Rally for Change: Women’s Squash Collective builds momentum

A new network of players, coaches, and volunteers is connecting women across the sport, sharing support and inspiration to help more women thrive in squash.

In squash, like so many other sports, women are underrepresented.

Only 13% of England Squash members are female, and from grassroots participation right the way through to elite coaching and leadership positions, women are outnumbered.

However, change is coming thanks to women like Heidi Leseur and Jo Wallis, who have co-founded the Women’s Squash Collective – a network supporting the work of women in squash up and down the country.

“I felt like I needed to connect with other women but I found it really difficult,” said Heidi, who started out as a club player before entering coaching and joining county, regional, and national boards.

“You’d go to courses and there’d only be one other woman, and you’d be like, ‘She’s interesting, I’d love to get to know her.’ That’s how I met Jo – I’d always seen her at England Squash Council meetings and finally connected with her around 2021. We shared a lot of interests in squash and challenges and concerns for other women who’d left the game.

“I’m so sad when I see amazing women leaving the sport. I wanted to prevent women from feeling that burnout.”

Jo, herself, has fallen in and out of love with the sport over several decades as a parent, volunteer, county administrator, and now coach, and equality, diversity, and inclusion advocate, but the support she received from other women kept pulling her back.

“I nearly dropped out of squash. My club closed, I did my level two qualification, then COVID happened, it was all a bit rubbish.” Jo said.

“I’d felt the support from other women and I wanted more women to experience nurturing too.”

Inspired by Sue Anstiss, co-creator of The Women’s Sport Collective, they launched a group of their own. What began with a handful of women having a coffee at the 2024 British Open has grown into a WhatsApp community with over 40 members and monthly online talks. Heid said:

“We were so spread out and disconnected. You feel like you’re the lone voice out there and the only one trying to make change. You didn’t know the other women were there: now we do!”

The challenge facing them is daunting. Women make up just 21% of monthly players and 26% of infrequent players while an England Squash listening exercise identified a belonging gap in the sport. 87% of men feel like they belong in squash versus 60% of women.

Heidi has seen the decline in female players first hand in Buckinghamshire. Family commitments and work were obvious contributors. But also club and league set-ups were not adapted for women.

“It just takes one woman going, and if that’s your buddy, your playing partner, then it snowballs. If you end up with fewer women, it’s not a good advert when you’re trying to encourage more women and girls into your environment,” said Heidi.

“It’s cultural,” adds Jo. “I don’t think squash is worse than any other sport but it’s about changing behaviours and cultures, and creating more diversity in squash."

Now, the Women’s Squash Collective is uniting women from across the squash spectrum - from parents and grassroots volunteers to professional players and national administrators - creating an open forum to share ideas, discuss culture and behaviours, exchange knowledge, find support, and uplift one another.

“It’s a positive forum that’s meant to be invigorating, not draining,” said Heidi. “It’s an uplifting space for women to share stories, ask questions, and share positive ideas. The group can support women in achieving their goals and champion their successes. And ‘collective’ is what it says: bringing everyone together in a collaborative space.

"Sharing knowledge is an important part of it and the different experiences lend diverse voices to The Collective. Development work can be draining, so we want to fill people’s cups and energise them.

“When new women join, they hear other women’s stories and they’re inspired – fantastic! It’s great to see what other women are doing and give them a platform.”

Jo adds: “We want to connect, collaborate, inspire and celebrate. Squash is a great sport and we’d like to help women thrive in it and be part of the amazing rise in women’s sport in England that we are all experiencing at the moment.

“When you're a woman in sport, sometimes you can feel invisible. Now, women in The Collective are saying they feel seen, not alone, making things up, or imagining things. That’s the power of The Collective.”

Be part of the movement that’s putting women front and centre in squash. Find out more and join the Women’s Squash Collective today.

Discover more about England Squash’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.