ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Squash Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways throughout Australia. We pay our respects to the Elders of the past, present and emerging, and acknowledge their ongoing connection to land, sea and community. For they hold the memories, the traditions and the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the country. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Squash Australia
CONTENTS 4
President’s Report
6
CEO Report
8
Honour Board
9
Board & CEO Profiles
13
Australia Sports Commission Message
14
World Squash Federation Message
16
Marketing & Communications Report
18
Sport Development Report
22 High Performance Report 26
Facilities Report
28 National Events
2023 Annual Report
36
State Reports
47
Sponsors
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT I am delighted to present the 2022-2023 President’s Report for Squash Australia. It was pleasing that after a number of hard years with lockdowns, the financial year and life in general returned more to the normal we knew. Squash Australia had a strong and clear focus through our newly developed 2022-2026 Squash Australia Strategic Plan, launched in June 2022. One area of focus is ongoing and open communication, and we were pleased an external review outlined success in this through regular President Council’s and Executive Officer Council (EOC) meetings, and ongoing updates ensuring transparent and regular communication. In November 2022 we gathered in Brisbane for the Squash Australia forum, prior to the AGM. This was an excellent opportunity to collectively meet, including State and Territory Board members, the Squash Australia Board and Staff, and a number of Life Members. It was great to have over 30 attendees in person, and an additional 5 online. This forum was essential to collaborate and discuss our strategic areas of focus, share best practice, gather updates from the AIS and Sport Australia, and use time to plan, engage and lead our future. We were blessed with guest speakers, an experienced facilitator and many enthusiastic squash representatives from across Australia. As a result we all left the forum invigorated, energised and with agreement and buy in on our strategic directions. At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, past President Jo Brodie completed her term on the Board. Jo contributed many hours to our sport, and worked diligently to set up many procedures and processes for Squash Australia. Many thanks Jo for your dedicated efforts on the Board and your role as President since 2019. At the AGM Greg Blycha was re-elected for a second term, and John Cowling and Carmel Ackerly joined the Board as newly elected members of the Squash Australia Board. A number of key achievements over the last 12 months included: 4
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A successful gala awards dinner held on November 26, 2022 celebrating many achievements and contributions to the Sport
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New Affiliation system, after many years of self reporting, there was agreement to move to a new membership model
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A very positive external Squash Australia Board review, outlining sound and effective governance to lead the sport forward.
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Hosting the successful World Junior Squash Championships in Melbourne, July 2023
We will continue to plan our activities, innovate and lead our sport. We will track our progress against our bold targets, seeking to grow squash participation numbers into the future. An exciting development launched in May 2023 was the development and launch of Squash Stars, a dynamic and flexible School program, introducing school aged children in years 3-6 to the fundamental and physical elements of Squash in a fun and inclusive school setting. As we move into 2023-2024, we have a range of strategic priorities to focus on. We will continue to work hard with our stakeholders across our areas of Participation, Profile, Facilities and Performance. I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the members of Squash Australia – our state and member associations, their directors, volunteers, local management teams, coaches and officials. Your work is essential and is the backbone of our sport, and brings our collective strategy to life, through engagement with clubs, players, court owners and all squash players across Australia. The passion and commitment of our squash community is inspiring, and evident at multiple levels. A sincere thankyou for all that you contribute to our sport. Significant thanks to our funders Sport Australia, the AIS and the Commonwealth Games Association of Australia. Your support allows us to support squash in Australia. The decision by the Victorian Government to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria challenged us and the broader sporting Squash Australia
landscape. We will continue to advocate for the Commonwealth Games given the benefits and opportunities to showcase our sport and players. We remain hopeful that the Commonwealth Games will be held and are delighted that funding earmarked for our Athletes has been confirmed for the 2023-2024 financial year. We are thrilled with the recent inclusion of Squash for the LA 2028 Olympics. This has been a long time waiting, and it will be a game changer for our Sport, and a chance to promote our Sport and raise our profile and reach. On court, we know we are in a rebuilding stage. Our results were not as we had hoped at some major events including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the World Championships and the World Juniors. We are fortunate to have an excellent high performance team, and know our athletes are working hard towards future success. I wish to acknowledge the hard working Squash Australia staff, led professionally by our CEO Rob Donaghue. I am so thankful for the ongoing contributions of the members of the Squash Australia Board. Importantly, it is essential we continue to seek to improve our organisation, our reach and impact, and experience for all squash participants throughout Australia. We encourage your engagement with our great sport, as we strive for excellence in all we do.
MATT SCHMIDT President
2023 Annual Report
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CEO REPORT It was an incredibly busy and rewarding period for Squash in Australia, with 2022/23 marking the first full year of operations, not impacted by the restrictions around COVID-19. And whilst it was amazing to see the Squash community back together again, there remain many challenges associated with the post-COVID era, particularly the cost-of-living pressures that everyone is facing. However, despite these challenges, we saw significant growth and progress against our ambitions as a sport.
criteria to determine the type of registration individuals require. These range from a full ‘Compete’ membership for those who take part in competitions at all levels of the game, through a free digital membership for those who just want to keep up with what’s happening in the sport. In recent years, most sports in a Australia have moved to a membership model very much in line with what has been implement with MySquashAUS Ultimately, the model provides a sustainable, simpler and fairer way to distribute the costs
Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026
right across our game.
With our strategic plan now in place, there have been several milestones already reached in the first 12 months:
Broadcast
Squash Stars ‘Squash Stars’ was launched in May 2023, and is set to revolutionise squash participation, engage new audiences and attract more participants by introducing Australian children and schools to the sport. Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of the sport, ‘Squash Stars’ takes a game-based approach to learning the game, which has proven successful when the pilot program was trialled in the school environment. Squash Stars was developed through collaboration with the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation South Australia (ACHPER SA) and uses modified equipment, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all participants.
MySquashAus Squash Australia transitioned to a streamlined new membership model in July 2023. The membership model establishes uniform
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Squash Australia announced a new partnership with the Seven Network that ensured Australia’s two premier squash events of the year are broadcast live and free on 7plus. In a landmark deal for the sport, all Australians had the opportunity to view daily highlights packages from the World Junior Championships on Seven’s free streaming and catch up platform 7plus. The deal will also see 7plus broadcast November’s 2023 City Tattersalls Group Australian Open in March 2024. We also launched a partnership with WorldSquash.TV for the broadcast of our National Events, that ensures global audience for our events, and access for the Squash community to a global catalogue of events.
Victoria 2026 We were bitterly disappointed with the announcement the the Victorian Government withdrew from the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2026. These games were a great opportunity for our athletes to compete in front of a home crowd,
Squash Australia
and for the legacy that the Commonwealth Games provides to the host city and program sports. SqA supports the work the Commonwealth Games Australia is doing to find an alternate host here in Australia and commend them on their leadership following this difficult announcement.
World Junior Championships SqA hosted the WSF World Junior Championships in Melbourne in July and the event was a huge success. The championships – which are held every year and see the best young talents from around the globe battle it out for the title of World Junior Champion – were played at the Melbourne Sports Centre, with Pakistan’s Hamza Khan winning the men’s event, Egypt’s Amina Orfi winning the women’s event and Egypt winning the women’s team event. Australia also recorded our best results in 20 years, with our Women’s Team finishing 7th and Oscar Curtis and Maddy Lyon finishing in the world top 20. The event was also the best performing in terms of engagement in the events history, with over eight million people interacting with the championships via social media and on worldsquash. tv. Approximately eight million individual fans interacted with the championships across World Squash Federation social media channels, alongside 97,000 views from 19,000 fans on worldsquash.tv, the best event figures for the WSF’s streaming platform since its launch last year. WSF CEO Louis-Marie said: “It’s official – Melbourne 2023 was our biggest ever World Championships! “Thanks and congratulations to all involved, in particular the incredible team at Squash Australia, for their role in making the event such a success. 2023 Annual Report
LA 2028 Olympic Games It was a historic moment for the game with the announcement that Squash has been included in the LA2028 Olympic Games. The reaction both here in Australia and across the international Squash community has been one of relief (particularly for those who have endured many unsuccessful bids) and overwhelming excitement for what the next 5-years will bring!! Preliminary planning has already commenced, and discussions with the AOC, AIS and other key stakeholders will take place over the coming weeks and months. There is an enormous opportunity across the game, from grassroots participation, coaching, refereeing through to our pathway and elite athletes. We are well placed with our 2022-26 Strategic Plan to capitalise on this enormous opportunity and to ensure a long-term and lasting legacy from our inclusion.
Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the continued support of Sport Australia, the AIS and Commonwealth Games Australia as our major funding partners. The continued support and guidance that they provide SqA is invaluable and critical to our long-term success. Thank you to the state and territories for your continued support and collaboration throughout the year and in particular to the Presidents, Executive Officers and staff. Finally, a special thanks to the SqA Board & Staff for your great support, commitment and dedication.
ROB DONAGHUE Squash Australia CEO
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HONOUR BOARD Hall of Fame Immortals
Life Members 1976
John Cameron
2022
Geoff Hunt
1978
Jean Walker OAM
2022
Heather McKay
1981
Heather McKay M.B.E., AM., AO
1982
Geoff Hunt M.B.E., AM
1982
Vin Napier OBE
Legends 2005
Ken Hiscoe
1985
Victor Belsham A.M.
2008
Vicki Cardwell
1985
Neville Johnson OAM
2012
Sarah Fitz-Gerald
1990
Colin Clapper A.M.
2011
Michelle Martin
1993
Bob Finch A.M.
