Squash 57 gathers pace

Discover how a number of Squash 57 initiatives will be inspiring a new audience to pick up a racket.

Back in August, the World Squash Federation announced that racketball is to be rebranded to Squash 57 in a bid to reposition the sport and inspire new audiences to get on court.

From Saturday 1^st October, the name Squash 57 will officially be adopted by England Squash, heralding the start of an exciting era for the game.

Whilst the global rebrand has been met with mixed reaction, squash clubs and facilities up and down the country are beginning to embrace the change and adopt the name.

One city on board with the name change and keen to inspire and engage a new audience of players is Manchester who have agreed to run a series of Squash 57 projects. The city’s Head Coach, Josh Taylor, and his team work across four public facilities in Manchester and will be running new Squash 57 programmes at each site as well as encouraging local clubs to get involved too.

Josh Taylor commented,

“We believe Squash 57 has mass potential and is an opportunity to engage with a broader audience in public facilities. This gives us the vehicle to engage groups who we haven’t previously had much success with.

"The change, once it has settled down, will give new potential to help build awareness for this great from of the game, and boost participation in our facilities.”

In addition to the Manchester pilot, England Squash will be launching Squash 57 campaigns later in the year to drive awareness and raise the profile of the game.

England Squash Director of Participation Mark Williams commented, "There's a real opportunity to engage with new players in local authority and private leisure facilities which make up more than 40% of courts in the country and are visited by thousands of people each week who might be interested in trying an exciting new sport."

There will also be an incentivisation programme for leaders designed to help ensure we keep them engaged and rewarded for getting new people on court.

Next year, we’ll be working in partnership with the World Squash Federation, and in collaboration with clubs and facilities on targeted marketing initiatives to engage and inspire a new audience.

If you’re a partner keen to get involved in a fun game that’s great for health and fitness and can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities, please get in touch by emailing participation@englandsquash.com. We’re particularly keen to speak to organisations that can deliver Squash 57 projects across a number of different facilities or to a specific target audience that would like to try something new.