A Year in Review 2021

While 2021 proved to be another unpredictable year, there are still plenty of things to celebrate from the past 12 months.

One of the biggest highlights from this year was Squash Australia, alongside its State and Territory organisations, presenting a new integrated brand in Australia - a first for the sport in the country.

Not all national events were off the cards in 2021 with the Australian Doubles Open, Australian National Championships and Australia Junior Open (AJO) all able to take place.

At the National Championships, Australia’s Commonwealth Games representatives shined as Tamika Hunt and Rex Hedrick took out the top awards.

Meanwhile, Tasmania played host to the AJO over the Easter long weekend. The pinnacle event on the Australian Junior Squash Tour provides a competitive pathway for aspiring squash players and for the first time, a doubles tournament was held at the event, giving the opportunity to introduce the team side of the sport, as well as new pathways to young players.

Looking abroad the PSA World Championships still had some Australian flavour despite border restrictions with three-time Commonwealth Games medallist Donna Lobban making it to the second round of the event.

Back closer to home, Squash Australia announced a raft of new partnerships including;

• Leading media agency The Advertising Works (TAW)
• The School Locker - a Team Sports licensee for sports apparel - and footwear brand New Balance
• Web/app design and development company Itomic
• Salming Australia as their Official Squash Racquet & Shoe
• SquashLevels, a digital ranking and engagement platform to bring the squash community together
• Long-standing partnership with Dunlop was also renewed

Squash Australia also became the newest member of the Australian Pride in Sport program, furthering its commitment to an inclusive sporting culture to create a safe and respectful environment for all who want to participate in the sport.

With a big year planned for 2022, a four-part Referee Webinar Series was hosted in November and December to support Squash Australia’s commitment to furthering referees’ skills and professional development. It followed on from the announcement of a long-term partnership with World Squash Officiating (WSO) to develop a clearer and more robust pathway for Australian referees that is in line with international standards.

It also ties into the new digital Learning Centre with phase one set to be released in January 2022. The Squash Australia Learning Centre, which is being delivered through the Australian Sport Learning Centre (ASLC), is set to revolutionise the way coaches, referees, volunteers and staff learn, achieve and keep track of squash accreditations online.

What will 2022 bring?

After the release of the 2022 National Events Calendar in October, the next 12 months will offer a suite of events with more than 200 events on offer across Australia at both State and National level. Things will kick off in January with the Australian Doubles Open before Western Australia host the 2022 Australian Junior Championships in September.

The highlight of the year will be the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, a pinnacle event for the sport of squash. Australia has a fine record at the Commonwealth Games, as the most successful nation with 11 gold medals.

We can’t wait for what the next 12 months will bring for squash in Australia!