2022
Rachael Grinham
2007
Margaret Zachariah
2022
Chris Dittmar
2007
Ken Watson
2022
David Palmer
Members 2006
Rhonda Thorne
2007
Rodney Martin
2008
Cam Nancarrow
2008
Kevin Shawcross
2008
Rodney Eyles
2009
Sue Newman (King)
2009
Barbara Wall
2011
Liz Irving
2015
Steven Bowditch
2022
Jenny Irving
2022
Marion Jackman
2022
Brett Martin
2022
Women’s Teams 1964-1967 V UK
2022
Men’s Team 1967-1971
General Members
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2022
Albert Armstrong
2022
Colin Clapper
2022
Dean Williams
Squash Australia
BOARD & CEO PROFILES MATT SCHMIDT
Matt Schmidt is a successful results-oriented leader with extensive experience in education, event delivery, sports management, business development, marketing and sponsorship. Matt has over 20 years experience with strategic planning and in delivering effective governance leadership. Currently Executive Director of ACHPER SA-(The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation), Matt is passionate about raising the profile of Squash in Schools and Community settings. Matt has strengths in Governance, stakeholder management, marketing, project
management, and over 10 years of Directorships of various public, private and notfor profit organisations including Squash South Australia, South Australian Cricket Association-Game Development, Uni SA Sport- Chair, Sport SA Awards Committee Chair, Good Shepherd Lutheran School -Chair, Past President Concordia Old Collegians Cricket Club, and recently the Squash Australia Profile Working Team Chair. Matt joined the Squash Australia Board in 2019, and elected President in 2022
ALEX DORE
Alex Dore is a Senior Manager in the management consulting team of PwC Australia with functional experience in strategy, process improvement, and project management. Before PwC, he worked as a Policy Advisor to a NSW Government Minister. Alex has over a decade of successful governance experience in membership-based, not-for-profit organisations, and has led membership reviews to enhance membership experience and increase retention.
2023 Annual Report
He holds a postgraduate law degree and a bachelor qualification in economic theory and public policy from the University of Sydney. He is passionate about squash, and helping to grow it to be a thriving participant sport in Australia. Last year he played over 90 games, and mostly frequents Warringah Recreation Centre, Bondi Squash Club, and the Castlereagh Fitness Centre.
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BOARD & CEO PROFILES CINDY FLOWER
Cindy Flower has over 20 years’ expertise in organisational reform and development to optimise performance improvement, supporting leaders to identify, develop and implement innovative solutions to complex cultural challenges. Highly experienced in gender diversity, governance and workplace culture; she works with corporate organisations and boards encompassing government, state sports bodies, national charitable organisations and peak industry associations. An engaging public speaker, she enjoys delivering keynotes on gender equity, authentic leadership and cultural change. Cindy worked for the State Government of South Australia from 1998 to 2019 leading organisational change projects and providing specialist Human Resources consultancy and strategic planning for the Department of Education and Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources amongst other government agencies.
ture and thrives on building and leveraging an extensive network, facilitating those ‘hard to have’ conversations. Cindy enjoys giving back to the community and is currently Chair of Diving SA, Director of Squash SA and the Events Director for Women in Innovation. She has previously served on the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the National Director/Deputy Chair and was a founding Member of the Women in Leadership Executive Sub Committee, Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Qualifications include the Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Human Resource Management through the University of South Australia. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Now a self-employed Organisational Change Consultant, she works with businesses, not-for-profits and government on organisational change and development, implementing creative approaches to change and the deployment of resources to achieve this. She is passionate about shaping an engaged high-performing cul-
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Squash Australia
BOARD & CEO PROFILES GREG BLYCHA
Greg Blycha is a former Military Officer in the full-time Army holding a range of command and staff appointments. Greg deployed to the Middle East in 2002. After leaving the military, Greg moved into a Head of Programs role as a Director within the WA State Government. From there, Greg worked in sport as the Chief Operating Officer at Football West before moving into the position of Chief Executive Officer in the WA local Government. Greg currently works as a Business Advisor to the Defence Industry. He also
sits on the Nominations and Governance Committee for Gymnastics WA. Greg is a Fellow with the Australian Institute of Management WA and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds a Masters of Business from the University of NSW and is a Chief of the Defence Force Gold Commendation recipient. Greg brings experience in strategic planning, sports administration and collaboration, and has been an active pennants player since 1990.
SIMON WEATHERILL
Simon Weatherill is a highly accomplished leader, world-renowned for his depth of experience in sports administration, sports sponsorship and event management. Versatile and enthusiastic, Simon likes to create an organizational culture which is underpinned by able leadership driving a team orientated environment which produces outstanding strategic outcomes. Simon is currently Managing Director of Worldwide Sports Management, which predominantly consults in Australia, New Zealand and Europe on commercial man-
2023 Annual Report
agement of major sporting facilities, utilising technology and a digital strategy to drive businesses in the 21st century, leadership development and cultural management. Prior to this, he held the high-profile role as Chief Executive of the State Sport Centres Trust comprising the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, the State Netball and Hockey Centre, Lakeside Stadium and the Melbourne School of Sport and Recreation Management.
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BOARD & CEO PROFILES JOHN COWLING
John Cowling has over 30 years senior executive experience across a range of industries in both CFO, CEO roles and board positions for a variety of companies, including ASX listed companies, public organisations, large private companies, community associations and sporting organisations.
director of Colchester United FC (currently in Division 2 of the English Football Association), a long term member of the governing committee of Sydney University Squash Club (recently elected President), and former Director and President of Bondi Waverley Squash Club.
John is a Fellow of a number of institutions including Company Directors (FAICD), Chartered Accountants (FCA) and Financial Services (FFIN). Experience specifically relevant to Sport and Squash administration and governance includes being a former
Still playing competitive squash in Sydney’s Eastern Division, John is passionate about increasing the participation of university students in the sport and encouraging casual squash players to join the various competitions on offer.
CARMEL ACKERLY
Carmel Ackerly is a leadership, business improvement and change management professional with experience across a wide range of industries including banking remediation, health, community services, education, government, business, retail, franchising, and manufacturing. Strategically focused, values driven professional whose systemic thinking is underpinned by a solid operational background. Customer focused with proven stakeholder and relationship management skills.
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Squash Australia
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION MESSAGE A message from the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission – Josephine Sukkar AM
connected, delivered and supported in Australia.
Sport has a place for everyone and delivers results that make Australia proud.
The strategy will be the first of its kind in Australia and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact it has on the sector.
As we progress through this defining era in Australian sport, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is clear in our vision to lead and support the sector. Our role is to provide opportunities for all communities to be involved in sport, while growing elite success and representation, inspiring future generations. As the Australian Government agency responsible for supporting and investing in sport at all levels, we strive to increase involvement in sport and enable continued international sporting success. We do this through leadership and development of a cohesive and effective sports sector, targeted financial support and the operation of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
The sporting strategies, programs and facilities we deliver now have the capacity to shape Australia’s long-term prosperity, well beyond sporting boundaries. This is a defining era for Australian sport. We are well into the Green and Gold decade to Brisbane 2032, and we are focused on building sustainable success for decades to come. Meanwhile, it has been wonderful to see continued demand from sports to use the AIS facilities in Canberra to prepare for major events, at home and abroad.
We play a unique role in the sport ecosystem and tackle the big challenges and opportunities with and for the sector.
As the national home of sport, we are proud of the role we play in supporting athletes, coaches and high performance staff to reach their potential and I look forward to seeing many of our athletes shine at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
We’re proud to do so and through our vision, we aim to bring out the best in everyone involved in sport as we establish Australia as the world’s best sporting nation.
On behalf of the ASC, thank you to everyone who contributes to the sector as we work collectively to ensure every Australian sees a place for themselves in sport.
Collectively, we’ve already made huge strides to set Australian sport up for success. Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy is an industry-wide approach to harness our collective strengths, talent and resources.
JOSEPHINE SUKKAR AM Chair of the Australian Sports Commission
The strategy has a strong focus on Winning Well – balancing success and wellbeing and acknowledging that how we win is just as important as when we win. Working hand in hand with this is the codesigned National Sport Participation Strategy which will transform the way participation is 2023 Annual Report
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WORLD SQUASH FEDERATION MESSAGE Dear Friends, My message this year to your Squash Australia AGM is a little delayed, as it was caught up in the lead into and response to squash’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games. I would doubt there has ever been a sport which has erupted with such genuine and universal delight on the same scale as the global squash community did following the IOC Session vote on 16 th October in Mumbai. Squash is now on a new journey, with a different trajectory, the ramifications of which will keep unfolding over the coming months. And if we are to really capitalise on the opportunities, the hard work starts now, for every stakeholder in the sport around the world. But before we’d even had chance to pop open the champagne on 16 th October, questions started about the importance of remaining on the Olympic programme for Brisbane 2032. No pressure guys! But we’re looking forward to working with Squash Australia, PSA, Brisbane Olympic Games Olympic Committee and other key players on the next phase of squash’s Olympic journey. Of course, we were already planning with Rob and the SA Board squash’s runway into Brisbane 2032. The successful hosting of the World Junior Championships in Melbourne in July was part of that plan and one of WSF’s highlights in 2023. It was wonderful to be back in Melbourne and tosee the revitalised squash venue at MSAC. The players loved their Melbourne experience; and on behalf of WSF we’d like to thank the small but fully committed Squash Australia team led by Rob, who delivered such a memorable event with a relatively short lead-in. Another important feature of the Brisbane lead-in plan was how to capitalise on the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and WSF appreciates the determination of Craig Phillips AM and his CGA colleagues to find a new Australian host for 2026, considering the critical importance of these Games to our sport and as squash’s biggest showcase prior to a decision on the Brisbane programme. 14
Whilst in Melbourne, William and I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Matt and the Squash Australia Board to share our respective strategies and priorities. We also appreciated attending the High Performance Coaching workshop which gave us strong indication on the efforts you put in the development of your current and future elite players. The relationship between WSF and SA has now become even more crucial since squash’s ascension to the Olympic stage. WSF is hugely appreciative of the support we receive from Squash Australia as a leading nation in its engagement in areas such as World Squash Officiating and World Squash Coaching. Whilst the sport of squash is on a new exciting journey, the demands and expectations on our sport will grow hugely, including on our largely volunteer but very committed workforce. The opportunity will be what we make of it over the next few years. We’d like to thank our Australian colleagues and friends who dedicate time and expertise either directly or indirectly to WSF’s business activities, including two of our Commission chairs Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Coaching) and David Mandel (Audit & Risk). I will close by looking forward. Whilst we have felt the energy and dedication behind Squash Australia’s ambitions in recent years, our relationship is now projected into an altogether different stratosphere, as we plan to capitalise on squash’s inclusion in LA28 and ensure it stays in Brisbane 2032. The potential dividend for the development of squash in Australia could be truly transformational.
