Player Registration

July 2022

Middlesex Junior Squash Squad Registration 2022/23

Dear Parent and Player,
 
We are pleased to announce the start of the county squash season for 2022/2023 for all county players.
 
Your son/daughter is being invited to register for the Middlesex County squad. Click here to register.  Registration will remain open until 31st August 2022. 
This provides:

• Up to 5 squad training sessions per year, under the guidance of Paul Carter Head Coach and England High Performance Coach and
• Eligibility to represent Middlesex at the England Squash Intercounty Championships and Grand Prix Tournaments. 
• Additional training for juniors selected for the Intercounty Championships.
• Referee workshop, which all juniors are encouraged to attend.  

The fees remain at £95pp (£80 for additional siblings) and should be paid to Middlesex Junior Squash sort code: 20-91-79 account: 40337943.

We have an exciting calendar of events this season, which will included hosting another Silver or Gold event.  We are expecting all our juniors to train and qualify for this event. 
 
Full details on the Middlesex Junior County offering for our squad players is provided below.  To register please complete the registration form with payment to be received by 31 August 2022.

All training sessions will adhere to COVID safety guidelines.
 
We would also like to invite you to a for parents meeting via zoom on a date to be confirmed later, to provide all essential information for this season.  Full details will be provided after registration.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Vickie Prow on admin@middlesexjuniorsquash.co.uk.
 
Kindest Regards

Paul Carter - Head County Squash Coach, England Performance Coach
Marcus Yang - Junior County Chair
Roy Martins – Deputy Junior County Chair
Vickie Prow – Middlesex Junior Squash Administrator

Middlesex Junior Squash Squad Registration
Important Information

Registration Process
If you would like your child(ren) to be part of the Middlesex County Squad complete the registration by 31st August 2022 and make the payment of £95 (£80) to Middlesex Junior Squash 20-91-79 40337943.   Registration after this date may mean failure to join the Middlesex Junior Squash squad for this season.  Click here for registration form.
 

County Training

The county will endeavour to run up to 5 county training sessions over the season, with training sessions scheduled at the weekend.  The dates will be subject to availability at each venue and will be advised as soon as possible.
 
Each player will be assigned a training group, based on their ability, not age.  
 
Training groups comprise the following categories:
 
Platinum                           Advanced players, who demonstrate the ability to compete above county level. These players may be on the Aspire/England Squash Development Program and are considered high performers at England Squash Gold Category Tournaments  
 
Gold                                  Advanced players, who qualify to play Silver, British Junior Open/Closed and English Junior Championships, and have intermediate ES Rankings
 
Silver                                Intermediate county players
 
Bronze                             Improving county players,
 
Development                Entry level players into the county, who demonstrate basic technique and fitness skills. This group will be segregated into further tiers based on ability and age and a separate group for girls will be established.  Development players are expected to progress into Bronze and Silver over the course of the year.
 
Each training session targets specialist physical, technical, tactical, and mental disciplines for the game. The sessions are also used to monitor individual progress, select team members, and rank players.  
 
The list of participants for each training group will be advised following registration and is set by the coaches. During the year, players can be moved according to their progress.
 
Training Dates and Key County Dates (may be subject to change)
Squad Training (1): Sunday 25th September 22
Middlesex County Closed: Sat 1st & Sun 2nd October 22 at Cumberland Squash Club
Intercounty Team Training: Sunday 6th November 22 (team players only)
Squad Training (2): Sunday 6th November 22
Intercounty Teams Stage 1: Sat 12th & Sun 13th November 22 (selected players only)
Squad Training (3): Sunday 4th December 22
Squad Training (4): Sunday 15th January 23
Squad Training (5): Sunday 12th February 23
Intercounty Team Training: Sunday 19th March 23 (team players only)
Intercounty Teams Finals: Sat 25th & Sun 26th March 23 (selected players only)

For full details of Middlesex and England Sanctioned events see our calendar here: https://middlesexjuniorsquash.co.uk/calendar-2/.  Note:  This calendar is updated regularly as information comes available.

Please ensure all training and competition dates have been diaries.  Players will also be advised as more information comes available.

Team Selection & Training
Teams will be selected to represent Middlesex at the following events:

• Intercounty Competition (ICC) – November: Stage 1 and March: Finals
• County B events
• Under 11s festival

Team players will be selected from Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze categories (not Development, except U11s tournaments).
 
Selection will be based on performance at county training, performance and England Squash (ES) Rankings. 
 
