Squash players do not have the financial benefits of some of the other major sports, and can naturally not be compared at all to golf, soccer or tennis, where the athletes are getting overly spoiled with million dollar salaries.....weekly. Are you top 300 in the world in tennis, you can still make descent sponsorship contracts and good money. In squash you need to make around top 50 in the world as a male player to be able to make some dollars. For the women it is even harder. But you still have to perform constantly, as the money is in the tournaments you play as well as league matches. And if you get injured......
One often see squashplayers funded by mum and dad, studying or working full time next to full time training, or if they are lucky enough to get a good sponsor it is often from someone that has a particular love for the sport, or can appreciate what we do. The sponsors know that we can only do so much in return to the funding we get. And to all of these we owe a great thanks. It is what a friend of mine mentioned as people with "Squash heart". Those are also the people in your community that put down so much time, energy and money into helping youngsters get interested in squash, promoting, coaching and facilitating the sport with little personal gain. In Norway we witness in general that squash is an alternative offer to the members of the gym. The aim is money, and if not enough money comes in. BOOM, tear down the squash courts for Zumba instead.
There is often no coaches around, and the local squash club are constantly struggling working together with the managers of the gym who owns the squash courts. Living in Holland for 3 years now, I am happy to inform that there are a few squash hearts still alive. But it is still hard as this sport is still in the shadow of other racket sports. If we got the olympic spot in 2020 things might change... and it is exactly what we need at this moment.
http://squash2020.com/
A squash player that can pay his bills, food and travel throughout the year is a happy squash player. He can live of the sport he loves, travel to interact with other cultures and compete with the greatest athletes, hard workers and talents of the world.
To manage daily life, several professionals still live with moms and pops. Or you can do like myself and manymany other professionals. There is a lot of "squash houses" around where several squash players live together in appartments/houses to split the costs of todays expensive housing facilities. In the Amsterdam ghetto you find myself sharing a small appartment with my girlfriend Cigany Sillevis, Dutch player Mellisa Meulenbelt and Australian top100 player Steve Finitsis.
4 people on such a small space will be difficult you might think, but luckily squash players travel a lot and we are rearly all here at the same time. Cigany is out with an achilles rupture injury, and is staying with her parents at the moment, Melissa has family in Holland as well, and trains a lot in Rotterdam, while Steve is often on tour or with Melissa.
Cleaning the appartment the other day I realized really in a way how fanatic it is. I dug up all the squash gear in me and Ciganys room. Old sponsor rackets, new rackets, ancient rackets, 5 backs, backpacks, squash shoes, posters, player passes, balls and grips everywhere. I'll show you a bit what its all about ;)
Closet.....
Cigany's Harrow
campaign:
She is now
sponsored by Prince
My Asics
squash shoe collection:
One often see squashplayers funded by mum and dad, studying or working full time next to full time training, or if they are lucky enough to get a good sponsor it is often from someone that has a particular love for the sport, or can appreciate what we do. The sponsors know that we can only do so much in return to the funding we get. And to all of these we owe a great thanks. It is what a friend of mine mentioned as people with "Squash heart". Those are also the people in your community that put down so much time, energy and money into helping youngsters get interested in squash, promoting, coaching and facilitating the sport with little personal gain. In Norway we witness in general that squash is an alternative offer to the members of the gym. The aim is money, and if not enough money comes in. BOOM, tear down the squash courts for Zumba instead.
There is often no coaches around, and the local squash club are constantly struggling working together with the managers of the gym who owns the squash courts. Living in Holland for 3 years now, I am happy to inform that there are a few squash hearts still alive. But it is still hard as this sport is still in the shadow of other racket sports. If we got the olympic spot in 2020 things might change... and it is exactly what we need at this moment.
http://squash2020.com/
A squash player that can pay his bills, food and travel throughout the year is a happy squash player. He can live of the sport he loves, travel to interact with other cultures and compete with the greatest athletes, hard workers and talents of the world.
To manage daily life, several professionals still live with moms and pops. Or you can do like myself and manymany other professionals. There is a lot of "squash houses" around where several squash players live together in appartments/houses to split the costs of todays expensive housing facilities. In the Amsterdam ghetto you find myself sharing a small appartment with my girlfriend Cigany Sillevis, Dutch player Mellisa Meulenbelt and Australian top100 player Steve Finitsis.
4 people on such a small space will be difficult you might think, but luckily squash players travel a lot and we are rearly all here at the same time. Cigany is out with an achilles rupture injury, and is staying with her parents at the moment, Melissa has family in Holland as well, and trains a lot in Rotterdam, while Steve is often on tour or with Melissa.Cleaning the appartment the other day I realized really in a way how fanatic it is. I dug up all the squash gear in me and Ciganys room. Old sponsor rackets, new rackets, ancient rackets, 5 backs, backpacks, squash shoes, posters, player passes, balls and grips everywhere. I'll show you a bit what its all about ;)
Cigany's Harrow
campaign:
She is now
sponsored by Prince
My Asics
squash shoe collection:
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