Sincerely,
ZENA WOOLDRIDGE OBE President, World Squash Federation
Squash Australia
2023 Annual Report
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MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS REPORT The last three years Squash Australia has made their communications strategy a key focus, with 2022-23 bringing with it opportunities to set the organisation up well for future years. While the last two years largely concentrated on the post-pandemic return to play, an organisational rebrand and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the past twelve months presented the chance to build on that momentum. Beyond The Break Consulting was once again contracted to deliver all communications operations for Squash Australia. As delivered in previous years, BTB developed content plans based around the squash calendar, and implemented specific event-based strategies as well. The last twelve months has seen solid growth in following across our digital channels. On Facebook alone, there has been a 36% yearon-year increase in engagement with nearly 76,000 interactions, a 25.5% rise in impressions and a 20% increase in brand awareness. Globally, engaged users were up over 29% to 78,000 with a total global reach of 869,000, up nine per cent.
views and daily wraps, athlete profiles, social media updates and more. BTB was additionally brought in to provide communications operations support for the 2023 WSF World Junior Championships in Melbourne. Working in concert with the media and communications team at World Squash, BTB assisted in the launch of the event in February and carried that support through the tournament in Melbourne. Such was the success of the content delivered throughout WJC, World Squash digital channels reached around eight million fans worldwide. This is in addition to the 97,000 views from 19,000 fans on worldsquash.tv, the best event figures for the WSF’s streaming platform since its launch. Events this year saw Squash Australia use some new providers for photography and videography and the results were outstanding. The visual archiving of our major events becomes more historically relevant with every year that passes and a solid image library is essential to promoting our events and the sport. The quality of photography at WJC was described by World Squash as “some of the best squash photography we’ve ever seen”, and sets the benchmark for how we can visually represent our great sport going forward. BTB continued to inform the squash community about the performance of its best senior players on the PSA Tour, as well as at international events including the World Cup, played in India for the first time since 2011.
SQUASH STARS NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL EVENTS BTB provided on-the-ground support at the Australian Open, Australian Junior Open, Australian National Championships and Australian Junior Championships, providing event pre-
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The national participation program - OzSquash - was given an overhaul in the last twelve months, with a vastly new program introduced - Squash Stars. In a delivery sense, Squash Stars is dramatically different and the rebranding of this program required extensive effort and collaboration from Squash Australia
Squash Australia, BTB, graphic designers, videographers, photographers, video editors and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (SA).
ple content owners in the world of sports, and delivers free live events and video-on-demand content to squash fans around the world, at any time and on any device.
The end product is a dynamic new brand, visually exciting creative, a full suite of game videos for every activity in the program and a 178page Program Manual available in printed or PDF form for teachers at the point of delivery.
In addition to Squash Australia’s national events, WORLDSQUASH.TV streams all events managed by the WSF, as well as feature programs, archives and events from other continental and national affiliated federations.
NEW MEMBERSHIP PLATFORM
Importantly, as part of the new membership structure Squash Australia moved to in 2023, all ‘Compete’ and ‘Local’ playing members receive access to SquashAUS.TV.
The administrative shift from the SportyHQ platform to revolutioniseSPORT has largely taken place behind the scenes, but it still required a considerable communications drive to educate and inform participants within the squash community of what was taking place, and their obligations. BTB worked with senior management and revolutioniseSPORT to enact an awareness campaign prior to the transition, and put a series of call-to-actions to the community to make registration to the new systems as seamless as possible. This campaign will continue throughout the late part of 2023 and into 2024 as the transition onto the new platform is finalised.
Additionally, in July Squash Australia announced a new partnership with the Seven Network. Daily highlights from the World Junior Championships were available on Seven’s free streaming and catch up platform 7plus. The deal will also see 7plus broadcast the City Tattersalls Group Australian Open in Sydney in early 2024. Forming a streaming deal with one of the country’s most prominent broadcasters continues Squash Australia’s efforts to reinvigorate the sport in this country and provide access for everyone to view its most prestigious events.
LIVE STREAMING Ahead of the Australian Junior Open in April, Squash Australia announced that the broadcast its national events through SquashAUS.TV will now be powered by the World Squash Federation’s (WSF) video platform, WORLDSQUASH. TV. Other events which were streamed via the platform this year were the Australian National Championships and the Australian Junior Championships. WSF launched WORLDSQUASH.TV last year as part of its ambitious plan to raise squash awareness and visibility globally. Since launch, the platform has streamed events from four continents and registered almost 350,000 individual video views from 99 different countries. The platform is operated in partnership with streaming specialists Sportall, who deliver OTT solutions and services to federations and multi2023 Annual Report
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SPORT DEVELOPMENT REPORT Sport Development Our Squash Australia Strategic Plan: 2022-2026, has a Vision of “More people playing, more often” and 2022/2023 was a year that saw significant achievements and progress towards our strategic goals. Reflecting on the past year’s accomplishments, we extend our appreciation to Anne-Marie Nickless, who concluded her tenure as Sport Development Coordinator in May 2023. Among the major highlights of the year, we saw the successful launch of the Squash Stars National Participation Program, a landmark initiative aimed at inspiring and engaging school children across the country. Additionally, we saw a remarkable increase in Squash Australia Learning Centre user certifications, reflecting our ongoing commitment to growth and positive experiences in squash. The approval of our LGBTI+ Inclusion Policy is a testament to our commitment to diversity and inclusivity within the squash community. Furthermore, we are thrilled to announce the successful roll-out of MySquashAUS and the launch of our new website, enhancing communication and engagement with our members and stakeholders.
Participation and Engagement AusPlay
Data collection for AusPlay has been ongoing since its inception in 2015. In April 2023, the Australian Sports Commission released comprehensive data, including new national, state/ territory, and sport-specific data tables. Key findings from the 2023 AusPlay data publication indicate that squash participation has exhibited stability over the years. The report reveals that there were 167,882 participants involved in squash activities during the surveyed period. Moreover, 73,147 individuals expressed their intent to participate in squash, reflecting a potential pool of prospective players. Additionally, 12,708 individuals played non-playing roles in squash-related activities, contributing to the sport’s ecosystem. Remarkably, 325,188 respondents considered squash as the sport they most closely associated with, underlining its presence and recognition within the community. This data signifies the enduring appeal and presence of squash as a sporting activity, offering valuable insights into its participation and potential for growth in the future.
National Participation Program
Thank you to our dedicated volunteers and staff, whose unwavering support and hard work continue to drive the success of Squash Australia. Together, we are on a journey to make squash more accessible and enjoyable for all, ensuring that more people are playing squash, more often.
Squash Australia unveiled its groundbreaking national participation initiative, Squash Stars, in 2023. The program represents a significant step towards achieving the organisation’s strategic vision of one million participants in the sport by 2032. Squash Stars is designed to reshape squash engagement, drawing in new audiences and 18
Squash Australia
participants, particularly children and schools across Australia. Unlike traditional approaches, Squash Stars adopts a game-based learning approach, proven effective during its pilot program in schools. Collaboration with the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation South Australia (ACHPER SA) facilitated the program’s development, ensuring inclusivity through modified equipment, making it accessible to all participants. Squash Stars can be delivered through the Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools Program, an Australian Government initiative aimed at boosting children’s participation in sports and linking them with community sports opportunities. This initiative not only fosters growth in squash but also enhances physical activity and engagement among young Australians.
Technology and Digital Experience
Squash Australia continues developments with revolutioniseSPORT, making the sport easier to manage by building a new, streamlined platform. MySquashAUS will bring together everything from player registration to competition management and club administration. Through revolutioniseSPORT’s integration with SquashLevels - the official World Squash ratings system - player data will be centralised,
providing performance overviews, global rankings and complete match histories. As Squash Australia advances through the migration to MySquashAUS, clubs, centres, administrators and members are receiving direct support through the appointment or Project Officer MySquashAUS, Russell Weatherburn.
Education Squash Australia Learning Centre
The Squash Australia Learning Centre provides access to content from Squash Australia, along with content from the Australian Sports Commission, Sport Integrity Australia and Play by the Rules in one central location. With over 700 unique users, this learning environment continues to empower and support coaches and officials to deliver positive and holistic sport experiences.
Coach and Official Development Squash Australia continues to build support, education and resources for coaches and officials. The National Officiating Panel was launched in 2023. The principal focus of the Panel is to provide strategic advice and support the activities of Squash Australia regarding the development, education and certification of officials. Panel members: Dick MacKerras (SA - Chair), Anthony Morris (VIC), Luke Jamieson (WA), Mark Mason (NSW), Kay Kendall (NT), Jordan Till (WSO/Oceania Rep), John Small (INAP Rep) and Shaun McEachin (SqA) The Interim National Appraisal Panel (INAP) was launched in 2023. The principal focus of the Panel is to introduce the implementation the guidelines set out by Squash Australia. Panel members: John Small (Chair), Chris Sinclair, Damien Green, Anthony Morris and Shaun McEachin
2023 Annual Report
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SPORT DEVELOPMENT REPORT Diversity and Inclusion
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Policy
Squash Australia has an essential role to play in fostering healthy, safe, inclusive and respectful behaviours in sport that foster a true sense of togetherness and community.
