WORLD SQUASH LIBRARY

1883

A squash court is built at a home in Oxford, England.

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1884

1st squash courts in USA are built at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire.

 

1894

1st magazine article on squash is published in Boys Own Paper.

 

1901

1st book on squash, The Game of Squash’ by Eustace Miles, is published.

 

1902

1st court at a club in Ireland is built at the Fitzwilliam LTC in Dublin.

 

1903

1st inter-club squash league worldwide is founded in Philadelphia.

 

1904

1st court at a club in Canada is built at the St. John's Tennis Club in Newfoundland.
London’s leading club, Bath Club, adds squash courts.

The US squash federation, the world’s oldest national governing body, is founded.

 

1906

1st court at a club in South Africa is built at the Country Club, Johannesburg.

 

1907

1st court in New Zealand is built at the Christchurch Club.
1st US Nationals are held in Philadelphia.

 

1908

Tennis & Rackets Association (T&RA) in London forms a squash sub-committee.

 

1910

South Africa forms a national federation & hosts its 1st Amateur championship.

 

1912

RMS Titanic sails from England with a squash court before sinking.

 

1913

1st court at a club in Australia is built at the Melbourne Club.

 

1915

Canadian national federation is formed.

 

1920

US squash federation standardises its 'narrow' courts. 

1st Professional Championship of the British Isles is won by Charles Read.

 

1922

1st women’s British Open is held at Queen’s Club in London. 

Bath Club Cup, a London squash league, is started.
1st international match, the annual Lapham Cup contest (USA v Canada).

 

1923

English squash clubs form a subcommittee under the T&RA.
It decides the standard size of a court and sets the tin height.
1st British Amateur championship.

 

1924

1st overseas travelling team, Great Britain touring side to North America.
 

1926

1st Drysdale Cup (now the British Junior Open boys U19).

T&RA issues official rules for squash.

HiHo scoring switches from 15-point to 9-point scoring.

 

1927

In France 4 courts are opened in Paris at the Societe Sportive du Jeu de Paume.

 

1928

T&RA’s squash committee in London separates to form the Squash Rackets Association.

1st US Women’s championship is held.

1st Australian championship.

 

1930

1st men’s British Open.
 

1931

Egypt forms a national federation.

 

1932

1st New Zealand Nationals.

F.D. Amr Bey wins the 1st of 5 men’s British Open titles.

1st magazine featuring squash, ‘Squash Rackets, Fives, Tennis and Rackets’ is published in UK.

 

1933

1st International women's match played for the Wolfe-Noel Cup (USA v GB).

 

1934

Thames House in London with 15 courts becomes the world’s largest club at that point.
Margot Lumb wins the 1st of 5 women’s British Open titles.
Women’s Squash Rackets Association (UK) is formed.

 

1935

Lansdowne Club in London opens, featuring the Bruce Court with a capacity for 200 spectators.

 

1948

Men’s British Open ceases to be a two-person challenge and becomes a knock-out tournament.
1st national federation to have a full-time employee and an office is British SRA.

 

1950

Janet Morgan wins the 1st of 10 women's British Open titles.

 

1951

Hashim Khan wins the 1st of 7 men’s British Open titles.

 

1953

India forms a national federation.
 

1954

1st United States Open.
 

1956

Racket shafts (not heads) may be made of other materials, not just wood.

 

1958

Biggest court viewing gallery of the time is built at Cairo University - capacity 500.
 

1959
1st time a squash match is televised in a local broadcast at US Open in Pittsburgh.

 

1961

1st overseas winner of British Junior Open, Peter Gerlow from Denmark.

 

1962

Heather McKay wins the 1st of 16 women’s British Open titles.

 

1964

1st England v Australia women's Test match is held.

 

1965

A small glass window is added to a court door in Hobart, Australia, to enable filming.

 

1966

Birkenhead Squash Rackets Club in England unveils a court with a partial glass back wall.

Jonah Barrington wins the 1st of 6 men’s British Open titles.

 

1967

1st meeting of the world federation (ISRF).
1st men’s World Team championship (with accompanying individual amateur event).

 

1968

1st entirely transparent back wall court is built at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

 

1969

Geoff Hunt wins the 1st of 8 men’s British Open titles.

 

1970

Ball speeds begin to be indicated by coloured dots.

 

1971

1st all-glass suspended assembly back wall is built at Abbeydale Park in Sheffield, England.
1st edition of Squash Player Magazine (UK).

 

1973

1st regional federation is formed - Europe.
1st European Team championship.

 

1974

Men’s International Squash Players Association (ISPA) is founded.

Women’s British Open allows professionals to enter.

Wembley Squash Centre opens in London, England.

 

1976
1st World Open championships are played (the men’s is combined with the British Open). 

