Women’s Squash Week: how to get involved

This year, Women’s Squash Week was held from Monday 15 September to Sunday 21 September 2025

The annual event is a celebration of female participation in the sport and designed to create opportunities to engage with newer players.

Read on for our guide on the history and aims for the event, how you can get involved in an event near you, or access tools and resources to run your own programme…

Women’s Squash Week is an annual international campaign designed to celebrate and raise the profile of female participation in squash. 

Every September, a range of events encompassing everything from beginner-friendly sessions to pro exhibitions are designed to encourage greater participation in the sport from women. 

The event enjoys a global buy-in, including from the likes of US Squash, Squash Canada, and the Professional Squash Association. Closer to home England Squash also actively promotes the week, offering a toolkit of ideas, graphics, and templates to help clubs host inclusive activities.

The campaign traces its roots back to 2008, when New Yorkers Jessica Green and Emily Stieff launched a women-only squash night as a way to increase female participation in the city. After four years of impressive growth, AJ Copeland reached out from Washington DC hoping to run a similar event in the capital. 

In autumn 2012, women’s squash night became a nationwide event before eventually blossoming into the global movement we know today as Women’s Squash Week, which enjoys participation from clubs and federations far and wide from Zambia to India.

As is the case across many sports, women remain underrepresented in squash. According to a 2023 Sport England Active Lives survey, just 21% of all regular players in England are female. There are several factors to this disparity in participation between men and women, but Jayne Robinson, the England Squash 2024 Coach of the Year who runs women sessions at Pontefract Squash Club, has a few ideas.

“The thing I always say with women’s squash is: have a bit of patience. They might have childcare issues, or their child might be poorly. If something’s going wrong at home it’s often the woman who says, ‘I’m staying at home with the child.’ The men will come (play squash) because the partner’s at home looking after the kids.”

For Jayne, being flexible and accommodating is key to keeping women involved in the sport. “It’s fine if they miss a session. Don’t worry about it. Keeping in contact with people has been a big issue for me. Some coaches might leave it, but I’ll drop them a text or message to say, ‘Hi, hope you’re all right. Hope to see you at the next session.’ You’ve got to keep the momentum going and get them engaged. That can take time initially.”

Many clubs run female-only or beginner-friendly taster sessions that focus less on competition and more on enjoyment, offering everything from squash and racquetball to hybrid formats with an emphasis on breaking the ice in a relaxed, social setting where participants can connect and build confidence. 

Last year at Marple Squash Club, for example, a Laugh and Smash session blended laughter yoga with squash, a unique combo that saw over 25 women taking part. 

The week also extends beyond traditional club walls. Outreach sessions, such as tasters at the National Squash Centre for women working in construction, demonstrate how creating a supportive environment can inspire participants to carry their new enthusiasm back into local clubs. 

Some clubs, like Bounty Squash and Racketball in Hampshire, saw such strong uptake during Women’s Squash Week that they’ve added women-focused activities into their regular calendar.

The best way to get involved in Women’s Squash Week is to locate your nearest squash club or leisure centre and enquire as to what programmes they might be running during the week. 

If your local club has no programmes planned or aren’t aware of Women’s Squash Week, share this story with them and encourage them to consider arranging something. For clubs considering running an event, read on below for more info.

If you’re a squash club or venue considering running a programme to encourage more women to join, England Squash has a useful online toolkit full of promotional graphics, videos, templates, and activity ideas to help clubs deliver professional and engaging events during women’s squash week.