Every season US Squash requires officials to attend US National Championships, US based PSA Events, and CSA team matches. Officials may also be invited to attend non-US based PSA events. Each event will require a combination of officials, from Tiers 2 to 5. The combination of level and number of officials required may also change during the course of the event.
The US Squash Director of Officials oversees the assignment process. In making decisions he/she will consider both the requirement of the event itself and the development needs of the officials within the US program. This is to ensure that each official is given the appropriate opportunity to maintain their level and to improve.
At the beginning of the season the US Squash Director of Officials will send out a form to interested officials asking for availability. This information will be used to assign officials to events.
Events Requiring Certified Officials
U.S. Squash National Championships
Every season US Squash hosts 5 Junior Championship Tour events, the U.S. Junior Open, U.S. High School Team Squash Championships, U.S. Middle School Team Championships, 3 College Squash Association Championships and the U.S. Squash Junior Championships. Each of these require the presence of certified officials.
Each event will have an assigned Senior Official who will act as the Tournament Referee (TR). A further number of referees will be allocated based on a ratio of approximately 1 referee per 4 courts. Where there are multiple venues some referees will be assigned as Site TR and will perform the duties of the TR at the venue. The responsibilities of a TR are explained in the Tournament Referee section.
College Squash Association Team Matches
Some colleges require independent officials for their in-season college matches. Where this is the case they generally will require local officials. If a 5-court system is used 5 officials will be needed per match. Currently there is limited opportunity for assessments at these matches unless they are livestreamed.
Professional Squash Association (PSA) Events
Promoters of PSA events must communicate directly with US Squash regarding officials for their events. US Squash will then liaise with the PSA regarding final assignments. In making these decisions, the experience of officials will be considered to ensure the appropriate level of referee attends each event.
Smaller PSA events usually require 1-2 officials for the duration of the event.
For larger events the number of required officials decreases as the event progresses but often will require 8-10 for the early rounds, decreasing to 3 or 4 for the latter.
