UPDATE ON COVID RESTRICTIONS FOR INDOOR SPORTS
Members of Irish Squash continue to attend weekly meetings with Sport Ireland, the Federation of Irish Sport and other indoor sport NGBs regarding the potential for change in current restrictions. Up until very recently, it is fair to say that we had no good news to report on. Therefore we welcome the confirmation from Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers, that a timeframe for easing of restrictions for indoor sports will be announced at the end of August. As we have done throughout the pandemic, we have to wait and see what the easing of restrictions will look like, before we can gain approval of our plans for squash from the Expert Group in Sport Ireland.
We will be planning a meaningful and sustainable return to squash for all our members which will fit alongside the Minister’s plan on how our society can “live with Covid”.
In the meantime, we ask you to support your clubs, get back on court for solo play or with a household member, organise a one-to-one coaching session (get ahead of the posse) and keep an eye on our website for further news.
Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash
Dear Member,
President of Irish Squash Rosie Barry wrote to all members recently about the launch of a new strategic review being conducted by the Board.
We would love to have your input on the current state of Squash and its future and would very much appreciate if you could take 5 minutes to respond to our survey which is available by clicking on the link below.
We promise it is a short survey and we are not gathering personal details or tracking email contacts nor will be assigning individual comments in any reports generated.
If you have any additional comments or questions, please email us on the dedicated email: [email protected]
Here’s the link: SURVEY
Please feel free to circulate this link to other members of your club that we may have missed!
President of Irish Squash, Rosie Barry, attended the online meeting organised by the Federation of Irish Sport with Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers, on July 15th. Please see her report below:
In addition to squash, other indoor sports represented at the meeting included GAA handball, gymnastics, Swim Ireland (water polo), martial arts, table tennis, volleyball, student sport ireland, inline hockey and taekwondo.
The Minister provided his overview of where we are now and that the Covid Delta variant presented a sombre picture which led to the pause in July in planned easing of restrictions.
He said that the situation will be reviewed again in August.
He noted the funding impact on indoor sports and that a package is to be agreed for the sector in collaboration with Michael McGrath (Dept Public Expenditure).
Mary O’Connor (Federation of Irish Sport CEO) expressed the frustration felt by indoor sports and that financial & communication supports are urgently needed.
The meeting was opened to participants and concern was expressed across all sports around juniors and cancellation of indoor camps this summer.
I specifically asked what his plans were for allowing the Digital Covid Certificate to facilitate resumption of more ‘normal’ activity for vaccinated people in indoor sports. It appeared from the Minister’s response that this option had not yet been considered.
Concerns remain about the ability of senior international teams in non-Olympic sports to resume training & competing abroad – Sport Ireland have said yes but existing legislation is limited to Olympic sports and the big ones (rugby, soccer, cricket, hockey) with small NGB sports (like squash) excluded. Clarity on this issue was requested.
The Minister suggested that NGBs submit protocols for consideration in August as to how we can reopen safely. I replied that the protocol for indoor hospitality using the Digital Covid Cert should be adapted for indoor sports and that the government should take the lead on this.
Other NGBs also requested that the Gov Dept for Sport should be taking the lead on how we can progress reopening the indoor sport sector, rather than always leaving it to the NGBs to produce yet another protocol (that might or might not be approved).
Irish Squash was among the NGBs that requested the Minister to support them in maximising compliance with current restrictions among members.
All in all, I came away disappointed from the meeting. The indoor sport sector was not given any firm assurance about how or when we can reopen further. A vague hope that pods of 6 for training might be approved in August was as concrete a suggestion that the Minister put forward.
So for now, no change and no prospect of it in the near future.
The Federation of Irish Sport are hosting a further meeting with indoor sport NGBs this week to discuss ways in which we can make progress in our reopening plans. I will attend this meeting and provide an update on any new developments.
Irish Squash continues to work hard on behalf of our members to ensure that a safe and sustainable reopening of our sport is achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
Please keep an eye on our website and social media for further updates.
Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash
NIAMH FITZPATRICK WEBINAR – EVENT POSTPONED
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Niamh Fitzpatrick webinar due to air on July 22nd, is postponed. It will be rescheduled soon – date to be confirmed. Apologies for the change.
POSTPONED
Squash Webinar Series 2 – Exclusive Coaching and Conversations
A four-event series of High-Performance presentations delivered by world renowned coaches and exclusive conversations with the world’s leading players.
22nd July – ‘Impact of loss of competition and how best to prepare for return to squash’ – Niamh Fitzpatrick, Sports Psychologist
Irish Squash in association with Squash Fitness presents:
Squash Webinar Series 2 – Exclusive Coaching and Conversations
A four-event series of High-Performance presentations delivered by world renowned coaches and exclusive conversations with the world’s leading players.
19th July – Training Smarter – Derek Ryan Lead PSA Physiotherapist and Strength & Conditioning consultant
22nd July – ‘Impact of loss of competition and how best to prepare for return to squash’ – Niamh Fitzpatrick, Sports Psychologist
Irish Squash are aware that there seems to be confusion about applying Government public health guidelines in squash these days. We would like to remind the squash community that we are bound by the restrictions that Sport Ireland provide to indoor sports.
