October 2023 – Review
The month of October has been a whirlwind for not only Irish Squash but the entire squash world in general, with the wonderful news that squash will take its place at the LA28 Olympic Games!
October also coincided with World Squash Day 2023 on the 14th October where several clubs ran brilliant open days!
On top of that, we had several prestigious competitions on our shores during October. The most high-profile of these competitions, The Irish Masters open (an ESF accredited event), took place across Fitzwilliam LTC and Mount Pleasant LTC with competitors from over 20 countries putting on an excellent show! A full recap of the Irish Masters Open can be found here: Irish Masters Open 2023 – Report
Last month also showcased brilliant squash across our entire island and a little further afield. At home we had the Munster Senior Open, Ulster Junior Open, East of Ireland Junior Open and the Highfield Women’s One-Day Open. Results form these events can be found here: Irish Squash – Latest Results
In Europe, we were represented by a strong Irish contingent at the Nordic Junior Open and Belgian Masters Open.
Here’s to more of the same for November!
On Monday and Tuesday this week, Windsor Squash has been running an inclusive racquet’s camp at Shankill Leisure Centre in partnership with Belfast City Council and Better Leisure. As part of Belfast City Council’s Sporting Halloween ‘Try It’ Events, 10 kids participated in a mix of racquet sports including squash, pickleball and badminton and a great time was had by all.
The highlight of the camp was a visit by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Ryan Murphy (pictured below), who threw himself in, tried all the different racquet sports and found himself on the squash court for the first time!
Windsor Squash Head Coach Will Nicholson said “I think this multi-sport format is a great way for so many kids to try out different racquet sports and play sports they wouldn’t normally have a chance to experience. We’d like to thank Belfast City Council for organising this initiative and particularly thank the Lord Mayor for coming down and having a go at all the racquet sports – the kids thoroughly enjoyed the chance to play the Lord Mayor on court and will have that great memory to take home with them!”
Windor is also delighted to announce that Brian Murray will be joining the team to deliver more squash activities at Windsor and in the community, including more junior squash at the Club and racquet camps at the Shankill in future. Brian is a level 1 squash coach and very passionate about increasing participation in the sport and driving the social aspects of the game.
Irish Squash working in partnership with Mayo Education Centre have developed and received approval from the Department of Education to run an E.P.V. approved summer course entitled “Squash – Supporting Pupils’ Physical Literacy Journey in Your School.”
The course seeks to unpack strands of the Primary School P.E. Curriculum for teachers through the medium of squash. The course has a strong emphasis on practical ideas and activities that teachers can use to offer a fresh fun approach to the teaching of fundamental movement skills in their school. This is a very exciting opportunity for teachers to connect their passion for the game of squash with their professional work of teaching primary school children, by using the game of squash to teach aspects of the P.E. Curriculum.
Irish Squash is now inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals to become tutors for the delivery of this Primary School Summer Course. The course will take place in multiple venues across the country, depending on tutor availability and participant interest. The course will be a face to face summer course taking place from 1st to 5th July 2023. Full training will be provided for tutors.
Candidate Profile:
Benefits for Teacher Tutors:
To express your interest, please fill out this short form: https://forms.gle/ttb1wLnQPuoVbi7RA
Irish Squash working in partnership with Mayo Education Centre have developed and received approval from the Department of Education to run an E.P.V. approved summer course entitled “Squash – Supporting Pupils’ Physical Literacy Journey in Your School.”
The course seeks to unpack strands of the Primary School P.E. Curriculum for teachers through the medium of squash. The course has a strong emphasis on practical ideas and activities that teachers can use to offer a fresh fun approach to the teaching of fundamental movement skills in their school. This is a very exciting opportunity for teachers to connect their passion for the game of squash with their professional work of teaching primary school children, by using the game of squash to teach aspects of the P.E. Curriculum.
Irish Squash is now inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals to become tutors for the delivery of this Primary School Summer Course. The course will take place in multiple venues across the country, depending on tutor availability and participant interest. The course will be a face to face summer course taking place from 1st to 5th July 2023. Full training will be provided for tutors.
Candidate Profile:
Benefits for Teacher Tutors:
To express your interest, please fill out this short form: https://forms.gle/ttb1wLnQPuoVbi7RA
Irish Squash and Ulster Squash warmly welcome the financial support from Sport Northern Ireland under the 2023/24 Athlete Award scheme.
Northern Ireland-born squash sensation Hannah Craig, currently ranked 132nd in the World Rankings, has been granted the maximum allocation for the period extending to the end of March 2024.
The Athlete Award is designed to bolster emerging talent by offering additional financial assistance as they embark on a performance pathway for the first time, helping to overcome obstacles in their journey towards future success, and reinforcing their potential on the world stage. Made possible, thanks to National Lottery funding, Sport NI’s Athlete Award has been the catalyst for many glittering careers.
This news is especially significant, given the recent confirmation that Squash has been included in the LA 2028 Olympic Games program. Qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games, as well as the 2026 Commonwealth Games, are major goals for the talented 24-year-old from Lisburn.
