Kent Squash & Racketball
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Is Kent squash dying?
This is the question I was asked the other day by a Surrey league player?
My response was a simple and straight, No! But that's based on what I see, hear and experience. Personally I see more enthusiasm and interest in the game at a local club and county league level. I for one am loving it.
Your thoughts?
Views: 317
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Thatcher on
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Mark: What did your Surrey friend base his question on?
The leagues appear to be thriving, junior numbers are on the increase thanks to club initiatives, hard-working coaches and the implementation of the Kent Development Plan, and Kent stages more professional tournaments than any other county in the UK.
The one area where we need to work harder is on reviving women's squash. It was disappointing to see so few clubs supporting the recent World Squash Day where the whole day was devoted to increasing female participation.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Lennox on -
He was basing it on his own and other county leagues rather than anything he had seen or heard within Kent. In fact he agreed that it is thriving and there seems to be a new vigor amongst players and clubs.
I think every county has areas they would like to improve on, but then that's all part of the longer-term challenge.
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Permalink Reply by Tom Woods on -
It's all about getting people through the door, once inside a percentage will get hooked.
Promotion is key to the future of the game, there is so much talent out there but so many children don't even know what squash is, an example of the ability, and it's an old one I know.
Me and my brother moved from Leicestershire as juniors, we both played junior county squash there, we moved to a new housing estate. Next door and opposite were two family's they saw we played squash and also started. Next door was Craig Blundy who became a regular county junior and gained a national ranking and plays for our 1st team, over the road was John Brewer who has been county champion in both junior and senior level and I believe was at one point ranked 1 in England in his age group, also still playing for our 1st team. Added to that were my sister, Craig's sister and John's brother who all played for Kent too, none of them even knew what squash was before we introduced them. 7 county players in 3 houses in all next to each other.
Imagine how many other players there could have been in our road or all the other roads all over Kent.
What I am saying is promote it better, get fliers into junior schools, get it into the local papers each week, tell your friends to bring their kids along, make people more aware of the sport in general. Some will stay, some won't but the more that know about it the more chance there is of it growing all over the county.
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Thanks Tom. Absolutely agree on every point!
By the way, we have a new team of absolute beginners in The Mote junior section who are finding life tough in their first season in Division Three of the Kent Junior League. It would be nice to play some friendlies against other teams of beginners.
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Permalink Reply by Tom Woods on
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I do a little bit with 5-7 year olds on a Saturday morning at Rodmersham, it's only 30-40 minutes but I have had 6 children in the past, and they all love it, there are not normally any girls in there though other than my little girl Lois, who is 5 but she loves it too.
We want to build on the few we have but don't really know of a process to do it, or who could fund it. I have heard there is something going on with people visiting schools but there is nothing posted anywhere or promoted anywhere that I have seen to help.
How about a Kent Junior website with coaching ideas, tournaments, leagues and ideas etc etc. Also guidance on possible funding or where promotional materials could be sourced. I heard that there may be funding available for Rodmersham from someone (forgot his name - maybe Nick) at Bexley, but no one seems to know anything about it at our end or who to talk to.
I think there needs to be some processes set out for all clubs, with a planned route into junior squash training and coaching to keep the game moving forwards into the future.
I can help out a bit if required as I am sure others would if they knew what to do.
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Hi Tom
The Kent SRA Development Programme has been set up to help all clubs forge strong links with local schools and provide a structure to get large numbers of kids on court and introduce them to the game.
The club and the Kent SRA will then work as a partnership to arrange regular coaching activities to keep the children coming back for more.
Am happy to pop over to Rodders any time soon for a chat and explain how it all works.
The same goes for any other club who would like to be involved.
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Permalink Reply by steve franks on -
Hi Tom
I've been following the replies to Mark's comment re Kent Squash and can say that over the last 3 years I have seen the growth of junior squash with pathways created from schools to club to county to regional. As the County Development Coach I would say Kent is still in its infancy in its development programmes but has attracted interest from other counties as to how we have achieved so much in a small period of time.
I am concerned that you mention that no one at Rodmersham knows about funding possibilities, as your development committee has joined the hub club scheme and schools have been visiting your club who has the club promoted to them while there and followed up at the school after. The club is also hosting Squashacise classes to aim at attracting new women of which there has been interest on a Friday morning and another class planned for Saturdays in the New Year.All these courses are funded from the Kent Development fund.
