The Anatomy of a Squash Player: - Squash BC

Different ways people will come to your cluband why they stay:The way most squash players go through their squash career is fairly consistent andstraight forward. We will use Billy Backhand and Frankie Forehand as examples.Bill and Frank decide that after sitting behind a desk for 5 years, they need to get someexercise. They both hit the squash ball around a little in university and there’s a squashcourt down at the local club so, let’s go play there. They go and join the club because theywant to make a commitment to this. They play twice a week at lunch time, they have agreat time, and hey, they’ve lost some weight as well. (Remember, squash burns 800calories per hour played.) After about a year Bill and Frank start to get bored with eachother. This is the critical time for the club to keep these two. Bill and Frank need to spreadtheir racquets and play other people. Variety is the spice of life and somebody needs toencourage them to join a box league, club night, inter club league or club tournament sothey can meet and play new people. If these programs aren’t available, then Bill and Frankwill probably walk out the door, along with their membership dollars. They will either quitsquash or go to another club, most will quit.When the programs are available to Bill and Frank, they will become long term members.Squash is a very “Addicting Game.” Once you keep Bill and Frank for more then a year,they will be “Hooked on Squash.” Most people keep playing squash till they are no longerphysically able. It is not uncommon to have players who have played for 30 plus years.Having acustomer forthirty years is apretty steadycash flow.

Letting the Local Community know about Your Club:Squash BC’s job is to promote and organize squash on a provincial basis. Your job will be topromote squash, which is part of your business, to the local community around your club.When all clubs in BC take an active role in promoting their businesses, squash will growand flourish like never before. Squash BC has some marketing tools and as a member ofSquash BC you will be able to access these tools in order to promote your club to thecommunity.Squash BC’s Booth:Squash BC has purchased a trade show style booth. The booth is available to all fullmember clubs in BC. Clubs will have to cover the costs of moving the booth to and fromtheir facility. This booth would be excellent to take to a mall, set up a display and marketyour club. We have a TV/VCR with a short tape about the advantages of playing squash.There are posters that go along with it and you would be able to add your marketingmaterial to make it a very distinctive display.Micro Court:The Micro Court was first used in BC in 1991. It is a portable court that is taken around tolocal malls and schools to give adults and kids their first introduction to squash. The courtis made up of plastic covered Styrofoam panels and when put together it is 12 feet wide by16 feet long. Use this in conjunction with the booth in a mall and you’ll be able to givepeople their first taste of what fun they could have in your club.The Micro Court is a very inexpensive way for your squash pro to market your juniorprogram by going around tolocal schools. He/She wouldtake it to the school Mondaymorning and spend the day withclasses giving them their initiallessons. He/She would spendsome time with the teachersgiving them a program to followfor the rest of the week. At theend of the week, kids are invitedto your club, along with theirparents, to the junior program.Once you get them in the door,the rest is easy.Glass Court:In the picture above you see a glass court. The glass court can be transported to clubs whowish to hold large tournaments or exhibitions where maximum viewing is desired. This isthe court that is used in Grand Central Station, next to the Pyramids or any other locationlike malls or airports. The court is privately owned and is based in Kamloops. It can berented on a per event basis. Squash BC can assist you with contact information.

What Steps Does a Club Have to Do to Keep Members?As you can see from the survey at the back of this book, squash is played mainly by men,around 40 years of age, and probably a professional. This is sort of the “good news/badnews” thing. The good news is that most squash players are very good, loyal customers ifthey get what they want out of the club at a fair price. Of course they can make your lifevery uncomfortable if they feel they are not getting value for their money.Squash is an individual sport. Individual sports are different in that the individual has tousually organize their own matches. The only time their matches are organized for them iswhen they play in a league or a tournament. Keeping this in mind, how do your membersmeet new people to play? How do they get comfortable enough with these people to phonethem up for a game?Squash BC and Quick Draws:Squash BC has worked in conjunction with Quick Draws to develop an online softwareprogram that will take a lot of man hours out of running programs in your club. QuickDraws has the ability to be your booking system for all aspects of your club. Members canbook online or by telephone, a function that is unique to Quick Draws. The program willalso help organize box leagues and ladders. Members playing in these will have theirmatches added to the club ranking list as well as Squash BC’s provincial rankings if theyare Squash BC members. As Squash BC members they will also be covered under our oncourt accident policy while playing a box or ladder match. Quick Draws also has a very easyto use tournament software program. Contact Owen Smith at owen@quick-draws.com forprices.Squash Promoter/Professional:All successful clubs have someone promoting, teaching, organizing and selling squash tothe members. This person we will call your “Pro.” The Pro may be a volunteer or paid staff.Most paid Pro’s should be, at a minimum certified Level 2 coach and working on theirLevel 3. A Pro will give lessons, organize box and inter-city leagues, run tournaments andmost important, keep your players active. Volunteer Pro’s will do these same things, butwill do them on their own time frame and own agenda. Ask yourself, if you had a furniturestore, would you have volunteer salesmen selling your products?Your average member may spend 80% of their time in your club without the need of a pro.The other 20% of the time is what will keep your club interesting, dynamic, and a goodplace to be for your members.Club Night/ Challenge Court:These two things are very important for any club. They give new members a chance to meetother members in your club. Club nights are usually one night a week events that isfrequently an all comers type night. The club will book off a number of courts and peoplewill show up and play each other 0ne game or maybe best two out of three, then they mayplay somebody else. After their matches, they will probably have a few healthy beverages inyour members lounge.A Challenge court is a little different in that 0ne court is usually not able to be booked bymembers so people can just arrive and get a challenge match with whoever is around.

