Home / News
Covid Update Nov 1st 2021
 
Sport Ireland released updated guidance for the indoor sport sector which will remain in place until the end of February 2022 at least. 
It is clear from the guidelines that a greater range of activities is feasible where all participants provide proof of immunity to Covid-19 infection.
The board of Irish Squash wants to ensure that our sport can restart for as many people as possible both within our clubs and at competitive events.
Therefore we have agreed that for any tournament that is open to players from more than one club, all participants must provide proof of immunity to Covid-19 as a condition of entry.  This applies to all senior and masters competitions. It also applies to any junior entering into a senior event.
 
The situation for U12 and U18 players in junior competitions is unclear at present and Sport Ireland have requested clarification on this from the Department of Sport. Whilst awaiting this information, we cannot proceed with junior competitions listed on our calendar. We appreciate that this is a difficult situation for many people and we will provide a further update as soon as possible.
 
At club level, it is feasible to operate pods of up to 6 players (for training sessions at the same time or for round robin events) without the need to prove immunity to Covid-19 infection. For any player who is not immune to Covid-19, they are restricted to one squash pod only within their club and may not play in any inter-club competition.
 
As always, anyone who is unwell with symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 infection (whether you are vaccinated or not) should stay at home and follow public health advice regarding testing for Covid. Social distancing, mask wearing indoors and hand hygiene measures should continue to be observed.
 
Please check our website and social media platforms for further updates.
 
Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash

Sport Ireland have announced additional funding to support sport in getting back to normal activity, and are now inviting clubs to submit applications. Irish Squash welcomes the additional funding offered by Sport Ireland to assist NGBs and clubs in coping with the pandemic. Irish Squash will be administering this club resilience scheme on behalf of our clubs and affiliated bodies, and subsequently submitting them to Sport Ireland.

Club Resilience Fund Guidelines

Club Resilience Fund Application Form

Applications by clubs must be sent to [email protected] by next Thursday October 21st. Late applications cannot be accepted.

 

REMINDER – Nominate a Volunteer from your Club Today!!

The Federation of Irish Sport launch this year’s Volunteers in Sport Awards, which recognise and support the army of volunteers in sport and physical activity in local communities across Ireland. The Awards will take place virtually in December 2021.

We are asking clubs/members in the following counties to make a special effort to nominate a dedicated volunteer. This is because we are short nominations in these counties. 

  Get your entry in now as the closing date is this Sunday October 17th.

  1. Carlow
  2. Cavan
  3. Derry
  4. Fermanagh
  5. Longford
  6. Monaghan
  7. Tipperary
  8. Wexford

More than 450,000 volunteers across Ireland ensure that sport and physical activity take place around the country every day. Each year, this army of volunteers dedicates over 37.2 million hours of their time across the country’s sports clubs and associations. They are there to support sporting clubs and communities from early morning, to late at night, without any expectation of recognition or reward.

In partnership with the Federation of Irish Sport, EBS will honour the commitment and dedication of volunteers in helping to bring sport to the fore in a safe manner, especially through the Covid-19 pandemic. EBS is now inviting members of the Irish public to nominate a volunteer in their particular sport that they would like to see recognised at the 2021 Volunteers in Sport Awards. 

 

Judges include Former GAA Director General, Mr Páraic Duffy as awards Chairperson, sports journalist and broadcaster Marie Crowe and CEO of Gaisce, Yvonne Mckenna.

They are joined by

Please see here for further information about our 2021 judges – http://volunteersinsport.ie/news/2021/10/5/judging-panel-for-upcoming-2021-volunteer-in-sport-awards-announced

Nominations can be made by a club, individual or sporting body and are open from September 7th, 2021, to October 17th, 2021. 

The 16th AGM of Irish Squash Federation clg will commence at 1pm on Sunday, October 17th 2021 at Irish Sport HQ, National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
 
The meeting can be attended in person and also be attended virtually. To attend the AGM virtually, you should pre-register with an e-mail to [email protected] by 5pm on Friday 15th of October 2021. The meeting link will then be emailed to you. You must only use this link for yourself and not pass it on to anyone else. 
 
 The Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020 [the “Act”] was introduced in 2020 to allow for General Meetings of Companies to be conducted virtually. The act is in force until 31st December 2021. Specifically, section 6(5) of the Act states “A company need not hold a general meeting at a physical venue but may conduct the meeting wholly or partly by the use of electronic communications technology as long as all attendees have a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting in accordance with this section.” See the link below for the act in relation to general meetings. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/act/9/section/6/enacted/en/html#sec6 
 
 A member, if they cannot attend the meeting, may vote by proxy. A proxy may also be used in the count for a quorum. See proxy form attached. We look forward to as many members as possible participating in the interests of the game of Squash. 
 
Yours in Sport,
 
Anne Costello, 
Honorary Secretary (Acting} 
 

AGM Documents

Formal Notice of the AGM
Agenda 2021
Nomination of Club Representative and Alternative Representative Form
Nomination of Representative designated by a Provincial Association Form
Nomination for Election to Position on the Board of Irish Squash Form
Proxy Form
Minutes of the 15th AGM
Audited Accounts to December 31st 2020
Annual Board Report 2020/21

The Insomnia Coffee Irish Squash Challenge 3, takes place this weekend in Sutton LTC from Friday October 8th – 10th. The entry is limited to Irish based players. After 18 months without tournament squash, Sport Ireland gave permission to hold this PSA event, for our top home based players.

