Squash Ireland has recruited three squash activation officers – Josh McVeigh, Fiona Fleming and Abhishek Thapar – who will focus on local programme delivery, introducing more people to squash.
The appointment of the squash activation officers reflects Squash Ireland’s commitment to developing the sport across the island of Ireland and increases the national governing body’s capacity to deliver programmes in a range of settings, including clubs, schools, third-level institutions and community groups.
McVeigh, Fleming and Thapar will start their roles at the end of June, initially working one day per week. This provides regional coverage and allows for local engagement and programme delivery.
Squash Ireland CEO Scott Graham said: “I am delighted to welcome Josh, Fiona and Abhishek to the staff team. Their love for the sport shone through during a very competitive interview process, and I have no doubt they will be fantastic ambassadors for squash.
“I know they are all eager to get started and spread their enthusiasm for squash, encouraging more people, particularly young people, to get involved in the sport.
“As a national governing body, Squash Ireland has grown rapidly in recent years and remain focused on delivering our strategic plan, Connecting the Dots. One key element was the recruitment of development officers, which we achieved early in the strategy.
“What we found, however, was that even with development officers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in place, we needed additional capacity to deliver programmes at a local level, particularly during the standard working day.
“Our newly recruited activation officers provide us with the capacity to deliver programmes at a local level, whether that is coaching schoolchildren, delivering introductory programmes for women and teenage girls or lending a helping hand to a club looking to kick-start a junior programme.
“We are aiming to increase their hours over the coming period, provided we can secure additional financial support. We may also look at recruiting one additional activation officer to provide a balanced regional spread. We will take it one step at a time to ensure that what we are doing is financially viable over the long term.”
McVeigh has more than a decade of squash coaching, Fleming founded and developed Purefit and Thapar has over 20 years of experience in human resources and organisational development. Thapar will also take on coach education officer duties, focusing on ensuring coaching courses run smoothly and helping Squash Ireland continue to develop a coach education programme that matches the standards of leading national governing bodies.
A positive development in this regard is the creation of a coach candidate management system that will integrate seamlessly with the new My Squash Ireland membership system and allow qualified coaches to manage their qualifications, vetting and safeguarding credentials.
Dave Broderick, the Squash Ireland development manager, added: “These appointments represent an important investment in the future growth of squash. Josh, Fiona and Abhishek each bring unique skills and experiences that will strengthen our ability to support clubs, engage new participants and develop sustainable pathways into the sport.
“We are delighted to welcome them to the team and look forward to the positive impact they will have in communities across Ireland.”
