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    Update from England Squash - Racketball rebrand

    For the many of us who were puzzling on the number 57 and the curious relationship that WSF must have with Heinz... the answer is here:

    http://www.englandsquash.com/news/racketball-becomes-squash-57-in-global-rebranding

    That does make more sense now but I'm still not sure what to say if I ask someone for a game of...


     

    Racketball rebrand

    Dear County Association,

    Following today’s announcement by the World Squash Federation (WSF) that racketball is to be rebranded to ‘Squash 57’, we wanted to take this opportunity to contact you directly.

    As you are aware, the rebrand has been planned for some time and it has been led by WSF, in partnership with England Squash. The process has included a consultation process (involving a member survey and focus groups) with the squash community, including England Squash members, equipment manufacturers and international federations. 

    From an England Squash perspective, the opportunity to reposition the game, to subsequently increase its appeal to a broader and bigger audience, is particularly exciting. Our insight over recent years has consistently showed that ‘racketball’ has not become as established as we would wish, in particular within local authority and private leisure facilities, which constitute more than 40% of courts within the country. We do believe that a healthy, vibrant ‘squash’ community needs ‘racketball’ in order to thrive. 

    We are delighted that the process of change is now moving towards ‘activation’ and we are keen that the change will help to ensure that Squash 57 is seen as part of the ‘squash’ community. We are fully committed to raising the profile and popularity of the game and will be embedding Squash 57 within campaigns and initiatives over the coming period. The intention is to help facilities engage with, and inspire a new audience of players.

    Whilst change is uncomfortable, disruptive and inconvenient, we are confident that the rebrand will provide the foundation for a brighter, more positive outlook for the game and we look forward to working in partnership with you to provide the resource necessary to develop stronger, more vibrant clubs.

    We look forward to working with the national and regional forum to embed Squash 57 across the county network.

    Best wishes
     
    Keir Worth
    Chief Executive