England Squash partners with World Squash Officiating to standardise refereeing qualifications

England Squash has announced a new long-term partnership with World Squash Officiating (WSO) to standardise squash officiating qualifications in England.

Adopting WSO’s new refereeing framework will help England Squash to bring hundreds of existing referees in England to a standardised level of refereeing at events, in line with international standards, and improve both the quality and quantity of referees across the country.

WSO's education and assessment online platform features six courses from entry level to Level 5 and will support England Squash’s ambition to deliver a clear and more accessible referee pathway.

England Squash CEO Mark Williams said: “We’re excited to partner with WSO and drive higher standards of refereeing in England at every level of the game.

“The new framework will support our long-term ambition to recruit more referees from more diverse backgrounds and provide a more accessible pathway that delivers world-class continuous learning and development to aspiring and existing referees.”

WSO Manager Chris Nutley said: “We are delighted to welcome England Squash into the WSO family. This agreement marks a major milestone for WSO and we are extremely grateful to England Squash for their continued support.

“England has long been at the fore of officiating and we look forward to working closely with their existing referees. We will also be looking at developing new and innovative ways of attracting a broad base of new officials who can serve the sport for many years to come.”

Find out more about WSO.