Throughout the year, Squash Australia consulted with State and Territory Members, Pride in Sport, stakeholders, the Australian Sports Commission and members to develop the LGBTQ+ Inclusion Policy.
It is important to reinforce Squash Australia’s position as a sport that stands against all forms of discrimination, exclusion or abuse which include Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
This policy affirms our commitment to supporting the inclusion of LGBTQ identifying people in SqA.
Squash Australia has zero-tolerance for individuals that look to discriminate against others.
Rainbow Racquets Squash Australia Pride Tournament
Squash Australia is a proud member of Pride in Sport Australia and Proud 2 Play. Through this partnership, we are investing in the development of policies, procedures and resources that support more inclusive behaviours and opportunities to make sport a safer space for all Australians.
Squash Australia and Rainbow Racquets Squash Sydney partnered to deliver the Rainbow Racquets Squash Australia Pride Tournament as part of Sydney WorldPride. This event saw over 40 participants from Australia, NZ, North America and Europe come to Sydney to participate. An important part of the tournamet was promotioin through the WorldPride activities. Squash was awarded the “Sports Stall of the Year” at the Fair Day, highlighting the efforts of Squash Australia to promote inclusion and opportunity.
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Squash Australia
2023 Annual Report
21
HIGH PERFORMANCE REPORT The first year of a new Commonwealth Games cycle represented a significant changing of the guard at the top of Australian Squash. Threetime Commonwealth Games medallist Donna Lobban announced her retirement from the PSA Tour in December 2022, calling time on an 18-year career where she had been Australia’s leading female since 2016. On the men’s side, Rex Hedrick’s step back from the PSA Tour in 2023 presented an opportunity for the next group of male players to lead a new generation.
2022 Women’s World Team Championships Team Women Sarah Cardwell (VIC) Alexandra Haydon (SA) Donna Lobban (NSW) Jessica Turnbull (QLD)
Queensland’s Jessica Turnbull and Northern Territory’s Joseph White stepped into their new positions as Australia’s top ranked players on the PSA Tour, with both achieving career-high rankings in 2023 and performing well for Australia in international team events.
2022 Women’s World Team Championships The Australian Women’s Team travelled to Egypt in December 2022 for the Women’s World Team Championships. Despite being a mainstay in Australian teams over the past four years, reigning National Champion Jessica Turnbull made her Women’s World Team debut in Egypt, after the 2020 event was cancelled during the Coronavirus pandemic. Turnbull joined three returning members from the 2018 team, with Donna Lobban, Alex Haydon and Sarah Cardwell flying the flag for Australia. Cardwell replaced Commonwealth Games flagbearer Rachael Grinham in the team after Grinham sustained a knee injury at October’s Australian Open.
The Australian Women’s Team prior to their final match of the Women’s World Team Championships against Switzerland (From L to R: Alexandra Haydon, Jessica Turnbull, Donna Lobban, Sarah Cardwell).
After losses to Scotland and a strong USA team in the pool rounds, Australia competed in the 9-12 playoff. South Africa, Japan and Australia all traded wins in the playoff rounds, with all three nations finishing with two wins and one loss. Australia’s for-and-against record ultimately saw them finish in 11th position.
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Squash Australia
2022 Trans Tasman Test Match December 2022 also saw the return of the annual junior Trans Tasman Test Match between Australia and New Zealand after a three-year absence from the calendar. The test match followed the Oceania Junior Championships at Thornleigh Squash and Fitness in Sydney.
Outstanding performances across all age groups saw the Australian team comprehensively account for New Zealand by 18 matches to 10, seeing the Trans Tasman Shield return to Australia for the first time since 2014.
2022 Trans Tasman Test Match Team Under 15 Girls
Under 15 Boys
Under 19 Girls
Under 19 Boys
Tima Ma (VIC)
Kasper Cheung (NSW)
Sophie Fadaely (QLD)
Oscar Curtis (WA)
Sarbani Maitra (QLD)
Marcus Wang (NSW)
Amelie Guziak (VIC)
Ken Lamb (NSW)
Under 17 Girls
Under 17 Boys
Courtney Scholtz (VIC)
Soha Khatri (SA)
Daniel Marsh (WA)
Hannah Slyth (WA)
Joanne Joseph (VIC)
James Slade (NSW)
Coaches Jenny Duncalf Rohan Toole
Hannah Slyth (WA) Coaches Jenny Duncalf Rohan Toole
The victorious Australian junior team with the Trans Tasman Test Shield after defeating New Zealand 18-20 in Sydney.
2023 Annual Report
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HIGH PERFORMANCE REPORT 2023 Squash World Cup The WSF Squash World Cup returned to the calendar in 2023 after a 12-year absence from the international calendar, thanks largely to the support of the Squash Racquets Federation of India who delivered the event in the Express Avenue Shopping Mall in Chennai. The event featured eight nations, with two men and two women competing in each tie. The World Squash Federation trialled a new format for the event, with matches played as best of five games, with each game being first to seven points (with sudden-death at 6-all).
Losses to Egypt and Malaysia in the pool rounds saw Australia playing off for 5th position. The team was then undefeated in the playoff rounds to secure fifth spot – a great finish for a young team.
2023 Squash World Cup Team Women
Men
Alexandra Haydon (SA)
Nicholas Calvert (QLD)
Jessica Turnbull (QLD)
Joseph White (NT)
The event presented an opportunity for the new generation of players to represent Australia at an international event, on an all-glass court with thousands of spectators crowding the mall. For the men, Joseph White made his second Australian appearance after debuting at the 2022 World Games, while Nicholas Calvert returned to the Australian team for the first time since the 2019 World Doubles Championships. Jessica Turnbull and Alexandra Haydon were the women selected, with both cementing their position as regulars on the Australian team since their Commonwealth Games debuts in 2022.
Joseph White in action against Egypt during the WSF Squash World Cup at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai, India.
The Australian team as the presentation of the WSF Squash World Cup in Chennai, India (From L to R: Stewart Boswell (Coach), Jessica Turnbull, Nicholas Calvert, Joseph White, Alexandra Haydon).
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Squash Australia
2023 World Junior Championships The World Junior Championships returned to Australia for the first time since 1995, presenting a unique opportunity for Australia’s next generation of players to compete at a major international event on home soil. Six men and six women competed in the individual event, with reigning Australian Junior Champions Oscar Curtis and Madison Lyon achieving the best results for the Australian contingent. Curtis finished in 18th position – the best result by an Australian junior male since 2016. Lyon matched her 2022 result, making it to the last 32 of the main draw. The team event alternates each year between men and women at the World Junior Championships, and it was the women’s team event which was held in Melbourne. Queensland’s Madison Lyon and West Australia’s Erin Classen have long been at the top of junior women’s squash in Australia, and the 2023 event would be their last time competing for the Australian team before concluding their junior careers. The pair were joined in the team by a pair of 16-year olds with several years of junior squash ahead of them –Hannah Slyth (WA) and Amelie Guziak (VIC).
2023 World Junior Championships Team Junior Women’s Team Championship Erin Classen (WA)
Madison Lyon (QLD)
Amelie Guziak (VIC)
Hannah Slyth (WA)
Junior Men’s Individual Championship Harvey Allan (VIC)
Dylan Classen (WA)
Oscar Curtis (WA)
Connor Hayes (VIC)
Kenneth Lamb (NSW)
Thomas Scott (NSW)
Junior Women’s Individual Championship Erin Classen (WA)
Shona Coxsedge (QLD)
Amelie Guziak (VIC)
Madison Lyon (QLD)
Courtney Scholtz (VIC)
Hannah Slyth (WA)
Coaches Cassie Thomas Jenny Duncalf
Australia’s crunch match came on Day 3 of the pool rounds, with a do-or-die clash with New Zealand to determine who would see through to the quarter-finals. After going down 1-0 in the tie, Classen and Lyon faced the challenge of a come-from-behind victory. Classen was the second match on, and a tough fourgame victory over Sophie Hodges saw Australia square the tie at 1-all, leaving Lyon to handle the deciding match against Ella Lash. After some tense moments saw the scoreline at one game apiece, Lyon’s class prevailed and she sent Australia into the quarter-finals for only the second time in 20 years.
Oscar Curtis (L) and Madison Lyon (R) achieved the best individual performances at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Losses to Egypt and Hong Kong in the playoff rounds saw Australia playing off for 7th, and a victory over India in their last match saw Australia achieve their best finishing result at a Women’s Junior Team World Championship since 2003, when future Commonwealth Games medallists Kasey Brown and Donna Lobban helped Australia reach the final. The team’s result, as well as the Trans Tasman series victory and promising international performances at the World Cup have Australia well placed to take significant steps forward on the international stage in the coming years. 2023 Annual Report
The Australian Junior Women’s Team, who achieved Australia’s best result at the World Junior Championships since 2003 (From L to R: Erin Classen, Hannah Slyth, Amelie Guziak, Madison Lyon.)
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FACILITIES REPORT In 2022, Squash Australia went in partnership with Sport Environment Alliance to establish best practices to reduce impact on the environment in clubs/facilities. As a result of this initiative, we have seen events run in clubs/facilities do the following: •
Reduce usage of paper by going digital with their competition and events
•
Increased usage of live scoring
•
Increase of facilities applying for grants to get solar panels installed
•
At the 2023 World Junior Squash Championships, we saved a total of 3948 disposable bottles by using water refill stations.
