As I reflect on 2025, it is clear that Squash Ireland has made substantial strides across all areas of the organisation, writes CEO Scott Graham.
From growing participation and strengthening our club network to advancing our high-performance ambitions, this year has been defined by progress, even bigger and bolder ambitions, and a shared commitment to building foundations for the betterment of the sport.
Volunteers, coaches and club officials are the engine room of our growth. It was wonderful to celebrate just some of these individuals at our 2025 awards evening, shining a light on the incredible work they do to ensure people fall in love with the sport and stay involved at all ages and stages of life.
2025 marked the midpoint of our Connecting the Dots Strategic Plan, and I am pleased to report that we remain laser-focused on delivery. We are on target in the vast majority of areas and, in some cases, ahead of schedule, providing an opportunity to set even more ambitious targets for the years ahead.
A major highlight of 2025 has been the progress within high performance. As I write this update, we have two plaques as men’s and women’s champions from the European Team Championships Division 2 and, for the first time in 17 years, three Irish players ranked inside the PSA Top 100.
From an organisational perspective, we published our first High Performance Strategy and gained recognition as a high-performance development sport from Sport Ireland. This has unlocked new funding opportunities and expertise from both Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland.
We have strengthened our high-performance Unit with the appointment of a head coach, junior performance coach and junior development coach, and reformed our high-performance working group, chaired by Angus Kirkland and bringing in expertise including Aisling Blake, Ken Flynn and Paris 2024 lead physio Paul Carragher.
Several senior players have benefited from direct funding through Sport Northern Ireland Athlete Awards and Squash Ireland support, enabling them to train and compete at an elite level.
At the pathway level, we established the Junior Performance Academy, which will continue to be refined to support committed young players in making the transition to elite professional squash.
On the participation front, 2025 was a strong year, with increased engagement across the sport and continued growth in membership numbers by 10.6%. This builds on the momentum of previous seasons where we recorded a 11.45% increase for 2024/25 and reflects the strength of our clubs and programmes nationwide.
Tournament entries also showed strong growth, with record participation in events such as the Irish Masters Open and the Irish Junior Open.
The Irish Open continues to go from strength to strength, with the 2025 edition delivered successfully at PSA World Tour Copper status. With an $83,000 prize fund and a strong international field, including several of the world’s top-ranked players, it remains one of the most significant sporting events of its kind in Ireland.
My thanks go to tournament director Dara O’Flynn, host club Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and our title sponsors Quilter Cheviot and Cannon Kirk for their continued support in delivering an internationally respected event.
At the grassroots level, we saw the introduction of new divisions across the provincial leagues, alongside an increase in the number of clubs entering teams. Participation in leagues and internal club competitions continues to play a vital role in retention, with players enjoying the camaraderie and social aspects of the sport.
2025 also saw the rollout of social tournaments, led by our development team. Through seed funding support, clubs were empowered to deliver inclusive social events. The programme reached over 400 women across 17 venues nationwide, providing accessible opportunities to engage with squash and strengthening female participation in the sport.
In terms of club development, one of the highlights for me personally was delivering junior equipment packs and squash cannons to clubs such as Ballypatrick and Celtic.
While significant work goes on behind the scenes to secure these supports, seeing the impact at club level, particularly the excitement of young players, makes it all worthwhile. I am proud that Squash Ireland continues to lead in the provision of equipment support to clubs, and this will remain a priority.
When I started in the role, members bemoaned the lack of visibility, with sporadic updates posted to the website and a limited presence on social media. The website was near impossible to use on mobile, which we all know is essential in the digital age.
Through the appointment of Liam Heagney as part-time communications officer, we have vastly improved the visibility of squash. It is regularly remarked upon how active our social media accounts are, with engagement levels now ranking towards the top compared to other sports national governing bodies.
In fact, as I check our statistics, I note a new record of over 200,000 views on Squash Ireland’s Instagram page in the past 30 days, an impressive statistic by any measure.
The new website we developed and launched at the end of 2024, combined with the professionalism of our communications officer in producing engaging articles and interviews, has seen the number of active users increase by 40%.
Looking ahead, the next phase of development will focus on continuing to strengthen the foundations of Squash Ireland as a National Governing Body and increasing our impact in terms of driving membership growth, participation in squash, and performance internationally and at major events.
One exciting development is the planned recruitment of part-time squash activation officers in each province to drive participation, particularly at junior level.
This will increase our capacity to support clubs in developing and growing their junior sections, delivering squash programmes within schools, and reaching new audiences, including those from disadvantaged communities and disability groups. I am really looking forward to seeing our squash activation officers begin their roles and share their passion for the sport with the next generation.
In terms of systems and technology, you will see us develop an enhanced membership system and integrate more seamlessly with platforms such as Squash Levels to provide richer data and insights. We are also aiming to deliver more benefits as part of the membership package offered by Squash Ireland.
We are also working on an events strategy to build on recent progress, including the growth of provincial leagues and the increased status of PSA tournaments on the island of Ireland. While we have seen progress on the high-performance front, we have much loftier ambitions.
We will continue working hard to support players with the potential and work ethic required to compete at an elite level. We are also working with our funders and partners to plan for major events, including the 2027 European Games and LA 2028. In addition, an application has been submitted to the Government to secure tax relief on donations to our high-performance programme, which we hope will unlock new philanthropic support.
Regarding facilities, we are progressing plans for a National Squash Centre in partnership with South Dublin County Council, alongside ongoing support for clubs to enhance facilities through the Community Sports Facilities Fund and other national and local capital funding programmes. I would encourage all clubs within the Republic of Ireland to make an application under the next round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund.
Finally, I would like to thank our funders, sponsors, donors, board members, staff and the wider squash community for their continued support.
Everyone plays their part in growing the sport and in the success achieved to date. Having worked in several different sports, I can say with confidence that squash is special, and we have huge potential for further growth at grassroots level and for greater success on the world stage.