Box League:Box leagues are for members who sign up for a little more competition. These are usually around robin format of 5 players. They will have a month in which to play their matches.They will phone up their opponents and set up their own time to play these matches. Ifthey win their box they will go up a box and if they lose, they will go down. This is a verygood way for members to meet other members of their own caliber.Inter-Club League Teams:Many areas in the province have inter-club league. This is an excellent way to get acompetitive match in once a week for your busy members. After teams play their matches,they will head to the members lounge for food and beverages and to discuss the state ofaffairs in squash and the world. Many of these players previously played tournaments butnow can’t afford the time to spend all weekend at an event. League gives them acompetitive match and a time to socialize with other squash players.Club Tournament:Once a year most clubs will have a club tournament. This determines the club champion.These events will culminate in a social function that will bring your members of all caliberstogether.Provincial Tournament:These events will be a larger undertaking for a club to host. Squash players from aroundthe province are invited to play in a tournament in your club. The squash pro, or a veryexperienced volunteer will usually form a tournament committee to run this event.Squash players need to have the opportunities to achieve their maximum level of success.Most squash players will improve to and play at a level where they are most comfortable,and find success at. The Squash BC sport model allows players these opportunities fromthe beginning player to a professional playing internationally. All the clubs in the province,Squash BC, and Squash Canada play a vital role in ensuring that squash players have theability to achieve their maximum potential.Some squash clubs may say, “I don’t care if my members become professional.” We all haveto ask ourselves where a sport would be in this day and age if we didn’t have professionalsin it. Where would it be if players didn’thave something to achieve. If we don’thave these types of players, then squashwill die a slow death. It is everybody’sresponsibility to ensure squash playersare given the maximum opportunity tobecome the best they can.Further on in this book is an article byHowie Snyder. Howie was the managerof the Bonsor Recreation complex inBurnaby for many years. He ran one ofthe most successful squash programs in arecreation center in the province. Manyof his ideas will work at any squash club.

Junior Program:Junior programs play a vital role in producing future squash players and elite players ofour sport. Many clubs run junior programs and gain family memberships. Squash is a greatsport for parents to play with their kids. Allsuccessful sports have successful juniorprograms which teach the game to kids whenthey are most able to learn. These kids maydrop out of squash for a period of time butthey will usually come back to the sport laterin life and usually to the club where theylearned to play the game since that is “theirclub.”Skill Awards Program:This program uses badges to mark the progress in squash player’s improvement. It isusually used for juniors but adults may find it fun as well.School Program:Many Clubs have schools in their vicinity that may be willing to come to the club andexpose their students to extra sports. Most of these schools are usually High Schools whohave students who can drive to the club. This is an excellent way to introduce young peopleto your club and the game of squash.Post Secondary Program:Like the school program, many clubs have some form of Post Secondary institution nearthe club. Squash Canada has a program where they will pay a level 1 coach $25.00 per hourand a level 2 coach $30.00 per hour for running a program that involves post secondarystudents. Squash BC has subsidized students to attend the Canadian UniversityChampionships. We would ultimately like to see a Post Secondary league for BC and therest of CanadaHistorically squash players have first picked up a racquet when they were attendinguniversity/college. It is with this in mind that we need to introduce these young people tothe game of squash. They will also be the ones who can most afford to belong to your clubafter they graduate and get into the work force.Instant Squash Program:This program is set up to give new players to the game a chance to take some lessons,receive some squash equipment, be able to start playing safely and have some fun. Most ofthe equipment suppliers in BC will provide a package for the equipment depending on yourdesired needs. This program can be designed to fit any clubs needs in promoting the gameof squash to it’s new members.