Next steps for the facilities space in the sustainability area is to work on going completely digital for competitions & events and work on the development of a sustainability strategy. Squash Australia developed a maintenance and renovation document in conjunction with facilities across the country to establish best practices, in line with
WSF requirements when it comes to renovating current facilities. The information sourced from the resource guide will assist in the development of a business case plan to establish minimum requirements for new facilities. In addition to this, a risk management plan along with cleaning guides have been created to assist facilities/clubs with ensuring safety measures are in place and appropriate cleaning is being conducted of the courts. Squash NSW led by the NSW Facilities Committee worked on the WestInvest submission in the hopes of getting new facilities built in western Sydney. Throughout this process, Squash NSW worked with Squash Australia to gain more information on the requirements surrounding facility development including business models, relevant materials and floor plans. The work completed by Squash NSW for the WestInvest grant has generated valuable learnings and resources to benefit the whole of sport. Squash Australia is in the process of establishing the gap analyses for where squash centres are required within the country and will aim to use this information to develop a business case plan to assist States/facilities when applying for funding to build new courts and update current facilities.
Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre in preparation for the 2023 WSF World Junior Squash championships
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Squash Australia
Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre (Victoria) completed maintenance and renovation works on their courts, with a focus on the glass show court ahead of hosting the 2023 World Junior Championships. With a new glass court colour way, painting and sanded floors, with the addition of grandstand seating, the courts were brought up to world class standard for the event. Daisy Hill Squash & Racquet Club (Queensland) started renovations on their centre to convert their permanent doubles court into 2 x single courts and turned the old court 2 into a new gym, within these renovations they redid the floors and re-rendered the walls, new paint job and tins on 4 of the courts. The works were completed ahead of the venue hosting the 2023 Australian Junior Championships and gives the club a completely new look and feel, with a brighter centre and an extra glass back court.
The WA owned squash centre, Belmont has recently started works on their major renovations, converting two of their traditional courts into glass backs and are in the process of renovating the changerooms and installing a disabled toilet. The new works are set to drastically improve the centre and make it more accessible for all. The renovations come with the plan to host more national events and PSA tournaments at the newly refurbished venue.
Daisy Hill Squash & Racquet Club during renovation process of installing new squash court wall
2023 Annual Report
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NATIONAL EVENTS 2022 Australian Junior Championships 27 September – 2 October 2022
2022 saw the return of the Australian Junior Championships after a one-year break from the individuals event in 2020 and a two year break from the teams event in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The AJST Platinum event saw the return of players from all over the country as they took to the courts at Mirrabooka Squash Centre in Perth, Western Australia. The event played host to a strong contingent of 181 players, eager to get back on court after the events hiatus and show how all of their hard work over the past year had paid off.
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The individuals event saw WA’s Oscar Curtis and QLD’s Madison Lyon take out their second U19 Australian Junior Championship title before leading their States into the Teams event. With the Teams event returning after a 2-year break, everyone was in high spirits and fighting to take home the win for their state, in the end, QLD was too strong for the rest, claiming their 16th title.
U19 Boys
U19 Girls
Winner – Oscar Curtis (WA)
Winner – Madison Lyon (QLD)
Runner Up – Luke Eyles (QLD)
Runner Up – Erin Classen (WA)
Third Place – Dylan Classen (WA)
Third Place – Maggie Goodman (NSW)
U17 Boys
U17 Girls
Winner - Daniel Marsh (WA)
Winner – Lijana Sultana (QLD)
Runner Up – William Slade (NSW)
Runner Up – Amelie Guziak (VIC)
Third Place – Joshua Raj (QLD)
Third Place – Emmy Lamb (NSW)
U15 Boys
U15 Girls
Winner - Kasper Cheung (NSW)
Winner – Sarbani Maitra (QLD)
Runner Up – Marcus Wang (NSW)
Runner Up – Soha Khatri (SA)
Third Place – Aiden Finlay-Mulligan (WA)
Third Place – Joanne Joseph (VIC)
U13 Boys
U13 Girls
Winner - Joel Raj (QLD)
Winner – Tina Ma (VIC)
Runner Up - Henry Kross (NSW)
Runner Up – Emilia Scott (NSW)
Third Place - James Boswell (QLD)
Third Place – Jasmin Dumbleton (QLD)
U11 Boys
U11 Girls
Winner – Kai Dumbleton (QLD)
Winner – Elizabeth Wang (NSW)
Runner up – Grayson Coleman (QLD)
Runner up – Riyo Kawabata (QLD)
Third Place – Lewis Matthews (ACT)
Third Place – Teagan Scott (WA)
Squash Australia
2022 Australian Open 26 – 30 October, 2022
Whilst the 2020 Australian Open was postponed to early 2021 due to the pandemic and was an all Australian competition and the 2021 scheduled event was cancelled due to COVID-19. 2022 saw the return of international players to Australian shores to take out the prestigious title. The event which was sponsored by The City Tattersalls Club, had all the PSA matches held on the newly renovated courts at the Sydney University. In the Men’s event, Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez and Scotland’s Greg Lobban took to court seeing Rodriguez take out the title with the whole crowd getting behind him, 3-1 – 8-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-9 (67m). In the Women’s event, Belgium’s Nele Gilis took on US’ Sabrina Sobhy in an exciting 3-setter, with Gilis taking the charge and the title 3-0 – 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 (44m). Men’s Winner – Miguel Rodriguez (COL) Runner Up – Greg Lobban (SCO) Men’s Premier Grade Winner – Rex Hedrick (VIC) Runner Up – Bryan Lim (MAS) Men’s A Grade Winner – Hartaj Bans (NSW) Runner Up – Scott Taylor (NSW) Men’s B Grade Winner – Ethan Middleton (NSW) Runner Up – Edward McKnight (NSW) Men’s C Grade Winner – Adam Johnston (NSW)
This 2022 Australian Open saw a graded event take place with over 250 participants, the largest squash event in a number of years with the event utilising five facilities to get all 500 matches played throughout the week. Women’s Winner – Nele Gilis (BEL) Runner Up – Sabrina Sobhy (USA) Women’s Premier Grade Winner – Colette Sultana (MAL) Runner Up – Rachael Grinham (QLD) Women’s A Grade Winner – Hailey Ho (NSW) Runner Up – Jessica Rogerson (NSW) Women’s C Grade Winner – Emilia Scott (NSW) Runner up – Rowena Henry (NSW) Women’s D Grade Winner – Kate Low-Nang (NSW) Runner Up – Cordelia Moss (NSW) Junior B Grade Winner - Leonard Newport (NSW) Runner Up – Chase Rogers (NSW) Junior C Grade Winner – Kingston Lai (NSW) Runner Up – Nathaniel Middleton (NSW)
Runner up – Ignacio Mas (NSW) Men’s D Grade Winner – Lorne Gurney (NSW) Runner Up – Rehanul Alam (ACT) Men’s E Grade Winner – David Elms (NSW) Runner Up – David Thackeray (NSW)
2023 Annual Report
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NATIONAL EVENTS 2022 Oceania Junior Championships and Trans-Tasman Test Series 17-21 December, 2022
The Oceania Junior Championships and Trans-Tasman Test Series returned to Australia in December and was hosted at the Thornleigh Squash Centre in Sydney.
tunity for our Australian players to complete against those they wouldn’t normally get a chance to come up against.
The Oceania Junior Championships which is held in Australia every two-years saw 156 players from the Oceania region flock to Sydney to battle it out for the title of Oceania Junior Champion. With large numbers of participants coming from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, it was a great oppor-
The Trans-Tasman Test Series saw the Aussie juniors end an eight-year drought. After two days of intense competition, the Aussies produced a strong 18-10 win over their New Zealand counterparts, taking the title for the first time since 2014.
U19 Boys
U19 Girls
Winner – Oscar Curtis (WA)
Winner – Ella Lash (NZL)
Runner Up – Kijan Sultana (MLT)
Runner Up – Sophie Fadaely (QLD)
Third Place – Harvey Allan (VIC)
Third Place – Anne Leakey (NZL)
U17 Boys
U17 Girls
Winner - Daniel Marsh (WA)
Winner – Hannah Slyth (WA)
Runner Up – Christopher Hebberd (NZL)
Runner Up – Lijana Sultana (MLT)
Third Place – James Slade (NSW)
Third Place – Soha Khatri (SA)
U15 Boys
U15 Girls
Winner – Marcus Wang (NSW)
Winner – Sarbani Maitra (QLD)
Runner Up – Kasper Cheung (NSW)
Runner Up – Maiya Hotham (NZL)
Third Place – Brodie Bennett (NZL)
Third Place – Zoe Lepper (NZL)
U13 Boys
U13 Girls
Winner - Henry Kross (NSW)
Winner – Tina Ma (VIC)
Runner Up - James Boswell (QLD)
Runner Up – Emilia Scott (NSW)
Third Place – Thomas Wang (NSW)
Third Place – Jaida Wigley (NSW)
U11 Boys
U11 Girls
Winner – Benjamin Boardman (NSW)
Winner – Elizabeth Wang (NSW)
Runner up – Naveen Sanghera (NSW)
Runner up – Riyo Kawabata (QLD)
Third Place – Grayson Coleman (QLD)
Third Place – Teagan Scott (WA)
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Squash Australia
2023 Australian Doubles Open 11 – 12 February, 2023
The Australian Doubles Open returned to Carrara Squash Centre on the Gold Coast with many players returning from 2022 to take out the title of Australian Doubles Champions once again. In the Men’s Doubles Open, Freeme/Turnbull didn’t make it easy for Dowling/Lim, the pair fought hard eventually going down 11-10, 11-8 (27m).
