Squash Company

Squash coaching with passion

It’s time to make squash so good they can’t ignore us.



This time I wasn’t even surprised to hear squash had failed to make the shortlist of sports recommend for inclusion for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Having failed now for the last 12 years, it just seemed inevitable in some ways. It’s hard as a sport to pick ourselves back up and go again but that’s what we have to do. Though perhaps, this time we need to come from a different angle. This time we need to make squash so good that they can’t ignore us.

We can go on all night listing all the positives about squash and how great a game it is but then we all know how good a game it is. We all know it’s a fantastic sport and a brilliant workout. The problem is most people don’t. Surfing and climbing don’t seem like olympic sports in the slightest but what they do have on their side is the fact everyone knows what they are.

I go into schools every week coaching squash and I rarely get more than one or two kids who have played the game or even have an idea about what it is. Often, when we invite them to our courts for an Open Day with their parents, their parents bring along rackets that really belong a museum and tell of how they used to play when they were younger. Granted, these parents have all lived for longer but they all know what squash is and have played a bit before. Will the same be said of the current generation of children when they go have children of their own? I’m not confident it will. As part of the development work I do in Sussex, England, the main problem we see at our clubs is a declining membership of which the majority are 45 or over and male.

This is something we as a sport have to change and it needs all of us to take up the charge if we are to be successful. It doesn’t even take much. It could be as simple as taking your child, wife or friend on court with you and introducing them to the game. We simply need more people to be aware of what squash is and also more people playing the sport on a regular basis. Or if you have a passion for the game, why not consider becoming a coach or starting a junior set-up if there isn’t already one? We need to grow the number of clubs offering coaching services and junior groups, get more clubs interacting with local schools and community groups and get more women and people from different backgrounds involved.

We need to build and build and get to the stage where we have members complaining at every club because the only court they can get is at 8am or 10pm at night because all four courts are being booked and because there are loads of young players about stealing all the courts. We need to have every club fielding not just one ladies team but two, three or four. We need to get schools up and down the county having squash as part of their PE curriculum and see hundreds of young people introduced to squash at every school.

We need to stop talking about how good squash is and show everyone how good it is. We have to band together and build this momentum to such a fever pitch that it gets to the point where squash is impossible to ignore. We need to make squash so good that the Olympics can’t ignore it.



An overview: The Inner Workings of the PSA World Tour

Robbie discusses prize money on the tour and whether it’s possible to get stranded abroad, what it’s like travelling around the circuit and reveals one of his toughest moments of the tour so far in the shower in British Virgin Islands.

Sea, sand and Sun Stroke in British Virgin Islands: One of the toughest moments so far

Playing on the PSA World Tour can be bizarre at times. Extreme too. I played Jamaican Chris Binnie in the Semi-Finals of the British Virgin Islands Open once. It was Caribbean climate at it’s meanest at 37 degrees outside and the courts were certainly not air conditioned. There was a small fan high on the court which just shifted some of the air around. Add to that the fact it was 11am which was the hottest part of the day. Then there was the humidity. They say you should put on an extra 5 degrees for that sort of humidity, meaning it was effectively 42 degrees of Caribbean heat I was dealing with. I had so many changes of kit prepared and my bottle of electrolyte replacement powder ready to come to my aid. I remember during and between each set of the match how I chugged down litres of water and electrolytes, changed shirts, bandanas, wristbands, shorts, the lot. I even changed my socks between games. By the mid-way of each set I could barely stand let alone chase down the ball to gain the next point.

I went 2-1 down in games but managed to build an 8-4 lead in the fourth game. Having done that though, I could not even return the ball properly anymore. Once that was gone, I inevitably lost the match 3-1 within about 5 minutes. Chris adapted to the climate far better than I did which hugely affected the outcome. Following the match I had to be helped to the changing rooms, I couldn’t walk unaided. I stumbled into the shower and just sat there for 20 minutes unable to move, my own body fighting back. I ended up on my back; I had severe shakes and chest cramps, it was my first and thankfully only experience of heat stroke to date. That was certainly a moment I will never forget and I learned a huge amount about how my body functions that day.

Hospitality on the circuit

With three years of experience on the tour under my belt, things have certainly gotten a lot easier with travelling. I’m lucky to say I could pretty much have a place to stay in every country in the world now either through a direct connection or a friend of a friend at least. I seem to often have a great way of meeting the right people at the right time. Once at events it can be hit and miss as to whether or not the organisers pick me up from the airport. I seem to have had huge luck in the past year with the tournaments I entered where I have had really friendly tournament organisers who have made the whole arriving and departing process smooth.

Prize Money: Could you get stranded abroad?

Prize money from events tend to cover between half and all of my travel expenses for the event depending on size of event and how well I do. My dad and I fully fund my squash career through my dad’s business, which along with my appearance fees from league matches, tournament prize money and small amounts of coaching help to cover any costs the prize money doesn’t stretch too. It is a constant battle making ends meet but it is the only way we can continue. There’s no sponsorship available, although I get rackets, strings and kit from various sources which helps. England Squash & Racketball give support to a select few but that’s near impossible to access unless you are head and shoulders above the rest or are coached by one of the national coaches. There is some politics in every sport and squash is certainly no different. So I will be making my own way in squash and in many ways I’m lucky for that because all of the rewards from any success will feel all the sweeter. It also means I’m completely independent and only have people to answer to people who I want to be involved in my journey as a squash professional.

To read more about Robbie’s career to date and his other blog, click here. 

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Squash in the 2020 Olympics: A great opportunity but can we take it?