The following has been put together by Squash Ontario.Squash - the King of Sports‣ Forbes magazine ranks squash No. 1 among the healthiest sports, with "convenience on itsside:"30 minutes on the squash court provides an impressive cardio-respiratory workout".‣ Tennis Industry Magazine, now called Racquet Sports Industry, has reported that squash isthe only racquet sport that is growing in the United States, based on court construction andgear sales. Most U.S. players have a college degree, and by one's estimate more than halfearn $100,000 U.S. annually, says the Chicago Tribune‣ Because of its global reach, squash suits business travelers‣ "It's a very cerebral game - it's akin to chess," says Chicago neurobiologist Dr. SangramSisodia, who learned to play the game as a child in India. As a researcher of Alzheimer’sdisease, adds the Tribune, he firmly believes in increasing blood flow to the brain throughsuch exertion. "Squash has beneficial aspects physically, mentally and emotionally."DemographicsSquash is on the upswing in Canada while enjoying tremendous popularity globally. One of thefastest growing sports in the world, it is played by approximately 15 million people on over 47,000courts.In Canada, squash is played by more than a quarter of a million people over the age of 15. This ismore people than cycling, and more participants than gymnastics, track and field, and figureskating, all combined. Players compete at over 425 clubs (private/public) in Canada with thegreatest concentration in Ontario.World Squash StatisticsThere are 47,000 courts in the world and over142 countries have squash courtsParticipation by CountryEnglandGermanyAustraliaEgyptUnited StatesCanada9,000 courts5,563 courts4,600 courts3,600 courts2,840 courts1,620 courts

SQUASH DEMOGRAPHICS: These demographics are based on a national web survey. Thefigures are preliminary, compiled on the first 4 months of responses. (February 2003)Age30 - 39 29% }20 - 29 28% }40 - 49 22% }1 - 19 16%50 - 59 4%60 - 69 0%70+ 0%Personal Annual Income$0 - $29,999 30%$30,000 - $39,999 14%$50,000 - $59,999 14%$40,000 - $49,999 11%+$100,000 11%$60,000 - $69,999 8%$80,000 - $89,999 7%$70,000 - $79,999 6%Household Annual Income$80,000 - $99,999 18%$60,000 - $79,999 14%more than $160,000 14%$40,000 - $59,999 13%$100,000 - $119,999 12%$120,000 - $139,999 7%$140,000 - $159,999 5%OccupationProfessional 49%Other 29%Owner/Manager 9%Self Employed 8%Clerical 4%EducationUndergraduate Degree 36%Trade School/College 18%Master's Degree 16%Some Post Secondary 12%Squash Player HabitsFrequency of Play3+ times a week 70%Twice a week 20%Once a week 6%Less than once a month 2%1-2 times a month 1%3-5 times a week 1%WhenEvenings 53%After work 26%Lunch time 11%Morning(before work) 7%Weekends 4%Why SquashFitness, (one hour of squash76%equals 814 calories.)Competition 74%Social 62%Other 13%

Squash Player Purchasing HabitsFrequency of PurchaseBallsOnce a month 47%Once every 2 months 24%Once every 6 months 18%Once a year 11%RacquetsOnce a year 56%Once every 2 years 35%Once every 5 years 9%GripsOnce a month 34%Once every 2 months 30%Once every 6 months 16%Once a year 10%Almost never 10%ShoesOnce a year 69%Once every 2 years 23%2+ years 8%Racquet Currently Being UsedBlack Knight 20%Dunlop 18%Head 12%Wilson 12%Prince 11%Karakal 10%Manta 6%Apollo Emrik 4%Other 3%Slazenger 2%Harrow 1%Key Factor for Purchasing a NewRacquet (other than breakage)Just something new 64%Latest on the market 36%In Purchasing a Racquet, Which isMore ImportantTechnology 84%Brand name 16%In Purchasing a Racquet, Which isMore Important to you PersonallyControl 81%Power 19%