1st World Masters.
Racketball (now Squash57) is introduced.

PIA Squash Complex opens in Karachi, Pakistan.

 

1977

1st men’s rankings are published (seeding lists prior).

 

1978

1st tournament on a portable court with a glass back wall in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

1979
1st women’s World Team championship.
1st time squash is included in the Pacific (Oceania) Games.

 

1980
1st men’s World Junior Team and Individual championships are held.
Squash goes ‘open’ as amateur status ends.
1st British Open played on a portable court, at the Wembley Conference Centre.
Asian Squash Federation is formed.

 

1981

World Open played on a portable court with a glass front and back wall in Toronto, Canada.
Jahangir Khan wins the 1st of 6 men’s World titles.
1st women’s World Junior Individual championship.
1st Asian Team & Individual championships.

 

1982

1st men’s and women’s British Open held together.
Jahangir Khan wins the 1st of 10 men's British Open titles.
1st four-sided showcourt is at the World Masters (male pros) in Leicester, England.
Rackets made entirely of materials other than wood permitted.
 

1983

Coloured clothing restrictions are discontinued.
1st coloured floor (blue) and white ball used at the French Open.

 

1984

Susan Devoy wins the 1st of 8 women’s British Open titles.
British Racketball Association formed.
1st AGM of the Women’s International Squash Players Association.

 

1985

1st Women's Junior Team championship.
US Open switches from hardball to international softball.

 

1986

IOC grants official recognition to squash.

 

1987

3,526 attendance at the men’s World Team finals at Royal Albert Flail in London, England.
Jansher Khan wins the 1st of 8 men’s World titles.

 

1989

Second serve rule dropped.
Men’s pro squash switches to 15-point, point-per-rally scoring & begins using 17 inch / 43 cm tin.
PSA men’s tour reaches $1 m prize money.
Pan American Squash Federation formed.

 

1990

1st World championship to have more than one showcourt (Men’s Open, Toulouse).

 

1991

1st stand-alone World Masters. 

Rackets with larger strung surfaces (up to 500cm2) permitted.

 

1992

The International Squash Rackets Federation becomes World Squash Federation.
The Oceania & African regional Federations formed.
The dimensions of doubles courts are standardised.

 

1993

PSA formed by the merging of the men’s pro association (ISPA) with the hardball pro association.
 

1995

1st time squash in the Pan American Games.
1st time Tournament of Champions is staged in Grand Central Terminal in New York.

 

1996

1st World Cup.
1st event played in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
1st urban youth programme, SquashBusters in Boston, USA.

 

1997

1st World Doubles.
1st time squash in World Games.
 

1998

1st time squash in the Commonwealth Games.
1st time squash in the Asian Games.
Men’s rankings go from 2 months to monthly.

 

1999

Protective eyewear mandated for under 19 age players.

Double yellow dot balls produced.
 

2001

Women’s rankings go from bimonthly to monthly.

 

2002

1st World Squash Day.

 

2003

1st time squash is included in the African Games.

 

2004

Men’s tour moves from PAR15 to PAR11.
1st internet live stream at the Tournament of Champions. 

Squashinfo.com starts.

 

2005

Nicol David wins the 1st of 8 women’s World titles.
1st time MA/V World championships played together.

 

2007

Two sisters, Rachael & Natalie Grinham, play the World Open final.

 

2008

A widened court width for international doubles is set.
The women's pro tour switches to 11-point, point-per-rally scoring.
 

2009

Nour El Sherbini becomes the youngest women’s Junior World champion, aged 13.

 

2010

SQUASHTV launched.

 

2011

1st use of a video referee and player appeal system.

 

2012

WSF publishes standard Racketball rules, including ball specifications.
Hasta La Vista Club in Wroclaw, Poland opens, enlarging into the world’s largest club with 33 courts.
The tin height for international doubles events is dropped to 13 inch / 33 cm.

 

2015

PSA and WSA (formerly WISPA) merge to create a new PSA.
Pro women’s tin now 17 inches. 

Longest match, 170 minutes, played between Leo Au and Shawn DeLierre.

 

2016

Nour El Sherbini wins the 1st of 7 women’s World titles. 

InteractiveSQUASH front walls launched.
WSF Changes name of Racketball to Squash57.

 

2017

Equal prize money for men and women for almost all of the World Series events.

 

2018

Squash is a showcase sport at the Youth Olympic Games.

 

2019

1st $1 m prize event is MA/V World championship in Chicago, USA. 

World Squash Library starts.

 

2021

USA national centre opens in Philadelphia.

 

2022

PSA rankings move from monthly to weekly.

 

2023

IOC include squash in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

 

2024

1st time MA/V World Team championships staged together.

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