Squash community rallies together for Women's Squash Week

Women and girls squash took centre stage last week (September 16-22) with events up and down the country in celebration of Women’s Squash Week.

The annual international campaign puts a spotlight on female participation in squash, aiming to raise the sport’s profile and engage new players.

England Squash supported more than 50 affiliated clubs and venues in their quest to grow women and girls squash, reinvesting £8,000 into a wide variety of beginner sessions and initiatives.

Celebration was the focus at Marple Squash Club, whose outgoing Sports Development Lead, Hannah Hodgson, was determined to bow out with a bang.

Twenty-five women came through the club’s doors throughout the week, enjoying introductory squash and racketball evenings, women-only coaching, and even ‘Laugh and Smash’, an innovative session, launched in January, which combines laughter yoga and squash.

“We’ve tried to tap into lots of different women and show that it’s not all about the sport. Squash is a vehicle for lots of other things – meeting people, having fun, getting fit, and it’s fantastic for your mental health. Our key takeaway has been that women want to connect, and we made that an important feature of the week,” said Hannah.

Marple received £150 from England Squash, with the money covering coaching fees and marketing material.

Hannah added:

“I do feel we’ve been able to broaden our reach this year and get a different demographic than usual. We’ve seen more women stepping into Marple Squash Club that have never experienced squash and that’s what I’m excited to see.”

Sally Archibald, meanwhile, took squash into her workplace, delivering a squash and racketball taster session at the National Squash Centre for female colleagues at Willmott Dixon. The construction company supported the event, paying for the courts and transport, while England Squash funding covered the coaching costs. In total, eight women attended the two-hour session, with six showing an interest in playing squash again and one signing up for women’s coaching at her local club.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to get a pool of women who are already in a male-dominated industry to come and try a new sport. Being colleagues, they already knew each other and could come down together in a supportive environment. It wasn’t like an open day where they’re all strangers,” Sally explained.

“Women’s Squash Week is a fantastic initiative. It’s a moment to pause and celebrate how far we’ve come and grow the game. And it gives us the opportunity to engage with companies like Willmott Dixon and say, ‘This is Women’s Squash Week. I’d love to celebrate it with you.’ It’s a lot easier to say yes to.”

“For a long time, squash has been seen as a men’s social sport, a bit old school, but Women’s Squash Week helps give it more exposure. It’s an addictive sport – once you’re in, you can’t stop,” echoed Carla Khan, Berkshire women’s captain.

Carla led a ‘Come and Play’ session at the University of Reading’s SportsPark for both locals and the underserved student population. Five of the half a dozen attendees were new to squash.

Addressing the importance of engaging Reading’s students, she said:

“They’re young females, there’s lots of them, and every year there’s a new influx, but there’s been no programme or set-up at SportsPark for females. There’s lots of females interested, it’s just getting them on court.”

“I’m still working with SportsPark, so hopefully I’ll be doing more regular group sessions. And I’ll be doing a box league to encourage females to come along and play, making it more exciting.”

Jo Rowbottom, head of partnerships and communities at England Squash, said:

“Attracting more women and girls to squash is one is England Squash’s main priorities. It’s been brilliant to see the creativity in this year's Women’s Squash Week events, finding new ways to reach more women and girls and inspire them to try the sport.”