US Squash Fiscal Year Ends June 30; Your Support is Needed Now

US Squash relies on contributions to strengthen the organization and allow us to deliver against our mission. US Squash works to drive every facet of squash forward at all levels: from junior development to adult squash; urban, community and team programs; amateur to professional singles and doubles; and programs that support and train professionals, coaches, officials and administrators.

The impact of the pandemic on US Squash is severe. Half of the organization’s revenue sources are tied to events. Our fiscal year ends this month, and we are urgently working to prepare for a difficult and uncertain fiscal year 2021, having already implemented rolling staff furloughs and other expense reductions.

US Squash must be ready to support the sport’s return to play, and we need your help to do so. Please consider making a 100% tax-deductible gift online today, before the end of our fiscal year on June 30.

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US Squash envisions people of all ages, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds in communities countrywide enjoying squash, playing the sport with a positive spirit, and participating in programs that foster camaraderie, facilitate competition and encourage healthy lifestyles.

Contributing to US Squash ensures the organization has the sustained resources it needs to model and expand the programs that develop squash from coast-to-coast, increase access to the sport block-by-block, promote excellence and sportsmanship and provide all players the opportunity for lifelong positive engagement in the sport.  Together with a growing and diverse range of partners aligned around this vision, US Squash will continue to lead an innovative and integrated approach to developing the sport.

LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGE

US Squash is helping the squash community navigate the challenges posted by the pandemic. Just as the organization has been deeply impacted, so have hundreds of clubs, programs, and individuals who work in the sport – not to mention the entire community of squash players for whom participation in the sport holds an important place in their lives.

US Squash is actively coordinating with the community to plan for a return to play. This takes many forms: regular meetings with facilities and teaching professionals to build best practices, online resources to keep players engaged, tracking of state-by-state reopening status, issuance of guidelines to help facilitate a safe return to play, community town halls, close coordination with committees including the newly-formed Medical Advisory Committee, and contingency planning to prepare options for the eventual return to accredited competition for junior and adults.

Resources and regular updates are available at: https://www.ussquash.com/covid-19/

COAST-TO-COAST AND BLOCK-BY-BLOCK

The Arlen Specter US Squash Center (Specter Center) will bring players of all levels and abilities together to learn from one another.  Players from the entry level to JCTs, urban squash participants and high school teams to adult leagues, local community members and college club teams will all come together under one roof.  The Specter Center programming will serve as a model for community programs from coast-to-coast.

Serving as Philadelphia’s arm of the US Squash Community Affiliate program, the Specter Center will deliver innovative programming that broadly expands access to the sport to people from all ages and backgrounds. Affiliates conduct integrated programs and activities to build the sport, inclusive of junior middle and high school team programs, junior squash grassroots development and high-performance programs, squash and education programs, adult squash development, and accredited leagues, ladders, and tournaments. Continuing to make the sport convenient, and economically accessible for people of all backgrounds in every neighborhood is essential to sustaining squash as a lifelong sport.

The Specter Center’s will work closely with our core community partners, Drexel University and SquashSmarts, to bring together the broadest possible group of players and to engage directly with the surrounding communities. The Specter Center’s ability to bring the country’s top athletes side-by-side with those just entering the sport will be part of ensuring a pathway to excellence for players from all backgrounds in partnership with the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA).

The Specter Center will play an important role in training and supporting the coaches across the country, with National and Regional coaches working collaboratively to support one another in their focus on excellence and sportsmanship, creating a direct connection to every region and every player.

LIFELONG ENGAGEMENT

Engaging juniors in squash is essential to growing the sport, as is ensuring there is a place to compete once juniors move on to become college-age players.  Retaining and advancing college squash opportunities for all players in partnership with the College Squash Association (CSA) remains a priority, as well as expanding club and intramural engagement on campuses nationwide.

US Squash also provides the technology and infrastructure to support nationwide adult play, from reservation software and in-facility ladders and leagues, to regional leagues and tournaments, to national competitions and professional play.

Adequate resources and financial reserves are essential for US Squash endure cyclical economies over time and maintain steady investments in growth initiatives and innovation. A strong base is important for the organization’s ability to deliver best-in-class services, programs, training and technology.

Please consider a gift to US Squash today.

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