Ireland arrived in Cairo on Friday for the World Squash Junior Championships and were met with super friendly staff directly off our flight, writes junior performance coach David Noone.
We were made to feel very welcome as they navigated us through a hectic airport with long visa queues and got us to our hotel. We have a pool and spacious rooms with plenty of areas to relax in. As tournament hotels go, this is nice!
The event is being played in the Black Ball Sporting Club, a massively impressive venue set off a giant motorway-style road in New Cairo. The entrance is super plush and opens onto a gigantic gallery behind a beautiful glass court. There are 17 courts in total, the glass and 16 courts surrounding it.
The whole club is centred around the show court – and it’s massive. It needs to be to support such a huge event; the men’s and women’s draws have 221 players from around the world, with only the best of each country being represented.
The first week is the individual section, and the second week the teams. For the individuals, Ireland have six boys and three girls. For the team, we have four boys and four girls.
This event will be long and bodies will be tested to the max, but this is an amazing tournament and an unbelievable opportunity for the top Irish juniors to mix with the world’s best.
The individual event kicked off on Monday, and first up was Riley Slade. In a close match against Hana Al Nayal of the Netherlands, the games could have gone either way. Errors were the deciding factor, and Riley made just a few too many. But there was plenty to build on in the 0-3 loss for the Mount Pleasant player.
Ella Walsh faced a tricky French opponent, Leelou Laporte. Anything loose was skilfully put away, but Ella was playing some great squash. Once settled, she pushed very hard, especially in the second game, which she could have won. The third ran away from her a little but, despite losing 0-3, this was a good showing for her first match.
Zoe Yeomans played Anna Musikhina, a neutral athlete from Russia. In quite a tough match, she prevailed and won 3-0 to set up an encounter with the seeded Pole, Sofiia Zrazhevska.
Zoe played to her potential in the first game, fighting hard and contesting every point. There were some very high-quality exchanges, but the opening game slipped away in the end. The next two games weren’t as close, but it was still a very spirited performance and one to be proud of despite the 0-3 score.
In the men’s section, Danny Lynch and Conal Jackson were very unfortunate to draw players seeded very high. Danny played Ollie Dunbar, the Kiwi who had produced some spectacular results on the pro tour this season, beating players ranked in the top 60. He is expected to go deep here too.
Danny produced some very mature squash, testing Dunbar throughout the contest. Some very good pressure was applied, with great shot selection in an all-round top performance. It was a 3-0 loss, but one where he can be proud of the performance.
Conal played Maddox Moxham, a class act. He was the runner-up in the European Junior Championships this year and plays at a very high level, another seeded player.
Not too dissimilar to Danny’s match, Conal took it to his opponent and created a real tough duel. There was some excellent squash from the Suttonian, who showcased his ability to compete with the best in this 0-3 loss. There was plenty of learning, but plenty of belief gained too.
Aaron Knox faced the unseeded Bernado Dias, and a thundering start exposed the somewhat weak technique of the Brazilian. Aaron didn’t relent, taking a two-game lead. He lost the third but rallied strongly to clinch it in four. He now faces a seeded player from India, Arihant KS, on Tuesday in the round of 64.
Christian Dromgoole took on Saudi Arabian player Salem Almwled. It was plain sailing for the most part and although slightly troubled in the second game, Christian’s quality was much higher. Great confidence was gained in the 3-0 win, and he now plays Yusha Nafees of India on Tuesday.
Nathan Hann had a tough Hong Kong player, Tsun Hei Mak, to deal with. Showing great speed and skill, Nathan struggled to contain his opponent and found the rallies tough going.
There were moments of great squash from Nathan, for sure; building consistency into rallies was when he played best. But it wasn’t to be in a 3-0 loss. Frank O’Flynn also lost out on the same score, going down to Shiven Agarwal of India.
Borja Golan, the former men’s World No.5, definitely brought the Spanish mucho calor with him last week to Galway. He wasn’t in town, though, as a tourist for a leisurely stroll along the resplendent Salthill Prom or a refreshing jump off the Blackrock diving board into the sea with the warm summer sun glistening in the blue sky.