PSA registered players have been training in a high performance hub, under strict controls since May. This was given special permission by Sport Ireland.  The players have low PSA ranking points due to Covid, therefore Irish Squash is holding the event sponsored by INSOMNIA and using the opportunity to run a PSA tournament. It is smaller than usual, but set up by the PSA to support players in these challenging times. 

The entry list includes, Sam Buckley, the No. 1 seed, Conor Moran, Alex Smith, Gavin L’Estrange, Oisin Logan, Denis Gilevskiy, the returning David Ryan who has come homw feom the USA and junior Dylan Moran.

The 1st round matches start at 5.30 on Friday 8th with the last match at 8.30pm. The semi finals start at 12pm on Saturday with the final at 12pm on Sunday. All matches will be live streamed on Irish Squash TV. Make sure to tune in and enjoy some top quality squash!

See Draw Here – Updated Final

Irish Squash TV

 

Final

 S.Buckley beat Oisin Logan 11/6, 11/5, 10/12, 9/11, 11/9

 

Semi Finals

 

S.Buckley beat Gavin L’Estrange 11/5, 11/9, 11/7

O.Logan beat C.Moran 11/8, 11/8, 11/2

 

Quarter Finals

 

S.Buckley beat D.Moran 11/7, 11/5, 11/6

G.L’Estrange beat D. Ryan 5/11, 11/4, 9/11, 11/7, 11/6

O.Logan beat A.Smith 11/9, 6/11, 11/6, 11/3

C.Moran beat D.Gilevskiy 11/8, 11/3, 11/2

REMINDER to celebrate WORLD SQUASH DAY this Saturday on OCTOBER 9th and help promote both your club and our great game of Squash, IRISH SQUASH urge you to organise a day of activity in your squash club. The theme for this year’s celebration is to focus on the fun aspects of the sport after the challenges of lockdown. The message is simple: Let’s all focus on a day of Fun For Everyone.

We also encourage you to fundraise for a local charity during your event, to engage the event with your local community.

This is an opportunity to bring your club together and also to promote the club and Squash to the community in your area.

So please organise play in your club on Saturday the 9th of October.

Irish Squash particularly encourage you to organise play for juniors in your club/community, even if they have never played before. 

*Promote the event on your club’s social media platform with the WSD logo & the hashtag  #squashfun on every post

World Squash Day Logo – HERE

Squash is rated one of the healthiest sports for players of all ages. Squash burns around 900 calories per hour and the health benefits can last a lifetime for those who continue playing into their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Ideas for Play

IRISH SQUASH IS RUNNING A COMPETITION FOR THE CLUB WHO RUNS THE BEST WORLD SQUASH DAY ACTIVITIES

TO ENTER

  1. Send in full details of the activity which took place in your club on the day which should include:
  2. Description of play/activities which took place
  3. Numbers of all participants
  4. Numbers of under 18 participants and ages (an estimate)
  5. At least 8 pictures (minimum) of activities in the club on the day
  6. A least 1 picture including the World Squash Day Logo
  7. What you believe the day achieved for the club
  8. E Mail all the information and pictures to: [email protected]

PRIZE FOR THE WINNING CLUB

(worth over €650)

The judges decision will be final with no appeal allowed. They will decide on the winning club entry, based on the quality of the activity and number of participants, particularly number of Juniors  – a group picture of all participants, with someone holding the ‘World Squash Day 2021’ logo is mandatory, otherwise the entry will not be accepted.

Women in Sport - Racquet Sports Leadership Programme

 

Badminton Ireland, Irish Squash, Table Tennis Ireland and Tennis Ireland are delighted to present our first collaboration between all four sports. The programme, entitled ‘The Racquet Sports Leadership Programme’ will give female coaches from our four sports the opportunity to gain knowledge and collaborate with each other. All four sports would like to thank the Women in Sport Unit at Sport Ireland for their support of this programme.

Participants will learn more on the following four key coaching areas; leadership, psychology, performance analysis and communication. There will be a guest speaker for each of our online sessions, along with the Women in Sports Leads on hand to facilitate them. This programme is aimed at female coaches starting out on their pathway to coaching. It will be delivered in a hybrid format with four weeks online and the fifth week with a face to face meet-up.

Applications are now open to apply for this initiative and the cost to participate is €40. The closing date for applications is Monday 4th October, 2021. Please send your application to the following: [email protected]

APPLICATION FORM

INFORMATION SHEET

Places are limited, with additional details to follow post application.

Irish Masters Challenge Event Friday 15th October and Saturday 16th October 2021

The Irish Masters Challenge will take place on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th of October. See below for all the details of our first tournament back for 18 months. The event will not carry any selection points as some people may not be ready yet to play a competitive event.

Closing date: Saturday October 9th

The Connacht Masters 5/6th November will be the first ranking event.

See details HERE

 

At the EGM held on September 5th 2021, the 2 motions proposed by the board were approved (Link for Motions).

­The M&As have been updated accordingly.
The changes will be implemented at our AGM to be held on October 17th 2021.

Rosie Barry
President Irish Squash

Dates: 17th – 19th September

Venue: Hallamshire Tennis & Squash Club

 

A great weekend for the Irish players as they came back to competition. Dylan Moran had a super win in the Under 19’s event and Jack O’Flynn got a silver in the Under 17’s .

Dylan beat Thomas Ramsay of England 3-0 in the final, a very comprehensive victory. Jack O’Flynn lost to Kyle Penman of Scotland, 3-1. Good win for Kyle, who has been a regular player in the Irish Junior Open over the last few years.

DRAWS HERE