Simon and Allison can tell you more and is open to any help club members can offer as you are right promotion of new classes / courses are the key to maximise new participants.
Regarding a Kent Junior website this is a project the Kent Junior league committee has been proposing for 3 years now in order to not only advertise junior squash but to use it as ranking tool for existing juniors and identify up and coming juniors for squad training. Money is the stumbling block so if any sponsors are out there please come forward.
Steve Franks
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Permalink Reply by Tom Woods on
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I have seen on the Rodmersham Open Day a little bit of info on the squashacise but other than that, honestly I have seen nothing about any other elements mentioned, other than heard in passing you have been visiting some schools to promote mini squash.
We are a typical young family that I would expect would be targeted, my wife plays a little bit of squash and has played team squash this season, she uses the gym and even works on the bar at the club sometimes. I play squash regularly, we have two young children, one of which goes to a very local primary school she is 5 and a very enthusiastic little boy 3 who would love to play. I also help with junior coaching at the club on Saturday mornings trying to bring on the next generation, something I have suggested for the littler ones from 5 up to 7 as this wasn't really being done. I even supply Rodmersham free of charge with posters and banners for promotional events.
But I have never seen anything to do with the Kent Development Programme mentioned anywhere in the club, on a poster or come back from my little girls school, or seen how we could get more involved.
I think the idea is great and what is needed, but on more than one occasion and recently a week or two ago I was suggesting we should get some fliers into the local schools and that I would put something together as my wife is on the PTA and she could help get this done. No one then said to me 'Hold on the Kent Develpoment Programme does all this! just call this number or visit this website" It was only luck that I looked at this thread that I have found out so much more.
I am not knocking what you are all doing at all, but I really think that there needs to be more promotion of the programme because as far as I can see, and I don't know if it's down to the programme or Rodmersham, the information is not getting through to the people inside the clubs that need to know about it.
Simon and Alison do a great job at Rodmersham, but I think with everything else they deal with sometimes things may be put to the side. Maybe each club should have a KDP representative who can be contacted directly?
I am more than happy to help with designing fliers, posters stickers for the tins, banners etc etc. and even with setting up a simple website which I could do very quickly given the right information. I know that in Australia where my brother plays squash there is an online ranking system which records all results from any match played and entered, which gives an ongoing ranking within the whole of Western Australia. I can find out what this is and you could look to see if it was a suitable option maybe for the juniors.
I think overall, promotion is the key to it being a county wide success and I am happy to help ensure that every club has the right information and knows where to look to get help.
Every club will have mums and dads willing to give their time to help, so I guess you are already half way there in a way, you just need to let them know they are not on their own and that there is help and guidance out there.
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Permalink Reply by Tom Woods on
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Check out this link to the squashmatrix site and my brothers history, this could be an option not only for the juniors but all of kent squash maybe, or something like this.
http://www.squashmatrix.com/PlayerResults.asp?PlayerID=18216
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Tom.
Another major factor is to get guys like you, an experienced player and a parent, to become qualified coaches.
We urgently need more coaches to help to grow the game and funding is available to help you get your Level 1 and Level 2 badges.
Guys like you have so much to offer the game with your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm, and it would be great to have half a dozen coaches in every club.
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Permalink Reply by Phill Crane on -
Promotion of squash of course would include getting a directory of clubs & courts listed on the front page of this website.
And I don't mean just listing the courts that can be found on the England Squash site.
Tom Woods said:It's all about getting people through the door, once inside a percentage will get hooked.
Promotion is key to the future of the game, there is so much talent out there but so many children don't even know what squash is, an example of the ability, and it's an old one I know.
Me and my brother moved from Leicestershire as juniors, we both played junior county squash there, we moved to a new housing estate. Next door and opposite were two family's they saw we played squash and also started. Next door was Craig Blundy who became a regular county junior and gained a national ranking and plays for our 1st team, over the road was John Brewer who has been county champion in both junior and senior level and I believe was at one point ranked 1 in England in his age group, also still playing for our 1st team. Added to that were my sister, Craig's sister and John's brother who all played for Kent too, none of them even knew what squash was before we introduced them. 7 county players in 3 houses in all next to each other.
Imagine how many other players there could have been in our road or all the other roads all over Kent.
What I am saying is promote it better, get fliers into junior schools, get it into the local papers each week, tell your friends to bring their kids along, make people more aware of the sport in general. Some will stay, some won't but the more that know about it the more chance there is of it growing all over the county.
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