN General Insurance reaffirmed its commitment to Jamaican squash by renewing its sponsorship deal in the lead-up to the Senior 2019 Caribbean Area Squash Association tournament in Guyana:
JNGI Backs Jamaican Senior Squash Team (credit: Jamaican Gleaner) Championships
For the full story visit: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20190818/jngi-backs-ja-squash-team-caribbean-championships
2. Women’s Squash gets prize money increase
For the 2019 PSA Women’s World Championship taking in place Cairo on 24 October – 1 November; 64 of the world’s leading female players will now compete in a prize fund of $430,000 (£352,000). The tournament is one of women’s Squash’s most prominent squash tournaments, CIB has invested an additional $100,000 into the prize fund.
For the full story visit: https://psaworldtour.com/news/view/6604/cib-psa-womens-world-championship-prize-money-increases-to-430000
3. Microsoft attracts top Squash players in a big prize money tournament
Some of the top men and women squash players in the world took were invited to take part in The Yusuf Khan Invitational, at the Boys & Girls Club Hidden Valley in Bellevue.
For the full story visit: https://www.geekwire.com/2019/long-ties-seattle-area-microsoft-squash-attracts-new-interest-tech-challenge/
4. Indian Squash Juniors to get a masterclass from a Squash legend
Our good friend, Chris Ryder has been invited by the India Squash Association to deliver a masterclass to the junior India team to prepare them for the National junior tournament held in Chennai from 16-22 October.
For the full story visit: https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/squash-chris-ryder-to-coach-juniors-next-month/article29213134.ece
5. Guyana wins the team 2019 CASA Championships
Having won the men’s title with Chris Binnie, Jamaica went up against Guyana in the team’s final.
Guyana had already won the women’s title with Nicolette Fernandes. Having played each other in previous finals, this match had a major significance as Jamaica was looking to make amends following an encouraging performance at the 2019 Pan-Am tournament.
Team Guyana – CASA 2019 Champions (Photo credit: Stabroek News)
For the full story visit: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/sports/08/25/senior-casa-guyana-emerge-overall-champs/
Boost for World squash
These stories illustrate how great Squash is doing overseas, thus can inspire people to take up Squash.
For instance, seeing how blue-chip organisations are associating themselves with Squash is great to increase awareness of their brand and build healthy options for their staff.
However, the news of overseas coach helping young players prepare for a tournament, show how the sport can bring two nations together, given the uncertainty of the world at present.
Gearing up for 2019/2020
It is going to be interesting to how 2019/2020 PSA pans out in terms of which player and country will dominate.
In addition, it will be interesting to see one of the emerging Squash nations make its debut in a major Squash tournament.
Overall, the outlook for Squash looks great at both a grassroots and senior level, especially with partnerships and schemes to create more opportunities for people to take up the sport.
Let us hope the Squash revival continues with more developments in those emerging countries, aligned with more provision in local communities.