Hannah expressed her gratitude upon receiving Sport Northern Ireland Athlete Award funding for the first time, stating:
“The Sport NI Athlete Award funding has come at just the right time for me. With the 2023/24 squash season now underway, I am competing in tournaments around the world in an effort to improve my world ranking. This funding will greatly assist my preparations and my ability to compete in high-level events. The opportunity to become an Olympian has given me renewed drive to reach the pinnacle of the game, so I am very grateful for the support of Sport NI.”
Irish Squash CEO, Scott Graham, welcomed the confirmation of funding, saying:
“I am delighted that Sport Northern Ireland favourably considered our Athlete Award funding application. We look forward to collaborating with Sport Northern Ireland and other funding partners across the island of Ireland to further enhance our high-performance program. This will enable us to expand and direct our support to the most dedicated and talented players with high potential for success in European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic competitions.”
“I also want to thank Ulster Squash for their support and assistance in the application process. Inspirational performances from players such as Hannah, along with a thriving game at a local level, will ensure a continuous stream of talented players capable of achieving success on the world stage.”
Irish Squash and Ulster Squash warmly welcome the financial support from Sport Northern Ireland under the 2023/24 Athlete Award scheme.
Northern Ireland-born squash sensation Hannah Craig, currently ranked 132nd in the World Rankings, has been granted the maximum allocation for the period extending to the end of March 2024.
The Athlete Award is designed to bolster emerging talent by offering additional financial assistance as they embark on a performance pathway for the first time, helping to overcome obstacles in their journey towards future success, and reinforcing their potential on the world stage. Made possible, thanks to National Lottery funding, Sport NI’s Athlete Award has been the catalyst for many glittering careers.
This news is especially significant, given the recent confirmation that Squash has been included in the LA 2028 Olympic Games program. Qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games, as well as the 2026 Commonwealth Games, are major goals for the talented 24-year-old from Lisburn.
Hannah expressed her gratitude upon receiving Sport Northern Ireland Athlete Award funding for the first time, stating:
“The Sport NI Athlete Award funding has come at just the right time for me. With the 2023/24 squash season now underway, I am competing in tournaments around the world in an effort to improve my world ranking. This funding will greatly assist my preparations and my ability to compete in high-level events. The opportunity to become an Olympian has given me renewed drive to reach the pinnacle of the game, so I am very grateful for the support of Sport NI.”
Irish Squash CEO, Scott Graham, welcomed the confirmation of funding, saying:
“I am delighted that Sport Northern Ireland favourably considered our Athlete Award funding application. We look forward to collaborating with Sport Northern Ireland and other funding partners across the island of Ireland to further enhance our high-performance program. This will enable us to expand and direct our support to the most dedicated and talented players with high potential for success in European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic competitions.”
“I also want to thank Ulster Squash for their support and assistance in the application process. Inspirational performances from players such as Hannah, along with a thriving game at a local level, will ensure a continuous stream of talented players capable of achieving success on the world stage.”
So much focus on mental well-being focuses on the athlete themselves, but in many cases in many cases it is also so important to look at coach mental well-being!
As world mental health day took place in October, we are pleased to share with you, the Curious Coaching Podcast series on Coach Wellbeing. This is a micro-series on Coach Wellbeing, featuring esteemed guests.
To listen to these podcast on spotify use the link below:
https://spotify.link/rh46TP1jdEb
So much focus on mental well-being focuses on the athlete themselves, but in many cases in many cases it is also so important to look at coach mental well-being!
As world mental health day took place in October, we are pleased to share with you, the Curious Coaching Podcast series on Coach Wellbeing. This is a micro-series on Coach Wellbeing, featuring esteemed guests.
To listen to these podcast on spotify use the link below:
https://spotify.link/rh46TP1jdEb
Hello Referees,
As mentioned over the last two seasons, the new World Squash Officiating (WSO) Policy is that after the now elapsed season-long transition period, referee qualification would be dependent on completing the new WSO Levels (L1 to L5).
Much of this is online at World Squash Officiating. Irish Squash will continue to provide a voucher for the L1 qualifications – just contact me for the code on completion of the online course and before payment.
As Irish Squash has fully adopted that policy I will be adjusting the list of qualified referees on Irish Squash – Referees to reflect this change.
It would be great if you would go to the WSO website and complete the level appropriate for you to keep your qualification up to date.
Your contribution is appreciated by the players as we really do need referees!
Hello Referees,
As mentioned over the last two seasons, the new World Squash Officiating (WSO) Policy is that after the now elapsed season-long transition period, referee qualification would be dependent on completing the new WSO Levels (L1 to L5).
Much of this is online at World Squash Officiating. Irish Squash will continue to provide a voucher for the L1 qualifications – just contact me for the code on completion of the online course and before payment.
As Irish Squash has fully adopted that policy I will be adjusting the list of qualified referees on Irish Squash – Referees to reflect this change.
It would be great if you would go to the WSO website and complete the level appropriate for you to keep your qualification up to date.
Your contribution is appreciated by the players as we really do need referees!