Men’s Doubles Open Winner – Bryan Lim/Rhys Dowling Runner Up – Brad Freeme/Nathan Turnbull Women’s Doubles Open Winner – Samantha Foyle/Heather Pilley
Brad Freeme, Samantha Foyle and Bryan Lim all had a double finals appearance, with Lim and Freeme battling it out against each other in both the Men’s and Mixed doubles Open with Lim getting the advantage over Freeme in both finals. While Samantha Foyle took out the Women’s Doubles Open with partner Heather Pilley in a round robin event and going down in the final of the Mixed Doubles Open with partner Brad Freeme against Bryan Lim and Colette Sultana.
Runner Up – Shona Coxsedge/Sophie Fadaely
It was a Queensland contention for this year’s event in the graded draws with lots of close matches occurring across the two grade draws. The young guns in the A Grade doubles had a close encounter with Murray/Hilfstein eventually taking out the win over their biggest competition Boswell/Raj.
Runner Up – James Boswell/Joel Raj
2023 Annual Report
Mixed Doubles Open Winner – Bryan Lim/Colette Sultana Runner Up – Samantha Foyle/Brad Freeme Combined A Grade Winner – Zach Hilfstein/Benjamin Murray
Combined B Grade Winner – Hayan Kim/Mana Stack Runner up – Florian Stafleu/Oliver Bradley
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NATIONAL EVENTS 2023 Australian Junior Open 22-24 April, 2023
The 2023 Australian Junior Open was played in Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, the event attracted 212 participants, the largest junior event Australia has seen in many years, with players from 15 different countries flocking to Melbourne to participate in the event including a large contingent from both New Zealand and Malaysia. The AJST platinum event was an action packed 3 days with incredible squash being played.
All 8 States & Territories had representation at the event where the players were fortunate enough to experience what it is like to play on the big stage getting the chance to play on the all glass court ahead of the 2023 World Junior Championships.
U19 Boys
U19 Girls
Winner – Oscar Curtis (WA)
Winner – Madison Lyon (QLD)
Runner Up – Kenneth Lamb (NSW)
Runner Up – Hannah Slyth (WA)
Third Place – Harvey Allan (VIC)
Third Place – Courtney Scholtz (VIC)
U17 Boys
U17 Girls
Winner – Joshua Raj (QLD)
Winner – Maiden-Lee Coe (NZL)
Runner Up – Darcy Hayes (VIC)
Third Place – Emmy Lamb (NSW)
Third Place – Haider Naqvi (VIC)
Third Place – Emmy Lamb (NSW)
U15 Boys
U15 Girls
Winner – Erwin Christopher (MAS)
Winner – Sarbani Maitra (QLD)
Runner Up – Flynn Bartlett (QLD)
Runner Up – Maiya Hotham (NZL)
Third Place – Kasper Cheung (NSW)
Third Place – Nuraisya Mohd Zami (MAS)
U13 Boys
U13 Girls
Winner – Kieran Willathgamuwa (NSW)
Winner – Emily Senior (JPN)
Runner Up – Alexander Marsh (WA)
Runner Up – Olivia van Zon (SA)
Third Place – Thomas Wang (NSW)
Third Place – Nadia van Zon (SA)
U11 Boys
U11 Girls
Winner – Kovin Surendran (MAS)
Winner – Elizabeth Wang (NSW)
Runner up – Shayan Samtani (SIN)
Runner up – Timonaliz Alarcos Kriebisch (PNG)
Third Place – Muhammed Harmas Ali Raja (PAK)
Third Place – Riyo Kawabata (QLD)
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In the U19 Girls, Madison Lyon took out the title of Australian Junior Open champion for the second year running with Oscar Curtis taking the title out for the U19 Boys for the 3rd year in a row.
Squash Australia
2023 Australian National Championships 22-25 June, 2023
The 2023 Australian National Championships took place at Thornleigh Squash Centre with 107 participants. Players came from around the country to compete over the 4 days including open and graded events. In the Women’s event, Jessica Turnbull took the title for the second year running after a 5-setter against SA’s Alex Haydon, 11-5, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-1 (41m). In the Men’s event, Ryan Cuskelly returned from where he currently resides in the United States to take out the title in a gruelling final against Rhys Dowling, with Cuskelly earning himself the title in a nail-biter, 13-11, 16-12, 11-9 (53m). The graded event had a great atmosphere with some entertaining battles where everything was left on the court, there was strong junior participation in the event, with 4 of the 7 events won by juniors taking the title of Australian graded champions. Men’s Closed PSA
Women’s Closed PSA
Winner – Ryan Cuskelly (NSW)
Winner – Jessica Turnbull (QLD)
Runner Up – Rhys Dowling (NT)
Runner Up – Alex Haydon (SA)
Men’s Premier Grade
Women’s A Grade
Winner – Ebenezer Swan (NSW)
Winner – Karen Blom (NSW)
Runner Up – Anthony Thomas (NSW)
Runner Up – Hailey Ho (NSW)
Men’s A Grade
Women’s B Grade
Winner – Regan Acret (NSW)
Winner – Emilia Scott (NSW)
Runner Up – Willard Lee (NSW)
Runner Up – Zandalee Palmer (NSW)
Men’s B Grade
Women’s C Grade
Winner – Stanley Chung (NSW)
Winner – Elizabeth Wang (NSW)
Runner Up – Peter Sinodinos (NSW)
Runner up – Catherine Hay (NSW)
Men’s C Grade Winner – Phillip Chow (NSW) Runner up – Darvan Thavendran (NSW)
2023 Annual Report
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NATIONAL EVENTS 2022 Annual Awards 24 November 2022
Administrator of the Year Award
Kane Fasolo
Innovator Award
Ken Watson
Court Owner of the Year
Bradley Hindle, Daisy Hill Squash & Racquet Club
Beverley Gould Service to Juniors Award
Robyn Prentice & Rita Paulos
Masters Player of the Year
Brian Cook
Volunteer of the Year
John Payne
Club of the Year
Coffs Harbour Squash & Swim Centre
Ted Barlow State/Territory of the Year
Squash & Racquetball Victoria
David Donnelly Referee Award
Russell Weatherburn
Keith Walker Coach Award
Nathan Turnbull
Sarah Fitz-Gerald Junior Female Player of the Year
Erin Classen
Chris Robertson Junior Male Player of the Year
Oscar Curtis
Michelle Martin Female Player of the Year
Donna Lobban
David Palmer Male Player of the Year
Cameron Pilley
Squash Australia Hall of Fame General Member
Albery Armstrong
General Member
Colin Clapper
General Member
Dean Williams
Hall of Fame Spirit of Squash Award
Jenny and Liz Irving
Hall of Fame Member Inductee
Brett Martin
Hall of Fame Member Inductee
Marion Jackman
Hall of Fame Member Inductee
Jenny Irving
Hall of Fame Member Inductee
Women’s Teams 1964 – 1967 V UK (Heather Blundell later McKay, Jenny Irving, Barbara Baxter, Helen Plaisted, Marion Jackman and Pat McClenaughan.
Hall of Fame Member Inductee
Men’s Team 1967 – 1971 (the late Richard Cater, ken Hiscoe, Geoff Hunt and Cam Nancarrow)
Hall of Fame Legend
Chris Dittmar
Hall of Fame Legend
David Palmer
Hall of Fame Legend & recipient of Heather McKay Award
Rachael Grinham
Hall of Fame Immortals
Geoff Hunt
Hall of Fame Immortal and recipient of Squash Australia Greatest of All Time Award
Heather McKay
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Squash Australia
2023 Annual Report
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STATE REPORTS
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Squash Australia
STATE REPORT With people shifting out of COVID times but into economic hardship, squash in the ACT has shown slow growth but is still waiting for players to be lured back onto the courts. 2023 has been a monumental year for the Squash ACT board, with significant changes to ACT sports governance, board leadership, and an ongoing but slowly reducing debt. However, there are so many positives to take away from this year.
A thank you to a President – Michael Nuttall 2023 saw the departure of Michael Nuttall as President of the board. Michael has been core to the ongoing survival and management of Squash ACT, especially during the significant difficulties brought about during COVID. Michael has an unbridled enthusiasm and passion for squash and community built around it, and he has been a fantastic President. His contributions to the sport and board will not be easily forgotten, and although he remains on the board to lend his wisdom, I’m sure he’s enjoying not making difficult decisions and answering phone calls already.
Sports Development Officer One of the significant bright sparks that has continued throughout 2023 has been the Sports Development Officer – Tayla Mounter. After coming onboard fulltime in 2022, Tayla has been instrumental in the ongoing growth and success of the ACT Junior’s revamp and redevelopment our sport at the grass roots level. Tayla implemented several programs across the Juniors, social, and outreach level, and helped bring life back into the sport for the Territory. Tayla will be dearly missed by all in the squash community as she heads back to England to continue her PhD studies and life back home. However, her hard work will not be lost, as Squash ACT is proud to announce that Squash Australia’s very own Tom Calvert has already started in Canberra in the position. Tom brings a wealth of squash coaching and playing experience to the capital, and we can’t wait to see how he shapes the program into the future.
Jansher Khan Canberra Open and the 2023 ACT Canberra Open. The former is the second time the PSA event has run, largely in part due to financial support from individuals and businesses within the Australian Pakistani and squash community. The PSA event attracted significant talent to the ACT, which was a pleasure for all to see on court. Special thanks must be mentioned to the Pakistani High Commission for their ongoing support for the tournament. The ACT Canberra Open, run alongside the JKCO, was a huge success. Incredibly special moments include seeing Anthony Ricketts take out the Men’s Open division.