Instead, there was squash business to attend to up the Threadneedle Road. David Noone, the Squash Ireland performance coach, had invited the 42-year-old out West to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club to help prime the national U19 squad for the upcoming World Squash Junior Championships.
Ireland will have a 10-strong team in Cairo for the event from June 21 through to August 1, and with seven of these players in attendance in Galway, along with other promising up-and-coming talents, Golan was delighted to share his wisdom.
“It’s really nice,” he said about his Galway visit. “It’s not the first time in Ireland, but the first time in Galway and I’m really happy. I have known Irish people for a long time, I was playing with many players from Ireland, and I always liked being in Dublin and Belfast, playing at Fitzwilliam a few times and enjoying the tournaments.
“So I have really liked coming back and spending time with these kids who love their squash, it’s really been a fantastic few days.
“I hope they are enjoying it, and I am bringing them some more motivation to help them in some parts of the game to improve. I am thrilled. Thanks to David for inviting me here, and we are doing our best for them. It’s been a good few days.”
Golan has seen enough in recent times – not only in Galway but on his coaching travels around the globe – to enthuse that squash in Ireland has a promising future. “They are doing great things in Squash Ireland; the structure is very professional,” he said.
“You can see the juniors are at a good level and they have many juniors. Also, the seniors are improving. I saw seniors like Hannah Craig and Sam Buckley; they are playing great, and they are in the top 50 now. These are good times for squash in Ireland. They are working well, and I am sure there will be a few more players in a few years.”
Ireland isn’t the only place where Golan believes that squash is flourishing, highlighting the sport’s admission to the next Olympics in 2028 as concrete evidence of a global growth in quality and depth of play that is also reflected in the calibre of talent heading to the Junior Championships in Cairo.
“Squash has grown up so much in the last three, four years,” he reckoned. “We can see also now with it being in the Olympics, it’s another step that we are taking to grow out the sport.
“The junior level is fantastic. It’s a really big draw in Cairo, 100 women, 134 boys. The top one in the draws is number five in the world (Amina Orfi), and Mohamad Zakaria is like 14th in the world.
“This is one of the World Championships that is at a better level for sure. It’s fantastic and being in Cairo, which is the centre of squash, is going to be a very good experience for the players and I wish the best of luck to all of them.”
Following a 20-plus-year career as a professional player, Golan has switched to coaching and is loving his new involvement in squash. “Playing squash was the best thing I could do. It was my life, it was my passion, so the second thing I like most is what I am doing now.
“I’m trying to help other players to find their dreams, to help them, to tell them the right things, don’t do the wrong things like I did. Try to help them in general to follow a dream, to be the best version they can be.
“I am doing different things for squash, not only coaching. “I’m also doing different things in our country (Spain) and also going to different places like here in Ireland to try and change the knowledge, which is good for me and good for them, I think, so I am happy to be involved with squash.”
The loyalty of squash players in Ireland has been praised by Ed Dunne, the racquets sports manager of the West Wood chain of six fitness clubs across Dublin.
Interviewed by Squash Player about the fitness club’s plan to open a seven-court squash centre in Leopardstown with an all-glass court equipped to host major tournaments, Dunne highlighted the importance of squash to the West Wood – even though the sport equates to just 2.5 per cent of overall membership.
West Wood’s Leopardstown facility already has three squash courts regularly used by around 300 members at the fitness club, where membership since the pandemic has grown from 7,000 to 12,000.
Management now want to repurpose the existing squash courts. Why? Squash apparently plays a disproportionately significant role in the vibrancy and financial viability of the club.
Dunne said: “When staff are showing potential new members around the club, they start with the squash courts. There are generally people on court having fun and getting sweaty, people in the corridor chatting; it’s a happy, thriving section of the club.
“While squash is buzzing and there is a great atmosphere, you go up to the gym and everyone is on their phones. It’s silent. They do their classes, they leave.
“Squash is a complete contrast, and that is why they love showing it off to potential new members. West Wood (management) look at it and think, ‘It’s a no-brainer!’”
