US Squash to Launch Youth Squash Program with City of Los Angeles

12-week program for 8–11 year-olds will kick off Saturday with instructor training program

Los Angeles (September 16) – US Squash, the national governing body of the sport, announced today the launch of an outdoor pilot program for Los Angeles youth ages 8-11 years old. The program, being run in collaboration with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and SoCal Squash, the regional district affiliate of US Squash, will be held at two locations this fall as part of the PlayLA program. Eventually, the program will expand to introduce squash to local middle and high schools in the immediate area.

The 12-week program will run from October through December, and kickoff with a training session this Saturday to train 15 instructors from the LA Department of Recreation and Parks and volunteers from the local squash community.

Weekly clinics will target local Angeleno youth at two locations—the Pecan Recreation Center and Chevy Chase Park. The sessions will leverage existing outdoor handball courts, modeling future programming that can be easily scaled to introduce large numbers of new players to the sport in Southern California.

The PlayLA program provides youth of all abilities access to quality sports available from their local neighborhood recreation center, to inspire and engage the community in the lead up to the LA 2028 Olympic Games. With clinics offered in over 30 sports, PlayLA welcomes all youth to eliminate economic barriers and promote recreation that is inclusive of all communities in Los Angeles.

“There is tremendous growth potential for squash in Southern California, and we are excited to begin the process of engagement with PlayLA though the training sessions that will occur this weekend,” said Sakora Miller, US Squash Senior Manager of Community Programs. “Piloting outdoor clinics will allow the next generation of players to learn the sport directly within their communities, and will lay the foundation for future creation of school teams and expansion of community squash centers in the region.”

The programming in Los Angeles builds on the momentum of squash in southern California, where Access Youth Academy, a member of the US Squash Community Affiliate Network, recently opened a major new community squash center in San Diego that will offer the sport to thousands of new players annually.

For more information, contact community@ussquash.org. For on site information contact Kim Clearkin, 408-679-5019.