The Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA, located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, has joined the US Squash Community Affiliate Network.
Constructed in 2008, the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA is part of the YMCA of the North Shore association that includes five facilities north of Boston and serves nearly 55,000 collective members. With three singles courts and one doubles court, the Lynch/van Otterloo facility primarily serves 7,000 members from the communities of Marblehead, Swampscott and south Salem.
“Squash has been up and down over last few years during the pandemic, and we’ve been really just doing things on our own and trying to maintain the community that we have,” said Brian Flynn, Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Executive Director. “So when we came across the US Squash Community Affiliate Network, we felt like it could be our way of rejuvenating our squash community.”
The facility is currently in search of a squash coordinator, who will help employ new community programs going into the new season.
“The values of the Community Affiliate Network and Y line up very nicely–the Y is all about serving the community and making sure that it has a space to play,” Flynn said. “I think those two pieces were the most important fibers in this network for us. Knowing that where we’re trying to grow squash at the Y, while also providing assistance to people who can’t afford memberships and exposing kids to the sport of squash–those were really the driving factors for why we joined the network.”
The Y hopes to incorporate new community squash programming with their expanding child care and early education programs.
“For me this next phase is about the kids and growing the next generation of squash players here,” Flynn said. “Squash at our facility is an older demographic, so helping get the next wave of potential players and kids into our building to play squash will be a great thing. The unique opportunity for us is that our Y is trying to expand our child care and early education programs, and tying in CAN models into those programs could make us a unique example in the network that could help other facilities in the future.”
The Lynch/van Otterloo becomes the second YMCA location to join the Community Affiliate Network, joining the Newport County YMCA. The Lynch/van Otterloo also joins Mission Squash in Houston, the T Squash Academy in Cincinnati, the SL Green StreetSquash Center in Harlem, MetroSquash in Chicago, Portland Community Squash in Maine, Atlanta Community Squash, Access Youth Academy in San Diego, Urban Squash Cleveland, Virginia Squash and the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
No matter where you play squash–outdoor courts, universities, independent schools, SEA facilities, community centers, or commercial courts–if you are committed to building an inclusive community, learn more about joining the Community Affiliate Network.
