OUTDOOR SQUASH

ASB has a proven track record when it comes to glass courts, producing the Show Glass Court used on the PSA World Tour, hosting the best players around the globe. Working for a variety of private clients world wide, ASB understand how to innovate and create bespoke products of court.

Among the very first of outdoor courts, the Public Squash court in New York City’s Hamilton Fish Park was opened in April 2018 and built by ASB. The court produced was a high spec design that played as well as any indoor court. Very few, if any, publicly accessible squash courts like it existed at the time. This court was a significant first step for the outdoor court movement. Find out more about the ASB Community Squash Court here: https://asbsquash.com/products/squash-court-asb-communitysquashcourt/

TPoint Squash Courts

Modular squash courts that combine with in advancements technology. These courts offer eye catching LED light patterns around the court that are customisable using the inbuilt control pad. From there you can also control the court’s air conditioning, speakers, camera for live streaming, electronic shade, timer display functions, visible score panel and more! The TPoint squash courts offers you true premium quality facilities on the spectrum of outdoor courts.

Find out more about TPoint courts here: https://asbsquash.com/products/squash-court-tpoint/

A court that caters to multiple different sports is a facility that offers better value for money for any organisation. Such a court also better guarantees the sustainability of that space. It can be natural for participation levels to dip and rise over time for different sports in different locations. If a squash court is used for multiple sports going through their own lifecycles of participation, between those different sports there would be sufficient demand for that space over time to reduce the risk of losing that facility or it falling into disrepair. 

Here, ASB shows you some innovative ways that a squash court can be adapted to cater to multiple different sports. Such a facility also becomes a lot more affordable if the cost is spread across multiple sports & organisations. While these illustrations aren’t of an outdoor court, you can see squash, walleyball, soccer, basketball and table tennis on offer here. Find out more about the ASB MultiSport Court here: https://asbsquash.com/products/squash-court-asb-multisportcourt/

Squash Plus’s lower-cost court with a steel and polycarbonate canopy which provides enough protection to ensure use in a variety of climates and weather conditions. The court benefits from natural light throughout the day, then makes use of LED lights during the night. The court uses a weather proof non-slip glass floor, the whole build offering low construction costs due to the rise in price for alternatives such as brick and mortar. They are continually refining the specification trialling numerous materials at our R&D court in Spain.

A flexible design, the court can be a temporary fixture, relocated or leased to different sites. It can also fit into modular configurations of multiple courts to create social community orientated spaces. Find out more about the Squash Plus court on their website here: https://www.squashplus.us/

Short Wall Squash

A very simple design, made entirely out of concrete, 4 courts back to back to minimise cost and maximise space.  A common barrier to courts in public spaces is the risk of a hidden space being used for anti-social behaviour.  In this instance, the side and back walls are only 1.2 metres high. Research suggested that few balls hit above this height on the side and back walls and so was a worthy sacrifice for allowing constant coaching and surveillance of inside the court. For younger ages and beginners, the lower side walls are even less of an issue.

Squash Para Todos are a registered charity from El Salvador that seek to use the vehicles of squash and education to improve quality of life for local underserved children. These 4 courts are used as the entry point for an introduction to squash. After a year or two as the more committed and talented juniors emerge, they are graduated to the Squash Para Todos indoor facility and ASB made courts. Find out more about them here: http://www.squashparatodos.org/growing-backwards/

A regulation-size singles squash court with three seamless steel walls, a glass back wall, and a wood panel floor suspended on a steel framework, set in an industrial company backyard.
The Maspeth Squash court is the first and only outdoor, open-air steel-walled squash court anywhere, ever. The “steel court” or “the field of dreams in Queens” is a tourist destination for squash players from around the world and is the only court used for the $21K Intsel Steel Pro Invitational Tournament. The Maspeth Squash court recently won Metal Architecture’s 2022 Design Award for “Smooth Metal Wall Panels.” It is well-regarded as “functional art” with a great playing experience.

This outdoor squash court was conceived in 2019 and opened for play in June 2020. It was originally created as an art project that Jeff Anschlowar, President of Maspeth Welding, and Robert Gibralter, co-creator, could play on themselves. From their very first strokes, Jeff and Robert knew the court’s performance and experience were proof of concept: that steel-walled courts have the potential to help transform squash from an indoors-only, exclusive sport into an accessible outdoor inclusive sport.

Maspeth Squash was created to develop beautiful outdoor courts never before imagined. Now Jeff and Robert, together with Sari Chang of Jacobschang Architecture, provide strategic and creative thinking for siting courts, produce schematics that inspire and galvanize support, and integrate with local resources to build sustainable outdoor squash courts. Maspeth Squash/Jacobschang is the team working on The PSA Foundation’s Beacon Project.

Find out more here: MaspethSquash.com

PSA Foundation Pilot Initiative in Chicago

Inspired by the steel court in NYC (truesquash.com) our idea evolved into funding the development and management of two outdoor Corten steel courts in Maggie Daley Park along Chicago’s downtown lakefront, subject to the input and approval of the Chicago Park District. These would be unique because the side walls and the front wall would display rotating art exhibits supplied by the School of the Art Institute, After School Matters, MetroSquash and other groups, adding to the Park District’s Artwork and Monuments initiative. This is “Project Beacon”; an inspiration for more outdoor court projects all over the world. Find out more here: https://psafoundation.com/beacon/

Since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a spike in adaptations for mini squash courts. While it would be great to see full sized outdoor squash courts in public spaces world wide, this represents a much more affordable and accessible means of participation, especially for younger age groups. These can be made out of a variety of materials and have taken many forms so far:

Perspex Mini Squash Court by Melior Sports

New to 2021 and made of a Perspex material, these courts were launched at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games roadshow events, showcasing all the sports involved throughout the Midlands communities, England. They are great for catching the eye of passer-by’s and very easy to play on with the right junior ball and racket. Find out more about these courts here: https://www.meliorsports.com/mini-courts 

Independent Adaptations

Mini squash courts represent the entry level facility for the sport. Any successful mass-participation sport has accessible and affordable entry points to play. In football it’s a cheap ball and ‘jumpers for goalposts’. In baseball its 2 people with a bat and ball. In England there are 1,946 free to use public tennis courts. In the vast majority of communities the entry point for squash resides in high spec facilities on a court with perfect dimensions and high booking fees. The current infrastructure for squash leaves the game significantly disadvantaged at capturing new faces who could much more easily try other sports.  

Inflatable Squash Court

All the benefit of portability, with the added benefit of being able to pack it away and transport it in an estate car / station wagon sized vehicle. The inflatable court offers another means of taking squash to local communities, promoting the sport and signposting passer-by’s to where their nearest courts are. A useful sports development and marketing tool for clubs and federations. Find out more about the ASB Inflatable SquashCourt here: https://asbsquash.com/products/inflatable-squashcourt/

In theme with the mini squash courts, these types of adaptations of available spaces are great at improving the accessibility and opportunities to make that first leap into squash. Mass participation sports at a grass roots level can easily make use of multi-purpose facilities and spaces. The more squash can blend and work other sports, the more accessible and integrated it becomes alongside other mainstream sports. 

In badminton you can cheaply buy a pop-up outdoor net to stick in the ground, table tennis has nets that attach to dining tables and official playing tables are relatively affordable, and public tennis courts can frequently be seen in parks. These are all great entry levels to their respective sports, so what is the point of entry for grass roots squash?