I think it is time we got back to the list of what makes Nottingham great. And this is a slightly selfish one.
You probably know that, in my spare time (!), I am Chairman of Nottingham Squash Rackets Club. The club based in The Park in Nottingham has a rich history. It was founded in 1909 – by the then landed gentry and business community of Nottingham – there are some great Nottingham names mentioned in the first set of minutes – Birkin, Cratwright et al. We have the minutes posted on the wall.
Squash had a heyday in the 1970’s but since then numbers playing have declined. We have managed to stabilise the membership and today have just over 500 members. We have 10 courts and a growing junior academy. There is a shop too – stocking an impressive array of sporting gear – you can buy online here.
But the thing I am most proud of is the professional team – who play under the banner Air-IT Nottingham. Todd McQuilkin from Air-It is as squash mad as I am and put up sponsorship, along with others to get the team off the ground. We have tried to keep home-grown players and to a large extent have done so. It looks like we won’t quite make the National Championship play-offs although mathematically there is a slim chance.
Our last match is away at Pontefract in just over a week. The five home-matches have been a sell out!
We run squash at every level – from beginners through to pro’s. We cater for all ages.
And fundamentally we are a club – run by the members for the members.
If you fancy a go and have never done so before then we can arrange it. If you have played we have 19 leagues to get your level matched – and if you like team squash we have 17 teams which play out of the club…