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Abbeydale Squash and Fitness Club has been named Club of the Year at the 2023 England Squash Awards.
The club, based in Sheffield, set itself targets to improve female participation, launching a number of initiatives to improve inclusivity, leading to the club having a fifty-fifty gender split on their committee and within the club’s beginner sessions.
Club Chair, Tim Eldridge, was delighted to see the club recognised for their work, he said:
“We're very pleased to get it mainly because it recognises the work of a committee of volunteers. It reflects the work across a lot of different activities that have come together to make the place what it is.”
The club introduced Squash from the Mosque sessions twice a week, the England Squash programme designed to take the game into the heart of communities and support cultural shifts within the sport. This has seen 36 attendees at the all-women’s class with several going on to join the club as members.
Over the rest of 2024, the club hope to field three women’s teams in local leagues and recently created and hosted a ‘Squash Blast’ event to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Eldridge is thrilled with the improved inclusivity and general participation across the club. He explained:
“What we're aiming for is parity of esteem between all players. It’s not just a men's club and we want more women joining, but that doesn’t mean we want fewer men.
“We’ve also got squash families because of the hundred kids participating, some of those are beginning to bring their parents along to give it a go. In fact, on one of our women's teams we’ve got a mum and daughter, and on one of the mixed teams we've got a mum and son playing.”
Eldridge concluded:
“I just think the whole thing is that the sum of the total is greater than the sum of the parts. We've got a lot of people at all levels who are very involved in getting things going. It's a very welcoming, inclusive, and friendly place.”
Founded in 1934, Abbeydale is one of the most prestigious clubs in the country, boasting six squash courts including one all-glass court which has frequently hosted major tournaments.
Find out more about the 2023 Awards.