Separate team training will be held up to 2 weeks before the Intercounty tournament which will focus on a match preparation and team building.  Participation at these events and team training is by invitation only, at the discretion of the Head Coach. 
 
Intercounty Representation
In respect of the intercounty tournaments listed above, Middlesex will pay the county matches and court fees. Participants will be responsible for their own accommodation, lunch and travel costs.

Refereeing Workshop
A junior referring workshop will be held at the start of the season to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the rules of squash.  Development, Bronze and Silver training groups are encouraged to attend.  An online course is also on the England Squash website.
 
Training Kit & County T-Shirts
It is mandatory that all county players own a county t-shirt with the players name on it.  The t-shirts must be worn to all training sessions and tournaments.   Players who have white t-shirts from the previous season may use these.  The Middlesex Junior Squash kit can be purchased from: www.iprosports.co.uk/club-zone/middlesex-junior-squash/.  T-shirts and any additional hoodies must be purchased at parents’ own cost. Players are required to bring a racket, goggles, non-marking shoes and water to all training and tournaments. Any player without goggles will not be able to play.
 
England Squash Membership
All signed up county players must be England Squash members.  If you are a member of a club, your club should have already registered you with England Squash.  Please contact them in the first instance if you do not have this information or are not sure.  If you are not a member of a club, you can purchase membership via www.englandsquash.com/membership.

Competition and Training Guidelines
England Squash Sanctioned Events are expected to commence from September 2022. Competition requirements will be communicated after this date.   https://www.englandsquash.com/competitions/junior/sanctioned-competitions
 
The county will run a box-based league 3-4 times over the season. The event allows juniors to practise their game in a safe competitive environment under the supervision of a county coach. The leagues will target all training groups and run on Squash Levels so Middlesex Juniors can find and play other of a similar level.  These results will be recorded and may be taken into account when selecting training groups/county teams etc. 

Talent Pathway - Weekly Training Programmes
Middlesex will run talent pathway programmes after school during term time and more focused camps during school holidays.
 
Each session is between 1 to 1.5 hours in duration, with a standard cost of £10/hr.  These charges will apply if the full term is booked.  If players wish to book week by week then the fees will be £15 for 1 hour or £20 for 1.5 hours, by agreement only.  Refunds will only be applied if more than 2 two are missed due to injury or illness, and advance notice is given.
 
Each programme has been specially designed to target physical, tactical, technical disciplines to build national players.  The programmes are located as follows, TBC and subject to agreement with the venue:

 
Code of Conduct
Our aim is to provide an environment where all those involved in squash (juniors, players and coaches, referees) are fully supported, treated fairly, with respect for each other and on an equal basis.  We require all participants, parents, and coaches to adhere to the Middlesex Junior Squash code of conduct (http://middlesexjuniorsquash.co.uk/policies/) which lists out our expectations on behaviour. 
 
Travel & What’s App Groups
Before county events, the coach or lead group member may set up a temporary what’s app group for parents and coaches to arrange lift shares, communicate start times, rendezvous points for the duration of the event only. If you do not want to participate in the what’s app group for tournaments, please let us know at the point of registration.  

Funding
Middlesex Junior Squash relies heavily upon grants, memberships, sponsorship to keep everything running smoothly. We are looking for Tournament Sponsors and Partners to help fund the running of our activities. Please contact us if you would like to discuss sponsorship of the County and would like further information.
 
Parent Engagement
We are also keen to have as many parents as possible involved in all aspects of the county, from helping us run county competitions, to fund raising, marketing/PR/advertising and parent player liaison. Please contact us if you would like to be involved. 
 

Middlesex Key Priorities

• Develop more national standard players across all age groups
• Increase the number of county juniors participating in England Squash Tournaments
• Increased county presence at Silver and Gold tournaments, England Junior Championships, British Junior Closed and Open and target top 10 positions in as many age categories  
• Target wins in each age category at the Intercounty competition / under 11s /Grand Prix
• Increase county participation, particularly amongst girls, and boys and girls juniors under 11 years
• Build and maintain competitive strength developing all age groups, through county programmes across all points of the talent pathway 
• Host monthly England Squash tournaments in Middlesex and a Silver or Gold Event in 2022/2023
• Continue to expand our talent pathway programmes creating key centres of excellence across the county and maintain affordable participation rates
• Create and maintain a high performing and active squash environment which allows all juniors to reach their potential
• All players, parents and coaches are required to exhibit high standards of conduct when representing the county at tournaments
• Maintain a fully inclusive, open and supportive culture for squash in Middlesex.