SQUASH BC MEMBERSHIPThere are two types of membership that are offered by Squash BC,Club Membership and Individual Membership.Squash BC would like to ask you, “Do you think the game of squash is worth supportingfor ten cents a day?”People ask all the time, “why should I join Squash BC?” The benefits to clubs andindividuals are clearly stated below. The benefit to the sport and the business of squashis not always stated. Memberships prove to all sorts of people that squash is a viable,exciting and growing sport. When Squash BC submits requests for funding to thegovernment or gaming, they want to know how many members we have and they basetheir grants on those numbers. When we have somebody interested in building a facility,they ask how many members we have and base their decision on those numbers.Sponsors and advertisers are the same. The Olympic Committee asks the same questionand will base part of their decision on weather squash is in the Olympics on the numbersin the sport.It has been estimated that there are 20,000 squash players in British Columbia. Wehave 10% of those as members of Squash BC. If we had 50% of those 20,000, we wouldincrease our funding from the government and gaming. Sponsors/advertisers wouldtake a much harder look at squash as a place to put their money. The private sector andmunicipalities would certainly be more inclined to build squash courts. With 10,000members in BC and the same percentage across Canada and the rest of the world,squash would have a much better chance of getting in the Olympics. Right now SquashCanada can account for 8,000 squash players in Canada. The Olympic Committee willspend about 30 seconds deciding squash’s fate.You may ask “what can I do about this?”1. For $0.10 a day individuals can join Squash BC.2. Everybody becomes a Squash Pro. (Promoter.) Squash BC members get oneother person to join Squash BC who wasn’t a member the past year. If everymember does this every year, we’ll have 16,000 members in 3 years.3. Clubs with squash courts can join Squash BC.Clubs and leagues can help promote squash by using the Squash BC bulk member signup. Any club or league with 30 or more members can get a $5.00 discount foradministration costs on each member they sign up. Squash BC requires the names,addresses, postal codes, sex, date of birth and playing ability.People have always asked, “what do I get out of a Squash BC membership?” The tangiblebenefits are listed on the web site, in The Squash Book and further on in this book.Squash BC would like to ask you, “Do you think the game of squash is worth supportingfor ten cents a day?”

BENEFITS OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP‣ On Court Sports Accident Insurance while Playing In or Practicing For SanctionedEvents‣ Eligible to play in Squash BC sanctioned leagues, Victoria, Comox, Vancouver, FraserValley, Okanagan, Prince George to name a few.‣ Online League Management System which shows schedules, results, players andleague rankings.‣ Eligible to play in 50 Squash BC sanctioned tournaments at reduced fees‣ Up to the Minute Provincial Rankings‣ Online Calendar of Events‣ Online Event Registration from the Calendar of Events‣ Eligible to play on National and Provincial Teams and Receive Funding/Subsidies‣ Junior Programs, Grassroots, Developing, High Performance, Canada Winter Games‣ Junior Travel Subsidies for National Tournaments‣ Eligible to Play in Events World Wide by Being a Member of Squash Canada‣ Coaching Programs at Reduced Fees‣ Subsidies for Coaches Travel for Upgrading‣ Officiating Programs‣ Subsidies for Official’s Travel for Upgrading‣ Post Secondary Program Subsidies‣ Website‣ Bi-Weekly E-mail Newsletter‣ Yearly Mail Out of The Squash Book‣ Mail Outs to Clubs and Individuals with Calendar of Events, Event Entry Forms, TheSquash Book, etc.‣ 2020 Fund for the Future of Junior Programs and Coaching‣ Skill Awards Program‣ Instant Squash ProgramCost of Squash BC Individual MembershipIndividual Rate Total Cost Cost per DayAdult, 25 and $41.00 +HST $45.92 $0.12OlderStudent, 17 to 24 $20.00 +HST $22.40 $0.06Junior, Under 17 $15.00 +HST $16.80 $0.05To sign up for Squash BC Membership, go to www.squashbc.com and click on “SquashBC Membership” at the drop down list at the top of the main page, then click “QuickMembership Sign-In” and have your Squash BC number handy.Bulk Membership Rate Total Cost Cost per DayAdult, 25 and $35.71 +HST $40.00 $0.11OlderStudent, 17 to 24 $20.00 +HST $22.40 $0.06Junior, Under 17 $15.00 +HST $16.80 $0.04NOTE: Clubs or Leagues with 30 or more members are eligible for the Squash BC BulkMembership Rate. Check with your club or league to see if they qualify for this benefit.