Squash doesn’t feature at the West Wood’s other five locations in Dublin, but the loyalty of its Leopardstown membership is another reason why the club is keeping faith with squash by investing in a new seven-court centre.
According to the Squash Player article, gym members only stay at West Wood for an average of 13 months, so every month West Wood lose 60-80 members and has to employ a sales team to keep new ones coming in. By contrast, most squash members at Leopardstown have been there for years.
“Squash players don’t leave – it’s as simple as that,” enthused Dunne. “It took a bit of time for the club to recognise that, but they see it now. That’s why they are investing so heavily in the new courts. The community, the atmosphere and camaraderie that squash can create is the best advert for the club brand.”
Subject to planning permission, the construction of the €1.5million squash centre at the West Wood Club in Leopardstown will be part of a Racquets Centre of excellence which also includes two new domes for tennis, padel and pickleball.
The new squash centre will feature three glassback courts opposite each other with a communal social area in between and an all-glass court at the end with retractable seating behind the back wall.
Squash Ireland has officially become a full member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland following a vote on Wednesday evening in Dublin.
With squash confirmed as one of six new sports added to the programme for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Squash Ireland was granted associate membership of the OFI last year.
This affiliation has now led to the approval of full membership at the OFI annual general meeting (AGM), which took place at the Alex Hotel in Dublin.
Scott Graham, the CEO of Squash Ireland, attended the AGM along with president Rosie Barry. He stated: “It is an honour for Squash Ireland to join the family of Olympic sports in Ireland.
“We have been developing our high-performance structures with the recent appointment of a head coach and two junior performance coaches. Additionally, we are increasing support for players at all stages of their development.
“Three of our top professional players have reached career-high world rankings and continue to improve. We look forward to being active members of the Olympic Federation of Ireland and striving for excellence on the world stage.”
Item nine on the OFI AGM agenda detailed the conversion of associate members to full members. It read: “The executive committee is recommending the following six associate members be converted to full members of the Olympic Federation of Ireland:
• Lacrosse Ireland (representing lacrosse)
• American Football Ireland (representing flag football)
• Squash Ireland (representing squash)
• Cricket Ireland (representing cricket)
• Softball Ireland (representing softball)
• Baseball Ireland (representing baseball)
“All six of the above sports have been confirmed as being on the 2028 Los Angeles Games programme and as such the organisations above are eligible for full membership of the OFI.
“Their application submissions have been assessed, and all necessary paperwork has been received. Members will be asked to approve the conversion of these memberships by voting on an ordinary resolution. This requires a simple majority to pass.”
Sport Ireland have approved the newest part of Squash Ireland’s coaching pathway, an L0 Introductory Coach award that will sit beneath the current L1 and L2 qualifications.
In its programme approval report, the Sport Ireland education and training council said: “The council commends Squash Ireland on the high standard of the programme documentation.
“The council have approved the programme as presented for inclusion on the Coaching Development Programme for Ireland (CDPI) at introduction level.”
Delighted with the approval, Eddie Murphy, the Cork-based Squash Ireland education officer, explained: “Up to now, a Leaders course would have been somebody who wouldn’t become a coach but who could help a coach – but they wouldn’t get a qualification when they finished it.
“What we have done now is changed that Leaders course into a foundation level coaching course, the Introductory Coach award.
“As an introductory squash coach, the qualification would let them bring beginners into squash and it would stop where we introduce the squash racket into the curriculum.
“We are trying to get people interested in a bit of coaching, the basics like hopping, skipping, jumping, hand/eye coordination – we need to develop that bit, put in the foundation before they get the racket.
“We need to do one pilot course first before we start advertising. We will be encouraging people who would like to get involved in coaching to do this one-day course and get a bit of experience from the tutors, showing them that this introductory course badge is the way to start.
“If we can do that, then going forward we are putting in a good foundation from a coaching perspective for our certification.”
Scott Graham has lauded the “big strides” Squash Ireland have taken in the last 12 to 18 months. Nearing the second anniversary of his appointment as CEO in 2023, the administrator is preparing for next Sunday’s latest AGM at the Sport Ireland campus in Blanchardstown.
