Rainer Grünberg, a journalist from Hamburger Abendblatt, has published an article about a new initiative in Hamburg aimed at revitalizing squash.
The human being sweats. He runs back and forth, squats down, and chases after this little ball that moves around in the glass box as if bewitched. Squash is exhausting, fast, and tough. The person wants more, feels the drive to push to the limit. In terms of athletics, the former martial arts discipline developed its own special appeal and was on the rise until the early 1990s. The best times are behind us: 30 years ago, there were about 1,000 courts in Germany. Today, the number of courts has shrunk to 900, with 120,000 active players remaining. However, the statistics show that two-thirds of the people who have quit the sport are under 35 years old. The younger generation has been lost.
A current study by the market research institute Nielsen also confirms this. The sporting goods industry is also holding back on cooperation agreements, and numerous club facilities find it difficult to set up teams and attract sponsors.
Project manager Ralph M. Faust, lecturer at the Academy for Sports Management, sees good conditions. “The prerequisites couldn't be better. Squash is one of the fastest sports ever,” says the 57-year-old, “the best times are behind us: there were about 1,000 courts in Germany 30 years ago; today, there are only 900 with around 120,000 active players.” The new mission is clear: to bring back a positive dynamic into the sport and attract more young people. Together with the former professional player Simon Frenz and the former national league player Martin Meyer, head of the Kaifu-Lodge squash center in Eimsbüttel, Faust is launching the initiative.
"Our first goal is to create a positive buzz and bring more people back to squash," says Frenz (53), former professional player. Three people from Hamburg have now taken the initiative to seize the opportunity for squash in Germany by 2028, when the sport will be played at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles for the first time. They founded the company ProSquash, based at the Kaifu-Lodge, and want to establish Hamburg as the center of a new squash wave in Germany.
The approach: competitive sports should serve as an anchor, but above all, hobby players and new generations should be inspired by the combination of squash with events and lifestyle.
Martin Meyer was once the youngest Bundesliga player at 17 years old, and today he is the managing director of the Kaifu-Lodge, the city’s oldest squash facility. There are six courts left there; most of them are full of players who are 35 years old and older. In the north, only the ETV facility on Bundesstrasse in Hamburg, with six glass courts, and in the south, the Sportwerk Hamburg with six courts in Wilhelmsburg, where the squash elite regularly meet, offer competitive conditions for teams and recreational players alike.
The popular league, which used to have 150 players per week, has only about 80 players today. The tournament system in the region is at its limit; most amateur players only participate in local events. More recreational opportunities and higher revenues can be generated here as well. The current focus is on attracting youth and school programs to the sport. A revival of the sport is possible.
According to the current state of planning, a tournament with a party and squash should be attractive again for young people, the age groups from 19 to 30, and should be advertised accordingly with a mixture of sport, event, and lifestyle. A top-level event should also be staged in 2025 and, for example, be broadcasted on TV again, with more visibility in public.
"For a successful reboot, structures and processes need to be changed, and the connection to clubs, associations, and businesses must be strengthened," explains Meyer. "The entry of squash into the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 offers us the opportunity to rejuvenate the sport," says Frenz. "If it doesn't happen now, then when?" is the rallying cry of the trio.
Tournament with Party: Squash Should Become More Attractive Again
Squash is much more than just a competitive sport. With a new approach combining squash and lifestyle, the sport should become more attractive to young people, especially in Hamburg. Events with a mixture of sport, fun, social engagement, fitness, food, music, and meeting new people will be key to creating a new atmosphere around the sport. The goal is to find new players and rejuvenate the existing scene. Squash should become a lifestyle again, embedded in a leisure culture.
Faust and his colleagues are preparing this project intensively. "We are preparing for the coming years to be successful and to create awareness for the sport," adds Meyer. Digital marketing and networking strategies are also being developed to make it easier for players, clubs, associations, and sponsors to connect.
School programs, partnerships with universities, and a targeted approach to young people are among the measures that will be further developed in the next steps. The cooperation partner Kaifu-Ritter already offers special health courses in the squash hall, for example.
The initiative's goal: squash should become cool again. It is time for the sport to be redefined and to become attractive for a new generation of players and fans. With the right mix of competition, events, and parties, squash can reach new heights.
More details about the initiative: Hamburg Launches Ambitious Squash Project to Reignite the Sport’s Popularity
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