Women’s Squash Week 2015

UPDATE
Five Lower Mainland clubs hosted WSW events in late 2015 with over 100 women participating. Thank you to Bonsor Recreation, Jericho Tennis Club, The River Club, VRC and Whistler for helping the VSL increase the numbers of women playing squash in BC! Check out the great photos of WSW on the Vancouver Squash League’s Facebook page!
(Photos courtesy of Mr Forbz Photography)

Women’s Squash Week is an initiative spearheaded by “NY: Squash” and supported by Squash Republic and the Vancouver Squash League with a goal of introducing more women to the sport of squash and increasing the involvement in the sport of those that already play. With squash shortlisted to be included in the Olympics, 2013 was the first year that Canadian cities and clubs were encouraged to participate. Last year saw over 400 women playing in over 15 cities across the United States and Canada with events also being held in Bahamas and the UK.

The Vancouver Squash League is pleased to present this initiative in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

When is Women’s Squash Week this year?

Women’s Squash Week will be held from September 19th to the 27th. Eight days of squash!

Who is this for?

Women that are new to the game (think tennis players looking for a winter game), returning to the game or players that are involved in the game and want to teach and to mentor. Get your members involved and ask them to invite their friends!

What is it?

A week of FREE squash events all over the world!

What kind of event can you organize?

There are no guidelines around what you can do as long as it’s FREE, fun and squash-related. In NYC for example they have one event for the whole city so that all the women can be in one place at the same time – catch up with old friends, make new and play some casual squash. Your one day event could include simple drills, round-robins, rules reviews, video presentations, feature women’s matches – you name it!

Events should probably be kept to one day to keep things simple and evenings or weekends would be ideal. In Vancouver, Bonsor ran a 3 hour event on a Saturday afternoon and VRC had their event on a week day evening to coincide with their Early Bird Tournament.

In the past, events have even had a number of women who stop by and don’t play but at least they are included and can learn about playing opportunities at your club and your city squash league. You may also have players who attend and aren’t members of your club and don’t have home clubs but are looking to join.

An exhibition match between two top level women players is a great way to end your event.

Where are the local events?

These are the Metro Vancouver clubs participating in 2015. Click this link for contact info and times.

• Bonsor Recreation Centre
• Evergreen Squash Club, North Vancouver
• Jericho Tennis Club, Vancouver
• Nanaimo Squash Club
• River Club, Richmond
• Vancouver Racquets Club
• Whistler’s Meadowpark Squash Courts

Why are we doing it?

We need more women playing squash around the world!

The goal of Women’s Squash Week is to get women on court, get them hooked on the game we love, get them informed about playing options and get them meeting each other. All event coordinators are encouraged to also focus on the social aspect of the game rather than just the competition. Women are often intimidated by formal, organized play so the best way to get them involved in the sport is to make it enjoyable right from the beginning.

The goal of Women’s Squash Week is simply to get women together, play some casual squash and get them excited to play in more formal events – league, tournaments etc. Once you have them on your radar it is easier to get them to play.