Ahead of his presentation at that meeting, Graham reflected on the progress made by Squash Ireland in recent times. “Look, it has been fantastic,” he said about the development that has happened.
“One reason I took the role in Squash Ireland – or Irish Squash as it was at the time – was because I saw the potential within the sport.
“We always want to do more. We see that we are certainly not perfect, but we have made big strides in the last two years and there is definitely more to come – we are only getting started on this stuff.
“It is really satisfying. Within the Irish sports system, we are recognised now as one of the leading smaller national governing bodies. We were shortlisted for the NGB of the year award for two years running.
“We also gave a presentation at the European Squash AGM earlier this year and from a European perspective we are probably recognised as the fastest developing federation in Europe.
“We are making good strides, but we recognise there is obviously a lot more to do. We have a very ambitious board, a very ambitious staff and some great volunteers who support the mission and who love the sport. We are in a great place.”
Drilling into some of the specifics, Graham added: “What we have done over the last 12 to 18 months is tried to put the foundations in place so the sport can grow in years to come.
“From a governance perspective, there was a change to the constitution, a change to the board whereby it’s a more strategically focused board and they don’t have those operational roles that they would have had in the past.
“We have independent directors on the board now which has added a lot to the organisation in terms of expertise, oversight, governance and real rigour around how we do things, what we do and our strategy and planning for the future.”
Referencing other Squash Ireland foundations that are now in place, Graham continued: “We have a finance manager in now who started one day a week and due to the level of grant activity and the complexity of the different grants that we are managing, he is up to three days a week now.
“We hired a number of different development officers… and that is just a taster of some of the foundations we have put in place. We are looking to build and grow, to really move the metrics that matter with participation numbers, tournament entries, the number of qualified coaches and so on.
“We are working more closely with the Sport Ireland high-performance unit now about our programme and how we can develop and professionalise it.
“We moved from a day rate system with various national coaches across all the age groups and now have Arthur Gaskin as our national coach, David Noone in junior performance (U17/U19), and Michael Conroy who looks after the younger ages. They are all part-time with us now and we hope to increase that capacity over time.
“We have also just recently launched our Junior Performance Academy, so that will look to provide more structure and professionalised support to the young players.
“There will be a whole suite of squad sessions but educational stuff as well around nutrition, strength and conditioning, anti-doping, mindset, all of those different tools that people need in their tool kit to be the best that they can be.
“On the high-performance front, squash will be an Olympic sport and will be in LA in 2028. We have long felt there is good potential in Ireland within this high-performance element of the sport.
“We have a long history in terms of former world number threes, number sevens, a lot of top 20 players, huge success on the international stage.
“It’s just about bringing our current crop of players through and giving them everything they need to be the best that they can be.”
Squash Ireland have outlined why its sport “remains one of the most exciting and inclusive” in the country following a past year described as “a time of change” in how it delivers core activities for its membership.
Next Sunday will see the 20th annual general meeting of the governing body take place at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin’s Blanchardstown. Ahead of that gathering, a comprehensive 96-page annual report – including financial statements – has been published.
While income for 2024 was €903,560, marginally down from the 2023 figure of €916,069, a surplus of €2,408 was generated compared to a deficit of €14,930 the previous year.
In her two-page reflection, Squash Ireland president Rosie Barry highlighted the August 2024 mid-term review of the Connecting the Dots 2022-2027 strategic plan.
She also praised the professionalising of the organisation under the baton of CEO Scott Graham while also referencing the “essential support” that continued to be provided by “countless volunteers” throughout Ireland.
“Our strategic plan, Connecting the Dots 2022-2027, remains central to the core activities of our organisation. From a governance perspective since our last AGM, the board’s function is now strategic rather than operational and our skills base is strengthened by the addition of two independent directors.
“This is an exciting and very important new development for Squash Ireland and I would like to welcome Susan Kelly and Kevin Ahern to our board. Rose Hynes, a member of the squash community, is also a very welcome addition to the board and further enhances our essential skillset.
“The Strategic Delivery Group (SDG) completed a mid-term review of our strategic plan in August 2024 which confirms that we are on target for many of the objectives under each of the six pillars.
