Today, on June 16th 2021, marks five years to the day that the PSA Foundation officially registered as a charity in England and Wales. Together with individuals and communities all over the world, we have achieved a lot in that time. We wanted to take a moment to celebrate five fantastic years in our great sport.
Together, with the wider squash communities and our supporters, we have achieved a lot since our creation and we are going to take you through just a few of our key achievements throughout that time.
Rebound is a PSA Foundation initiative to collect usable squash gear and send the donations all around the world. We hand pick the programmes that receive Rebound donations so we know we’re sending squash gear to underserved areas that can’t afford the equipment. Over the years we have sent equipment in the thousands to community squash initiatives across the globe. You can read more about this here.
We support programmes established in underserved areas that have focus on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We do this by passing on donated squash gear, providing coaching resources, access to the professional tour, opportunities for talented players to compete professionally and much more!
This started in 2016 with Egoli Squash of South Africa, Squash Urbano Colombia & Zimbabwe Education & Squash Trust. There are now 11 community squash initiatives we support. Check out the programmes we support here.
Providing players with the tools they need to maximise the opportunities that come up during playing years and for life after squash, Squash University means:
- Hosting workshops and presentations with industry professionals
- Providing resources and links for career transitions and personal development
- A mentorship programme that supports career transitions at every stage of the player pathway
In SquashFORWARD, we’re engaging with the next generation of squash players in order to give them the chance to help shape the future of the sport.
- Workshops and brainstorming sessions at junior opens
- Connecting with current pros as mentors and for guidance
Our goal is to be able to leave junior legacy programmes with every major tournament on the PSA Tour. This will help bridge the gap of schools lacking the opportunity of an introduction to squash and create new membership at local clubs. Programmes are set up as Rackets Cubed affiliated initiatives. So far, three Rackets Cubed programmes have been created in partnership with the PSA Foundation. These are based in Leeds, Pontefract and The University of Hull. Thousands of children have also been introduced to squash at PSA Tour Tournaments outside of legacy programmes.
The ‘We Are One’ fund is a player-driven initiative which aims to bring the global squash community together to provide relief to the players that need urgent financial support following the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of the PSA Tour. $145,000 has been raised so far and distributed since June 2020.
At the end of March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PSA Foundation also fast-tracked a strong relationship with Sporting Chance. A registered charity themselves, they are the UK’s largest provider of mental health services working exclusively with professional and elite sports participants. The purpose of this relationship is to fill the gap of mental health support within the challenging landscape of professional squash. Their one-to-one counselling services have been used by players across the globe and in multiple languages.
Squash is the first sport to represent Sporting Chance through ambassadors from the professional tour. Mary Fung-A-Fat and Lucas Serme will be supporting the Sporting Chance team by assisting their education department, advising on relevant issues within the squash landscape, raising awareness of the charities services and more. Squash has been significantly challenged over the pandemic and the mental health of players has become a strong priority.
The togetherness and solidarity of the wider squash communities to support each other, grow the sport and create positive experiences through squash has inspired our work over the last five years.
We have made great progress working with you all and we cant wait to see what the next five years holds!
