Partick Osborn reports...

I was pleased to attend the two virtual Town Halls and December’s AGM where I was able to present Squash 57 activities and its potential within the WSF community. I was encouraging to be asked so many informed Squash57 questions and very happy to have our proposed Squash57 rule changes approved so wholeheartedly. In case you would like to review in detail the presentations, the Squash57 slide is included below and you can watch the recording of the relevant clip from the 2nd Town Hall here.

If you have any follow up Squash57 questions, now or in the future, then please feel free to contact me directly.

This is following on from an update on the site a few months ago regarding a "Go Fund Me" request from one of our regular UK-Racketball Series members and supporters Andy Ruff.Peterborough are adding a 5th court to the club. Follow the link below to see the progress! ​https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=221092659398560

Designed by UK-Racketball Series favourite Patrick Osborn!

We know that you cannot get to the courts at the moment but this is a good way to remember your no.1 sport even when you can't play. 

We have a special bundle deal running to celebrate this launch. Follow this link for more information and to find out how you can purchase your's. 

Patrick has created a youtube to talk you all through his new masks and that can be found here... ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMySOIsLX_s&feature=youtu.be

A big thank you to Simon Martin for putting this video together for the Racketball/Squash57 community. 

​It starts with "I have heard many people saying that you cannot kill a ball in Racketball..." to find out how and to learn more from one of the most skilful players on tour follow this link or click on the video below!

It feels like a different lifetime when these emails would start with "big wins in the North of England Racketball Open" and "In four weeks time we head to The South West"... 

However with more positive news both with regards to testing and vaccines we have to hope that there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Im sure that we still have a long way to go we have to hope that we will be able to get back to our events at some point in the new year. 
​

2020 UK-Racketball Series - refunds

It has been a real shame that we only managed one event in the 2020 UK-Racketball Series. I know that many of you had signed up to a Nationals that will not happen for the first time in almost 40 years and a Series membership for the whole season. I have tried to come up with some good options for you but as I have said right from the beginning if you would like a full refund just let me know. 

All Series members and individual event sign up's are being offered the following... 


Series members

A full refund now - email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com
A Series Membership Voucher - Free t-shirt now 2020 - full entry into the 2021 Series (hopefully at least 8 events will run, I am planning to be second half heavy with a probable start in the spring) and the 2022 Series for half price so only £40 . As part of this you will qualify for FREE entry into the Nationals and t-shirts for each Series. 


Individual Event Sign Up's

A full refund now - email mark@starsportsdevelopment.com
An event voucher - Free t-shirt now 2020 - Free entry into the next event that you want to play (there will be no expiry date on this voucher) a half price entry into the next event after this one that you would like to play (there will be no expiry date on this voucher). ​

Our successful case studies all have great links to local groups that help to promote their sessions and bring in new people. Some links can be reciprocal such as physios and U3A. Can you build a link with a local physio where you advertise them to your players and they advertise you to their clients? Groups such as the local doctors surgery or local council have the same goals as you with regards to fitness and wellbeing, see if you can form a link to work together  towards this common goal!

​www.uk-racketball.com/external-groups-promotion

When your main club problem becomes too many people for your daytime court slots. It’s a Jo Robinson kind of problem…
 
This is one of the best case studies I have read. Ebbisham challenged itself to reach a target audience of the over 50’s who played little or no sport. From scratch these sessions now have 50-70 players attending every week. 

Note that this was not an exercise in converting squash or tennis players to Racketball it was to promote the game to “not sporty” people and build a brand new community. This is an incredible story.

​https://www.uk-racketball.com/ebbisham-sports-club.html

If your club has not yet embraced Racketball/Squash57 follow this link to see nine good reasons why it should... ​https://www.uk-racketball.com/racketballs-advantage-to-your-club.html

Development Project Day 3

A study looking at the impact of individual sports on mortality found racquet sports reduced the risk of death by around 47%. They didn't find such effects for people who took part in rugby, football or running…

"If you want to stave off death for as long as possible, you might want to reach for a tennis racquet," The Guardian reports.

