THE number of people participating in squash within England is significantly decreasing each year.
According to figures found by Statista, the number of people participating in squash in England has reduced from 425,600 in 2016, down to 250,000 in 2023.
Squash is one of five additional sports which has been approved for inclusion by the organising committee for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The racket sport has never previously appeared at the Olympic Games, with the only demonstration of the sport coming at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
The Covid-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on squash compared to other racket sports such as tennis, which complied with social-distancing measures at the time, unlike squash which couldn’t be played as easily.
OfficialSportsHub visited Trojans Squash Club in Eastleigh, who are apart of the largest amateur sports club in Hampshire.
Head Squash Coach, Shane Platt, expressed his concerns around participation in the sport and what can be done to help improve the number of squash players in the country:
“We need to make the sport more accessible for everyone, and we’re doing that at Trojans now, some of the ladies can just turn up and pay to play which takes away the membership fee. We supply rackets and goggles so all they need is gym-wear.
“The number of juniors we have participating at the club has certainly declined recently, we try hard to encourage our junior numbers by going into schools and offering squash as an afterschool club option.”
The latest announcement from the Olympic Committee, confirming the inclusion of squash at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, means there is optimism for the future of the sport.
“If it’s seen on TV and gets more mainstream media coverage, I think that can help participation over the next few years. It’s surprising how many people that don’t know what squash is, because it isn’t something you’d typically play at school, see on TV or at the Olympics.”
