Written by Mark Fuller 17th May 2020
I was a member of Hallamshire for 4 years, 3 of which I was a student and then as a full time coach and player. During that period, Racketball numbers have grown to a point where they have now overtaken that of squash. The club now has:
At Hallamshire Racketball works in conjunction with squash to provide the club with a greater diversity and quantity of members. The two sports feed into each other, with Ladies bringing the children down to play the game and then with many of the juniors being converted to squash.
- More ladies playing the game than men.
- Gets around 100 juniors for Saturday morning sessions.
- Runs a very successful summer league, based on a handicap system, with all the teams having “original” names and their own shirts, finishing with an end of season finals night. Last year 220 people played in the Hallamshire Racketball Summer League.
- Runs several tournaments over the year, including a very popular mixed doubles tournament.
At Hallamshire Racketball works in conjunction with squash to provide the club with a greater diversity and quantity of members. The two sports feed into each other, with Ladies bringing the children down to play the game and then with many of the juniors being converted to squash.
apex squash and racketball program
Neil Guirey heads the Racketball program at Hallamshire. This is one of the most successful programs in the UK and caters for a wide range of ages and standards.
Mon 10-11:20 - Beginners
Mon 19:20-20:40 - Beginners
Tue 10-11.20 - Social (int ad)
Wed 18:40-20:00 - Advanced
Thu 10-11:20 - Social (beg int)
Thu 19:20-20:40 - Intermediate
Fri 18:00-20:00 - Club Night
Sat 12:00-13:20 - Doubles
Neil's main piece of advice for anyone starting their own sessions is to "make sure that you have a pathway for new players coming in. Once they feel comfortable and a part of the club you will find that they keep coming back and love the sport for years to come".
Hallamshire has since become one of the leading Racketball clubs in the UK, with two UK Racketball Series events in their yearly calendar, including the British Open Racketball Championships, the largest Open draw event in the game!
| hallamshire_handicaps.pdf |
