In the last few years, Squash in the UK has seen a strong resurgence in the growth of the sport, notably success in individual competitions at a senior level, plus this year’s success at the World University Championships in Birmingham.
As for the popularity of the sport, there has been a lot of news coverage and new channels for both old and new fans to engage with the progress of the stars of UK Squash.
England Squash Team (Photo credit: England Squash)
Let’s not forget the UK has a strong network of grassroots programmes across key cities and home counties, hence each child has a grand opportunity to become a Squash player. Furthermore, most venues are operated by commercial and public management teams.
The next king of UK Squash
Following the retirement of Nick Matthew this year, we ask who is the next star of men’s Squash.
From the current crop of male squash players, there are three male Squash players, who could be UK’s number 1 men’s Squash:
- Darren Selby
- James Wilstrop
- Declan James
Let’s not forget the women’s game, so far the ladies of UK Squash are making serious progress and giving female competitors from the likes of Egypt and Malaysia some serious competition.
Ladies Squash on the rise
Both Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry are in the top 10 of the women’s PSA rankings, a feat that has been a long time coming – but the one player from the UK they have to watch out for is Tesani Evans of Wales, who done at the most recent Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Overall, with campaigns such as This Girl Can, an initiative to get more young women into sport – Squash in the UK could see a strong influx of young women taking up the sport because of the strong influence of Laura and Sarah-Jane.
More courts equals more opportunities
Following the debacle of Squash courts being removed to make way for fitness fads, perhaps it is time UK Squash follow the example as is done in the US – Squash on Fire.
Given the state of the high street with shops closing down, Squash can fill this gap with a similar concept that is attracting more people to the sport – add in a retail section and a café, and it’s pretty much a win-win for both parties.
Outdoor Squash, the UK has a lot of parks – so how about a few public Squash courts in certain areas of the country? This would be a great way of getting young people to play the sport, especially if there was commercial and community partnership.
Also, the more courts available could see an influx in participation in the sport with more adults looking to take it up as an activity to keep healthy.
Squash Performance hubs
When England Squash announced the development of Performance Hubs, in order to nurture the next generation of Squash – this shows that governing is very serious about building a strong development of talent to compete at all levels of the sport.
Just like other sports, such as formula one and football; Squash is collaborating with the grassroots community to produce the next Nick Matthew or Laura Massora.
It’s a shame there is no commercial partner attached to it, like David Lloyd Leisure and Virgin Active have with the Lawn Tennis Association.
Squash, England’s new passion
To conclude, Squash is becoming popular again and it is good to see that England is going from strength to strength with new developments to boost participation. All that is needed is extensive coverage on UK screens to give it value.
As an organisation, we hope to make a positive contribution to bringing Squash to the forefront of the UK sporting landscape.