The sport of squash was found to be the healthiest sport, according to Forbes and the calculations based on expert feedback

More information and articles from the Guardian and Forbes magazine showcasing the amazing benefits that playing a racket sport has on health shorturl.at/aiuGI

In collaboration with England Squash we have added a Racketball/Squash57 development section to the UK-Racketball website. This is a brand new section and one that looks to collect resources and ideas to help clubs build their Racketball sessions and membership numbers. We hope that this section will help the sport to grow to new heights of popularity. 

Follow this link for more information 

​We need your help to make this goal a reality. But we do have a reward for your help!

Follow this link to sign up to our amazing GIVEAWAY

UK Coaching has made their course on Mental Health Awareness in Sport FREE during this period of Covid 19. The course has 4 modules all of which are very relevant to Racketball/Squash57 coaches.

Understanding mental health
The impact of sport and physical activity on mental health
Barriers and solutions
Talking about mental health

​https://www.ukcoaching.org/courses/learn-at-home/mental-health-awareness-for-sport-and-physical-act

This is a link to the latest statement from England Squash regarding Covid19.

England Squash Covid 19 Update

England Squash will be publishing a COVID19 toolkit to support clubs in their return to squash. To get through this crisis and back on court a proactive approach and some smart out of the box thinking is needed. It is great to see England Squash taking a lead on this.
 
I know that many of you are missing our sport, series and the friends that you have made on the tour. I know that it is not easy but look to the long run, the UK-Racketball Series is not going anywhere and when it is safe we will return!
 
We have had to postpone the 2020 Squash57/Racketball Nationals, due to take place at Edgbaston Priory in July. Please note that at this stage the event is postponed and not cancelled, I am still very hopeful that it will take place at some point and in some form in 2020.
 
If you have already entered this event and would like a refund please email me and I will sort it straight away, mark@starsportsdevelopment.com I think that it shows how much people enjoyed last year that pre Covid19 by February we had already had over 30 entries!
 
Please be reassured that we will only comprehend a return to the UK-Racketball Series when we feel that it is safe to do so.

You might have noticed some changes taking place on the website. We hope to have a new site created very soon, please bear with us while we make these changes. Hopefully the new site will be better than ever with all of the old content as well as some great new additions...

The Covid-19 outbreak has obviously come at a very busy time for the UK-Racketball Series with events coming up in the next few months, major events planned over the summer and our first international event planned for October. The Bluebell Wood British Racketball Open. 

At the moment we plan to keep everything that has been booked into the schedule to continue as normal. I feel that at the moment we have very little information on what will happen with this outbreak. Things are moving very quickly so even events that are a month away I am not sure what will be the state of play by then. 

I would like to reassure everyone in our community that if events are cancelled or that if players have to withdraw from events due to self isolation they will receive all their money back. Players that have joined as members will receive a rebate on their membership in line with the disruption. 

I advise you all to book into our events and plan as normal. You do not need to worry about being out of pocket.

I feel that the UK-Racketball community that we are all building together is going incredibly well. We have more events and these are bigger than ever before but also I feel that the atmosphere at events has changed a lot over the past few years. Our events were always relaxed and welcoming but I feel that there are now genuine close friendships being forged. We have a great little community at the UK-Racketball Series events. You are all responsible for this.

Hopefully this Covid-19 disruption will be temporary and although frustrating in the short term we will still have a fantastic tour to play and a community to be apart of when it's all over. 

I was sent a very informative podcast from a friend who works in City Hospital. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/making-sense-with-sam-harris/id733163012 ​

Everything is confirmed for the 11th UK-Racketball Series - our biggest and best year so far!
For the first time since we started in 2010 all of our regional dates and venues will remain the same as in previous years. This year is set to be extra special with a new major event being added to the lineup. The Bluebell Wood British Racketball Open will take place at Hallamshire on the 17th/18th of October and boasts the biggest prize fund in our sports history. ​