Officials are considering putting squash in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Squash in the 2020 Olympics

I don’t want to rain on the parade currently marching through the squash world as Japan shortlists squash as one of their eight candidates for recommendation to IOC. Being in the Olympics would be incredible, absolutely amazing but squash should not be looking at the Olympics as the cure it so desperately needs. An ageing demographic, dwindling participation and courts under threat… Squash does need a major boost but it’s not going to get that by getting accepted into the Olympics alone, not unless it can rise to the occasion.

Being in the Olympics would be a phenomenal opportunity but that is all. All opportunities have to be taken. It would be a massive boost to the perception and the awareness of squash but it won’t arrest the present decline. Even if all our dreams come true and all that we wished for happens and squash is played at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, will things change that much for squash? Sure, people of all ages will be more aware of the sport and there is no doubt we will see more people coming along to try squash. There will undoubtedly be a boost to participation in the short term. However, what will this short term boost do for our sport in the long run?

There are players at every club who hark on about days gone by when there were over four thousand internal league divisions and you had to book three years in advance to get a court and even then you would have to play at 4am on a Monday morning or not play at all. Squash has clearly enjoyed far more popular periods than it is enjoying now and yet these ghosts are not worth anything to us now. Even if inclusion in Tokyo 2020 provides us a return to these glory days, what’s to stop squash facing the participation problems again in 20 years time? How much will this Olympics boost actually help the sport?

That depends on us.

The Olympics would be incredible for the game but it is an opportunity, not a solution to the problem. What good will an influx of eager new players be if there are no structures in place for them to join?

I work in clubs across Sussex and I see new members fall through the cracks at all clubs. At some clubs where they’ve worked hard, it’s only occasional new players who drop out but at others, they disappear all the time. Often, they’ll go along to the club night or open evening and get stuffed by everyone there. Where do they go next? If they’re lucky, they might be able to seek out help from the coach – if there is one. A large number of clubs don’t even have a coach! Of the clubs that do, only a handful have full-time coaches. So will our new player be able to improve his game? Maybe. His wife wants to join or is interested in having a go; is there a ladies session? Is there a club session where extra measures are taken to get women to attend? Maybe she’ll find squash too difficult but likes the sound of racketball. Is there a way she can get involved with that? If they have children, can they join a junior section? Can they play competitively and then progress all the way through the county and regional ranks to the top of the game if they so desire? If clubs can’t provide that, they will be a long way short on cashing in on the riches that the Olympics will offer squash.

What squash needs is more qualified coaches. Not just any old token Level 1 coach but active and knowledgeable coaches. It needs champions too. People who will tell their friends about it and bring them along for a go. Mums who will tell all the other mums in the school playground how much their child enjoys playing squash. Parents who will give up their time to drive junior players to matches and volunteers who will run Racketball Evenings, Junior Tournaments and Ladies Nights.

It also needs far more professional infrastructure and participation programmes. We at The Squash Company are working tirelessly to establish better links with schools and community groups in the areas local to our clubs so that we get more and more people actively aware and involved in squash. Squash also needs better and stronger leadership from its governing body and I hope that England squash’s new commander-in-chief Kier Worth will be able to provide that.

If squash is included in the Olympics, it will offer an incredible opportunity and platform, but will squash be there ready to take advantage of this opportunity? I am an incredibly optimistic person (which it might not seem in this article) but we have a lot of work to do to make sure we are ready for any boost the Olympics might bring. If we do start investing more in coaching, identifying champions and working on improving what squash can offer, we will be in an incredible position to make future Olympic Games should we miss out on Tokyo 2020. Hell, If we start putting all of these practices into place, we might find the IOC are approaching squash!



Lewes Junior Open 2015

On Sunday 26th April, 41 hopefuls from across the South and beyond competed across six categories to be named champion of the maiden Lewes Junior Open Champion 2015, which was sponsored by and organised by The Squash Company.

It was a fantastic event which saw an array of great squash and great sportsmanship from players and parents throughout. Lewes Open Squash Scene

Special mentions must go to the following Lewes Squash Club & The Squash Company coached players; Will Rowe, who came 2nd in the Boys U17 event, Bibi Cox who came 4th in the Girls U17 event and Emily Kimber who came 4th in Girls U15.

Other entrants involved with The Squash Company and Lewes Squash Club included Jacob Prosser came 9th in the Boys U17, Kian Sobhanpanah came 6th in the Boys U17, Jacob Stammers who came 5th in the Boys U13 & Taisa Cox who came 6th in the Girls U17 after pulling out of her second match through injury.

A big thank you to our sponsors HEAD & Willie Boone – HEAD representative, for supplying the prizes.

Squash Company junior players have something to boast about

The Squash Company’s flagship club Lewes Junior Squash Club, is on the rise. With a county record equaling six teams planned for next season, three juniors representing the County at the national finals and a further four in the County Squad, the club is entering an exciting era.

This month, The Squash Company supplied the finalists for the Dunnings Junior Squash Open Boys U17 Category, with Lewes Junior Champion Cam Baker taking on Will Rowe of Corals Squash Club, who trains weekly at Lewes Squash Club under The Squash Company’s Head Coach Nic Davies. Will marshalled Cam superbly with his drop and volley combinations to take a 2-0 lead before Cam recovered with a spectacular run of shots, boasts and angle shots to take the third 11-4. Will reestablished his control in the fourth though and displayed great assurance and concentration to close out the fourth to win 3-1 and take the title.

Meanwhile, another Squash Company protegee Emily Kimber was invited to participate in the Tecnifibre English Junior Open in the Girls U15 category. Only the very best players in each age group are allowed to participate, so being part of the event itself a great feat. Although she fell to a 3-0 defeat in the first round to a highly seeded player, it was a great experience and achievement for Emily, particularly as she still has another year to go in the age range.

We’re very proud of all of you for your hard work and achievements!