June 7th announcement from Sport Ireland:
Indoor Individual Training Capacities:
Indoor training activity (no indoor Games, matches or competitions) is currently permitted.
We realise that people are frustrated about the continued lack of ‘normal’ squash – Irish Squash have repeatedly asked Sport Ireland for a ‘vaccine pass’ for those who are fully vaccinated. Similar to the indoor hospitality sector, the answer has been no (so far). We are watching that space carefully and as soon as there is any change permitted, we will update our guidance.
For now, please continue to take personal responsibility in observing the guidelines.
Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash
WEBINAR SERIES 2: EXCLUSIVE COACHING AND CONVERSATIONS
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Ramy Ashour webinar due to air on Monday 12th July has been changed to Tuesday July 13th @ 7.15pm. Register on [email protected]
Irish Squash in association with Squash Fitness presents:
Squash Webinar Series 2 – Exclusive Coaching and Conversations
A four-event series of High-Performance presentations delivered by world renowned coaches and exclusive conversations with the world’s leading players.
13th July – A conversation with former World No.1 Ramy Ashour
19th July – Training smarter – Derek Ryan Lead PSA Physiotherapist and Strength & Conditioning consultant
22nd July – ‘Impact of loss of competition and how best to prepare for return to squash’ – Niamh Fitzpatrick, Sports Psychologist
COVID-19 update July 6th 2021
The planned easing of government restrictions on indoor activities from July 5th is postponed, as you are all aware.
Therefore there is no change to the current restrictions for squash: solo play only is permitted – (
See Previous Update)
A meeting with Minister for Sport, Jack Chambers, is planned for later this week and further updates will be provided thereafter.
Please continue to observe all COVID restrictions both on and off court.
Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash
WEBINAR SERIES 2: EXCLUSIVE COACHING AND CONVERSATIONS
Irish Squash in association with Squash Fitness presents:
Squash Webinar Series 2 – Exclusive Coaching and Conversations
A four-event series of High-Performance presentations delivered by world renowned coaches and exclusive conversations with the world’s leading players.
5th July – A conversation with former World No.1 Laura Massaro
12th July – A conversation with former World No.1 Ramy Ashour
19th July – Training smarter – Derek Ryan Lead PSA Physiotherapist and Strength & Conditioning consultant
22nd July – ‘Impact of loss of competition and how best to prepare for return to squash’ – Niamh Fitzpatrick, Sports Psychologist
Irish Squash is working withe the WSF & PSA in utilising the WSO platform to improve the standard of refereeing. There is a questions and answers section on the WSO, with our refereeing secretary Lee Healy. See below.
The World Squash Federation (WSF) and Professional Squash Association (PSA) last month jointly launched World Squash Officiating (WSO), an online education and appraisal portal designed to standardise officiating qualifications worldwide.
WSO has been launched with the aim of creating a worldwide standard in refereeing and a clear referee pathway.
WSO contains a host of resources such as in-depth articles and presentations on rules as well as a comprehensive video library from the SQUASHTV archives which explains previous decisions made by referees on the PSA World Tour.
Irish Squash are already feeling the benefits of the platform and we caught up with their Refereeing Secretary, Lee Healy, to learn more about how they are using WSO.
Q: Lee, could you please give a brief description of how Irish Squash have been using WSO and future plans for the platform?
LH: We have decided that the programme will become the basis for our referee qualification system into the future. To encourage players to avail of the WSO on-line platform we have agreed to cover the fees for the Level 1 qualification. Once players and then referees experience the benefits of the Level 0 and Level 1 we are hopeful that many will continue their journey to higher levels to the benefit of all.
Q: Why have you signed up your referees to the platform?
LH: The online nature of the course allows interested players to avail of training in the comfort of their own home at at their own time so that uptake should be higher than traditionally was the case. In addition, the availability of graded videos and the ease of repeating the assessments will help candidates to succeed.
Q: What did you do to improve the standard of refereeing before WSO?
LH: Irish Squash has qualified over 40 referees in the last two seasons with person to person Club Grade Courses (the equivalent of WSO Level1) but see limitations on that model as a means of progressing.
Q: What have been the most useful aspects of WSO do you think?
LH: A single platform where resources are available is a big advance. The on-ine nature of the whole experience should add to accessibility for players and probably also reflects the expectations of the modern player.
Q: What impact do you think WSO will have on the standard of refereeing in Ireland?
LH: By increasing the number of qualified referees, especially at WSO Level 2 standards will improve as more players become exposed to the experience. Greater standardisation in decision making should also ensue.
Q: What is the standard of refereeing in Ireland like at the moment?
LH: As is the case in many countries, the enthusiasm of the players doesn’t always channel into officiating and our short term aim is to double the number of Level 1 referees and to get a more modest level of Level 2s.
Q: As a National Federation, is it encouraging to see the PSA & WSF work together on a project such as this?
LH: As squash is such a relatively small community any cooperation between organisations within the sport is to be encouraged. This is an example of perfect partnership in that it’s win-win.
Learn more about WSO by visiting the platform’s website.
Irish Squash Utilising WSO Platform to Increase Standard of Refereeing
