Squash Ulster

WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL SQUASH WEEK

📍 Belfast Boat Club
📅 Tuesday 15th September 2026
✨ FREE TO ATTEND✨

👧 Junior Girls: 5:00pm – 6:30pm
👩 Women: 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Sign up: https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/Belfast-Women-Girls-Squash-Development-Programme-launch-event

We’re excited to welcome women and girls of all ages and abilities to Belfast Boat Club for a fantastic evening of squash coaching and social gameplay!

Whether you’re completely new to squash or already love the game, you are very welcome!

In partnership with Era Squash - a global movement working to grow female participation in squash.

Marking the start of the Belfast Women and Girls Squash Development Programme - a Belfast City Council grant funded participation initiative to increase physical activity and access to squash across Belfast.



Belfast City Council
Belfast Boat Club

New season Club Nite resumes Wed 9th September 7-9pm. All adults welcome.
Also... interested in learning?
New 6wk beginners class for women only starts early October at Brooke Park.
Spread the word - DM, email or WhatsApp.

⚫️The Belfast Women & Girls
Squash Development Programme⚫️

Squash Ulster and Squash Ireland has successfully secured £8,000 in grant funding from Belfast City Council as part of Belfast's European City of Sport 2026 to run "The Belfast Women & Girls Squash Development Programme".

It is an innovative participation initiative designed to increase physical activity, improve access to squash and create sustainable participation opportunities for women and girls across Belfast.

The programme consists of 2 connective strands:

1. The Belfast Women & Girls Club Roadshow, a series of six welcoming taster evenings hosted across Belfast squash clubs and leisure centres. These sessions will provide a friendly and supportive environment where women of all abilities, including complete beginners, can experience squash, build confidence, meet other participants and develop connections with their local clubs.

2. ‘P5 Alive! – Play Squash!' - An innovative cross-community schools programme in the Ballysillan area to introduce girls aged 8–9 to squash through fun, inclusive coaching sessions delivered by qualified coaches during the school day, culminating in the inaugural Ballysillan Schools Cup.

The programme will launch on 15th September as part of Women’s Squash Week, which runs from 14th–20th September.

The launch event will partner with Era Squash (www.erasquash.com), a global movement to grow female participation in the sport. Era Squash is promoting a range of mass participation events globally enabling us to be part of a much wider movement.

The programme will end in mid-December with the Ballysillan Schools Cup and a closing event for the Club Roadshows which will coincide with the launch of our plans for ongoing women and girls squash activities across Ulster.

Ulster and Ireland's, Dorothy Armstrong, features in today's Squash Library post, which looks back 50 years to the very first Women's World Championships in 1976. Dorothy represented Ireland in 5 World Team Championships.

Ulster has a rich history in women's squash, from Dorothy in the 1970s, to Madeline Perry in the 1990s/00s with a record 15 Irish championships and top world ranking of 3; and now to Hannah Craig in the PSA top 60; Hannah McGugan into the PSA top 200 and our next top players in Aimee McConnell and Lydia McQuillan making it 4 Ulster women in the 5 strong Ireland Women's Team's recent Division 2 European Championships win.

There are many more Ulster women over the years holding representative honours and many who have or now go on to cap at Masters level.

With up and coming Ulster juniors such as Shriya Drawid, who represented Ireland at the 2026 World Junior Championships, we hope to continue to see Ulster's women performing with the best in the world over the next 50 years and beyond.

Irish & Canadian players were in included in the draw for the first Women’s World Open in Brisbane fifty years ago in 1976. Here are their programme profiles (with more Canadians tomorrow). World Squash FederationSquash IrelandSquash Canada

The Nick Hastings Memorial Tournament is well under way at Mid Ulster Squash Club and Cookstown Leisure Centre this week, raising much needed funds for STEPS Mental Health and the MS Society.

Great to see a Women's section featuring at the tournament for the first time and just in time for Women's Squash Week next month.

Still plenty of squash to come with junior tournament, finals and exhibition match on Saturday.

All members of Squash Ireland affiliated clubs are required to hold the appropriate Squash Ireland membership for the new season.

For 2026/27, we are also introducing Plus Membership as a new optional add-on, giving members access to additional premium benefits...

🔗 Click the comments below for a link to the membership story on the Squash Ireland website ℹ️