CHALLENGES AHEAD The major challenge remains getting players back on court in a regular format. This not only means finding ways to attract new players, but also retaining the players who have dropped off the pennant radar in recent years. With economic household burden weighing on many, there will need to be an incentive to draw new and existing players back in the game. Additionally, the ACT Government has significantly changed their support system for SSOs, which will provide added hurdles and difficulties financially for all sporting bodies in the Territory that aren’t AFL or Cricket. I believe, that despite the continued and new challenges ahead of us, that ACT Squash remains in a good and competitive position to drive growth and success for the sport in the Territory. With a strong board, Development Officer, and community, we will take on 2024 and look forward to reporting significant positives in the coming year.
Harrison Barnett President
Jansher Khan Canberra Open In August, Squash ACT hosted two events back-toback at the Woden Squash Centre; the $US6K PSA
2023 Annual Report
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STATE REPORT We have seen another year of highs and lows within our sport across NSW. Our Junior Participation Program (JPP) continues to grow with a huge increase in participation, especially from females leading the NSW Board to extend the program for an additional 12-month period with some minimal changes based on feedback from our members, including a reduction in criteria. Other positives from the program were increased centre affiliation, and all 6 regions now hosting junior clinics and bronze tournaments, allowing players from all across the state to enter the NSW pathways program. We have also been successful in gaining some new facilities and upgrades around the state, with 6 new courts to be included in the West Invest Program in Western Sydney, as well as upgrades at Oberon and courts reestablished at Molong. Centres are still closing and losing courts and facilities remains a large focus from the Board in NSW. The past year has seen NSW host major events including Oceania, Trans-Tasman, Combined High Schools Trans-Tasman, Australian Masters, Australian Open, Rainbow Racquets and Australian National Championships. We have received some really positive feedback from these events and look forward to hosting the Australian Open and Australian Junior Championships in 2024. Post covid we are still struggling with a reduction in pennant participation. In 2023 based on member feedback we trialled 3 ten-week pennants in place of the 2 15-week pennants. Reviews were mixed, and a survey has gone out to participants to look at the format for 2024. Squash NSW had CEO Richard Griffiths resign to lead Hockey NSW, and Director Ed Slack became interim CEO for 6 months. The NSW Board is actively recruiting a new CEO at this time.
Jay Kross President
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Squash Australia
STATE REPORT Introduction
Boys U19 Champion: Henry Siviour
As the Chairperson of Squash NT, it is my pleasure to present the annual report summarizing the notable events and achievements that took place in 2023. This year has been marked by significant developments and successful tournaments, which have contributed to the growth and promotion of squash in the Northern Territory.
Girls U19 Champion: Naomi Endo
Appointment of a New General Manager One of the most significant milestones in 2023 was the hiring of a new General Manager for Squash NT, Mr. Dean Kidd. Mr. Kidd joined our organization in January and brought a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role. Under his leadership, we have seen a renewed focus on organizational excellence, increased member engagement, and a commitment to expanding the reach of squash within the Northern Territory.
NT Open and Junior Championship - May 2023 The highlight of our annual calendar, the NT Open and Junior Championship, held in May 2023, was a resounding success. This event showcased the talent and dedication of our local squash community and drew participants from across the territory. Results of the NT Open 2023 Men’s Open Winner: Mitchel Vanheythuysen Women’s Open Winner: Kylie Twoomey These champions demonstrated exceptional skill and sportsmanship throughout the tournament, setting a high standard for the squash community in the Northern Territory. Junior Championship The Junior Championship held in conjunction with the NT Open provided a platform for our young talents to shine. This event witnessed spirited competition and showcased the potential of our emerging players, which is essential for the future of squash in the Northern Territory.
2023 Annual Report
Representative Teams Congratulations to all those players that have been able to represent NT Squash for the Juniors and Masters National competitions. The most significant win was the Men’s Masters Team, taking the Division 2 title in NSW just a few weeks ago. Congratulations to Doug Black, Gerard McNally and Colin Watego.
Development and Outreach In 2023, Squash NT continued its commitment to developing the sport at the grassroots level. The Darwin Squash Centre Junior program numbers continue to rise. We organized several coaching clinics for our regional centres of Gove and Alice Springs, sessions aimed at introducing squash to new enthusiasts and nurturing young talents in our remote communities.
Conclusion As we conclude the year 2023, Squash NT is in a working hard to both in continue providing squash to our enthusiastic regional community. We owe our success to the dedication and passion of our members, volunteers, staff and most of all the squashies of the NT! Looking ahead, there will be some financial challenges due to the current economic environment, however we are excited about the future of squash in the Northern Territory. With the momentum gained in 2023, we aim to further expand our reach, promote inclusivity, and continue nurturing talent in our region. On behalf of Squash NT, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to our achievements in 2023. Together, we will continue to grow and strengthen squash in the Northern Territory.
Darren Barclay Chairperson
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STATE REPORT What a year it has been for Squash Queensland. As an organisation we have navigated a precarious financial position and extraordinary operational demands and have taken the necessary steps to engage with key stakeholders within our sport, the sporting industry and government. The squash community in Queensland continues to thrive, with a noted increase in junior participation across the state, thanks to our centre owners and operators, those who play, coach, officiate, administer, volunteer, and champion our game. The historic news that squash will become an Olympic sport to feature in LA28 creates opportunities to elevate squash’s profile in the competitive sporting landscape in Queensland. We acknowledge it will require a collaborative approach to address the immediate challenges, specifically the current supply of inclusive and safe spaces, developing our people, and delivering quality experiences. Squash Queensland inducted new Board members Debjani Maitra, Nathan Turnbull and Samantha Foyle under the recently revised constitution, achieving Board gender equity twelve months on from making a commitment to this goal. We launched the inaugural Squash Queensland Awards, recognising outstanding achievements on and off court. We farewelled outgoing Chair Dean Morzone, Vice President Bradley Hindle and Board member Jules Wone, whose guidance and operational support helped establish a Board culture that is bigger picture focused, looking ahead to the future. Thank you also to outgoing Board members David White, Sean Aeckert, Matt Scott and Pat Siciliano for their contributions. The annual forum, now in its second year, featured presentations from Squash Australia discussing Squash Stars and the RevSport roll out, an interactive session with Squash Australia Strength and Conditioning coach Alex Hynes, where participants designed a
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warmup session, Scottvale Squash and Fitness Centre owner operator Dee Steffan, who discussed her centre’s approach to an all-abilities squash program benefitting local NDIS funding recipients in Rockhampton, and We Make a Difference’s sponsorship platform. Videos captured will be shared on our new website in the resources section for member only access. Twenty-five coaches have completed their Level 1 Coach accreditation. Two coaches will be completing their Level 2 Coach Accreditation in November. Twenty-three were fully funded in partnership with the Queensland Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport Active Industry Fund and School Sport grant. Over the next twelve months, Squash Queensland will shift its focus to appraising more officials, after identifying that the current levels cannot sustainably support the demands of Queensland state teams and events. As part of Squash Queensland’s commitment to building the capacity and capability of our people and improving participant experiences, accredited coaches and newly appraised officials will participate in quarterly forums designed to provide professional development and the opportunity to network, celebrate success and workshop challenges they face in their respective roles. Squash Queensland established a number of key partnerships this year. These include a historic partnership with Squash.com.au and Salming to benefit our members, especially those new to squash, expanding our existing partnership with New Balance to include School Sport participants, and a partnership with Sports Marketing Australia that resulted in a 263% increase in event sponsorship in comparison to what we have previously been allocated. We are also working closely with the Queensland Representative Secondary School Squash executive to explore synergies for shared resourcing, adopting best practice and improving pathway opportunities. The Queensland Junior Championships this year saw a
Squash Australia
2.3% increase in entries and was brought back under the Squash Queensland banner. A significant outcome derived from much improved governance and reporting is the increase in government funding allocated to squash activities in the past twelve months. Squash Queensland secured government funding for FY24 and FY25 in addition to the School Sport grant received for FY23. This is the first significant increase in government funding for more than 20 years and is the highest increase of all the Queensland-based state sporting organisations.
Key highlights for 2023: •
Improved financial performance
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Historic partnership signed with squash.com.au benefitting members, clubs and schools
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Expansion of New Balance partnership to include school sport participants
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First DTIS funding increase in 20 years (the highest increase of any SSO in Queensland)
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Consolidating state level events calendar
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Establishing a partnership with Queensland Representative Secondary Schools squash program
Squash Queensland would like to thank and acknowledge: • Delivering UniSport Squash Games •
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Regional Presidents: Mark Fox (Southern Region), Gayle Baxter (Northern Region), Dee Steffan (Central Region) and Sean Aeckert (Brisbane City Squash) for their contributions in 2023;
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Launching the inaugural Squash Queensland Awards
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Second year of the Squash Queensland Forum
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Moreton Bay Queensland Open 2022: Leanna Davey (Squash Australia), Scarborough Squash Club & PCYC Redcliffe
Accredited 25 x L1 Coaches (19 of whom were fully funded by Squash Queensland x Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport)
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Queensland Junior Sharks venue hosts: Sandgate Squash Club
Launch of quarterly forums for recently accredited coaches & appraised officials
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Achieved Gender Equity on the Board within 12 months from committing to gender equity on the board
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Representation on the Queensland Sport board
Logan City Queensland Open 2023: Daisy Hill Squash Club
Andrew Dent President
2023 Annual Report
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STATE REPORT The past year has continued to present Squash SA with significant challenges but also with excellent opportunities to strengthen and grow our sports of Squash and Racquetball. In preparation for the retirement of our CEO, Geoff Baynes, the Board of Squash SA has focused on establishing a new organizational structure that will ensure our successful sporting and financial future going forward. In addition, the Board has commenced negotiations with a professional hospitality management company to outsource the management of our bar and bistro venue, thus allowing Squash SA to focus more time and resources on achieving our strategic objectives.
nurtured, striving for excellence, and maximising their potential, which is absolutely in line with the Squash SA Strategic vision. Also in the past year, Squash SA has: •
Successfully completed our two Pennant competitions, Spring and Autumn.
