We are delighted to announce that the PSA Foundation has won grant funding from Sport England! The funding will be to support our sports development work while at tournaments.
What work will this cover?
We want to make sure that professional tournaments are being used towards getting more children playing squash. Here at the PSA Foundation, we’ve found inviting local schools for an introduction to the sport is a good way to do this. It’s also great opportunity to signpost them to where their local clubs are.
Additionally, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to the professional players, which works well at inspiring them to play the sport.
We will also look to work with local club juniors already playing and aim to connect them with professional players. This really works well at strengthening their ambitions in the sport.
The project will cover the top eight tournaments in the UK that can accommodate for squash coaching. Squash can all too often happen in secluded and hidden locations and this work aims to help shine a light on the professional tour and connect it with the local communities.
Why is this project important?
Squash has lost 33.46% of its 16+ years-old weekly participants in England between the years 2005 to 2016, according to the Sport England Active People Survey 2015/16. England has respectively also lost 14.38% of its courts between the years of 2010 to 2019, according to Active Places Power provided by Sport England.
It is important that we utilise the best of squash towards engaging the next generation. Equally so, its important that they then go join their local club and junior programme. It’s great introducing squash to more children, but even better if they keep going with the sport.
This a great first step in making sure we’re utilising tournaments in England towards this objective.
For more info on the objectives of the grant, see here from Sport England.