“We remain committed to developing a national centre despite not being successful in our application for the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund, noting that there was an unprecedented demand for such funding in 2024.
“Our office staff, under the leadership of CEO Scott Graham, has expanded significantly to deliver on the operational needs of Squash Ireland. This marks our commitment to further professionalising our organisation.
“The past year was a time of change for us in how we deliver on core activities for our membership. I thank all our volunteers for their understanding and patience as we all adjust to these changes and also for their feedback which helps to inform our decision-making.
“Although staffing levels have increased, we will always remain reliant on the countless volunteers who provide essential support at club, provincial and national level. We continue to work on how best to support and enhance our volunteer network and the Interprovincial Forum is vital in this regard.”
After sifting through an extensive list of on-court achievements across the various playing categories, including the “impressive results” achieved on the international stage, Barry concluded her 2024 reflection by adding: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of Squash Ireland in the past year.
“Your hard work, passion, and commitment to the sport are truly appreciated. I would like to extend my gratitude to the board, our CEO and staff, coaches, referees, volunteers, and, of course, our players for your dedication and effort.
“I am confident that with your continued support, Squash Ireland will continue to thrive and grow, ensuring that squash remains one of the most exciting and inclusive sports in the country.”
Entries are now being taken for next month’s Waterford Masters Open. The 2025 tournament will be held at Celtic and De Le Salle College squash clubs.
The two-day event, which begins on Friday, July 25, will cater for 18 categories – nine men’s and nine women’s – ranging from Over 35 to Over 75.
The draw for this rankings event will be published on Tuesday, July 22.
Irish players enjoyed a bumper weekend of men’s masters squash podium finishes – including four first places – in England and Croatia.
There were four podium placings at the five-day British Open Masters in Birmingham, including three first places. Meanwhile, in Zagreb, there were three more successes, including another first-place finish.
Topping the podium in England were David Ayerst in the Over 50 final, Willie Hosey in the Over 60 final and Kyran Hurley, who defeated fellow Irishman Peter Stephens in the Over 70 decider.
Over in Croatia, there was delight for Brian Lalor in the Over 55 final. Elsewhere, Michael Conlon won four of his five matches at the three-day event to finish second in the Over 65, and there was also delight for Mark Gilliland as he clinched third place in the Over 35.
2025 BRITISH OPEN MASTERS
Men’s Over 50 final: David Ayerst beat England’s Paul Boyle 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 14-12)
Men’s Over 60 final: Willie Hosey beat England’s Jon Foster 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-6)
Men’s Over 70 final: Kyran Hurley beat fellow Irishman Peter Stephens 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 14-12)
2025 CROATIAN MASTERS
Men’s Over 55 final: Brian Lalor beat Hungary’s Peter Nagy 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-5)
Men’s Over 65: Michael Conlon beat the Czech Republic’s Pavel Mach 3-1 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6) in his final outing to finish second with four wins in five matches
Men’s Over 35 3/4th place play-off: Mark Gilliland beat Croatia’s Petar Galekovic 3-1 (11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8)
Squash Ireland CEO Scott Graham has described Tuesday’s meeting with Charlie McConalogue, the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, as very productive.
The visit by Graham and Rosie Barry, the Squash Ireland president, provided the opportunity for the sports federation to provide an overview of its progressive work to date and its ambitions for the future.
Donegal TD McConalogue has been in his role at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport since January 2025.
“I’d like to thank the Minister for meeting with us for almost an hour at the Department of Sport,” said Graham. “It was great for him and his officials to give us their time given their busy schedule.
“A big part of our meeting was updating the Minister about the rapid progress and development within Squash Ireland over the last two years.
“We had a wide-ranging discussion about everything from grassroots participation to high performance and a discussion on the support we are looking for with our national centre plans.
“The varied discussion also included participation initiatives, club activities, our junior performance academy and the high-performance programme.”
Squash Ireland’s meeting with the Minister and his team of officials took place on Tuesday, 12 days before the 2025 AGM which will be held on June 22 at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown.