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Conducted our most successful High-school competition.
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Conducted our most successful Corporate Cup at our Tonsley venue.
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Completed our biggest and most successful Gala Awards Dinner in recent times.
To ensure a smooth transition to the new operational structure, the Board has put in place an interim arrangement based on good governance for our sports and a hospitality management approach which is aimed at increasing our revenue stream long term.
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Conducted successful SA Open tournaments for both Squash and Racquetball.
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Facilitated many junior and senior tournaments both metropolitan and country/regional
The Board is confident that both the interim and future structures will provide continued success during this transition phase and into the future.
The Board and Staff of Squash SA, look forward to a vibrant future for our sports and continued successful competitions and tournaments throughout the year.
Squash SA is also working in parallel with Squash Australia on the new membership and affiliation model. Squash SA is supportive of this initiative and sees it as an opportunity to restructure the Squash SA membership and affiliation model to better support our Clubs and players.
Matt Boyce President
We are communicating these changes to all key stakeholders and assisting everyone’s migration to the new platforms for membership and competitions. As we approach the end of our three year strategic plan it has become clear that although we continue to provide quality pennant competitions and a comprehensive tournament schedule there is much we need to do to assist our Clubs to grow and thrive, as well as continue to improve our existing facilities and look for opportunities to develop new squash centres. Squash Australia’s vision is to create an environment where our clubs, centres and associations are thriving, our volunteers are valued and fulfilled, participation is at an all-time high, and our athletes are being
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Squash Australia
STATE REPORT 2023 has been a busy year for Squash Tasmania. Most if not all our affiliated clubs are now set up for Revolutionise Sport. Our junior numbers are improving, with regular Squash to Schools presentations. Deloraine Council has finally commenced work on their new squash centre, and work is expected to be completed late 2024. The State ran 3 PSA well attended events, two in the South and one in the North. Devonport Squash Club continues to maintain an excellent relationship with it’s local Council, and has successfully gained a $24000 sponsorship over three years to continue it’s highly attended PSA tournaments. We were proud to have a good junior contingent attend both the AJO and AJC, all gaining more squash knowledge from these highly contested events. Tasmania Masters tournaments have spread their wings to include two new centres. These events have proven popular, and now will feature on our 2024 calendar of events. With 2024 looming, we anticipate another exciting year of squash, and it is our goal to continue the junior intake.
Leon Barnett President
2023 Annual Report
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STATE REPORT On 17 March, 2023 Karl Mayne stepped down from his role as General Manager, paving the way for Dennis Makaling to assume the position on 24 April. Dennis, with a background in School Sport and previous experience as the CEO of Table Tennis Victoria, brought fresh leadership to the organization. At the AGM held in November, significant changes occurred in the board structure, with four board members passing the torch to new leadership. The transition from Sporty HQ to Revsport, which went live on 3 July, was a major milestone for the state’s affiliated clubs. While change management always brings its share of resistance and challenges, the adoption of a new technological platform, in this case, Revsport, was expected to take some time. The sporting calendar was marked by several notable events, including the Bendigo PSA Open from 30 June to 3 July, 2022, where Bryan Lim Tze Kang and Akari Midorikawa emerged victorious in the Men’s and Women’s categories respectively. Following that, the Shepparton International Open from 7-10 July, 2022 saw Hafiz Zhafri and Toby Tse claim the Men’s and Women’s titles. The Victorian Open Championships in Mulgrave featured Rex Hendrick successfully defending his Men’s title and Akari Midorikawa securing the Women’s title. The Australian Racquetball Championships were held on 14-16 October at The Commercial Club in Albury. The Women’s title was won by Sarah Quinlivan and the Men’s by Cameron White. The Victorian Open Racquetball Championships were hosted by Mountain District Squash Club from the 15-16 April and the Men’s title winner was Tom Steward, and the Women’s by Selena Shaikh.
Our online presence received a boost through our Facebook page, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Additionally, we launched a dedicated YouTube Channel, managed by our Events and Marketing officer, Aditya, who has been creating engaging media content for our affiliated clubs across the state, promoting their facilities and programs to a wider audience. The World Junior Championships, held at MSAC from 18-29 July, 2023, showcased the talents of Victoria’s four juniors among the eight representatives from Australia. The event proved to be a success and was televised by 7Plus. The Junior Participation Program, under the guidance of Jason Turner and supported by coaches Anthony Hill, Corben White, Amelia Pittock and David Crossley has continued to serve as a critical pathway for our state’s juniors, with ongoing improvements and development. Finally, the unexpected announcement in July 2023 regarding the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games by the Victorian Government left us disappointed. However, in response to this setback, funding opportunities have arisen for Regional Victoria to enhance infrastructure and sporting facilities, potentially benefiting our sport’s growth.
Sarah Fitz-Gerald President
In celebration of World Squash Day on 15 October, 2022, we hosted a celebrity Squash challenge at MSAC, featuring prominent personalities such as David Hussey, George Calombaris, Rex Hedrick, and Adrian Waller. The event was accompanied by a delightful display of vintage racquets by Bert Armstrong. Furthermore, the MS 24 Hour Mega Challenge at Westerfolds Squash Centre showcased an uninterrupted 24 hours of squash.
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Squash Australia
STATE REPORT This has been my first full year in this role, and it’s been a lot of work, long hours, multiple challenges, but nevertheless, we are celebrating a strong 2023 for squash in Western Australia. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for my small team in the office as well as the Squash WA Board for their support and hard work. “The strength of a team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” The squash community across Western Australia achieved so much throughout 2023. Without the unquantifiable time and efforts of our volunteers, Club Committees, Coaches, Officials, staff and Board we wouldn’t be in the increasingly strong position we are finding ourselves in. An astounding amount of progress has been made with the state centre upgrades. We now have two fully operational glass back courts, a fresh coat of paint throughout the building, new lighting, fans, bathrooms and more. Stage two is now underway which includes the installation of an elevator, universal access toilet (UAT) and much, much more. This is testament to the fantastic relationship we have built with DLGSCI, and their genuine confidence in us to operate a successful organisation and grow our sport.
2023 Achievements in Western Australia Registered Members Membership numbers have increased this year, and this is based on figures up to 30 September. We still have a few months to go, but these are already the highest registration numbers since 2019.
Juniors Much work continues to be done to build our Junior Development Pathway. We hope this more visible approach with additional stepping stones to reach higher levels, will help everyone understand what is achievable, and just as importantly, that there is a pathway for those juniors who wish to play squash for fun, and just enjoy the game. We’ve implement-
2023 Annual Report
ed Tournament Tours for metro juniors to participate in country tournaments, a Talent Squad, clinics in every school holiday period instead of only in January, and much more. We run a metro junior pennant competition in every term for five rounds, which is all our busy Western Australian tournament calendar will allow. Numbers are consistent and spiked at 40+ recently. We’ve worked with Junior Coordinators to provide support, resources and information. In 2023 alone, four additional junior programs have started up in the state. Our school programs have also grown from strength to strength. A huge thank you to Healthway for their ongoing support which has been integral to our junior success.
Interschool Competition The 2023 Interschool Competition saw 37 teams of secondary school students play over two full days. This is the largest number of teams we have seen for many years, certainly since COVID. Next year we are expanding the competition to allow for 56 teams as we had to turn some teams away!
Country Week The Country Teams Championships also attracted the highest number of teams we have seen since 2010. 236 players registered for the largest tournament in Australia - a 12% increase in participation from 2022’s 211 players. 15 towns were represented from across the State (Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Dampier, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Katanning, Leschenault, Mandurah, Manjimup, Moora, Narrogin, and Wongan Hills) forming 14 grades of teams. The Mens grades ran from A through to J, and the Ladies from A through to D.
Pennants and Leagues We’ve maintained the number of teams playing in metro pennant and league competitions, which had been declining for a number of years.
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STATE REPORT Tournaments Squash WA has taken back the running of all Squash WA events. We thank those people and clubs who took on this mammoth task over the past few years, and we will endeavour to build on and grow these events for all Squash players to enjoy. Running these events with minimal staff does create a need for volunteers, which we too hope to grow as we build our events to be bigger and better moving forward.
Sponsors Without sponsors, we could not have achieved what we have this year. To those that sponsored events or contributed products, you share in our successes this year. A special thanks to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSCI) who have supported myself and Squash WA in both a home and funding. To Healthway for providing us a message of health to run most of our junior programs, thank you. Our achievements this year are evidence of the incredible support they have given us.
Office and Staff Office support is regular and steady, and feedback from the community indicates they are enjoying all the communication coming from the office as well as our renewed social media presence.
I am extremely proud of how far we’ve come, and am bursting at the seams to see what 2024 has in store for squash in Western Australia.
Leigh-Anne Kaye General Manager
Board Our Board is working on the Squash WA Strategic Plan, governance and capability, to ensure we keep building on our strong foundation to keep growing squash in Western Australia. Our members made the call to change from WA Squash to Squash WA and join the rest of the country in a bid to support a uniformed sport approach.
MySquashAUS WA has received MySquashAUS extremely well, and are leading the way nationally, in its implementation. We strongly believe this platform will be a huge help to our committees and volunteers as it provides a base for communication and automation for our clubs.
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Squash Australia
SPONSORS
2023 Annual Report
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Squash Australia