Coaches Corner - September 2026

Thanks Paul Kershaw!

Are We Falling Behind? A Hard Look at Junior Squash in WA

Watching the Australian Junior Open Championships this year was both impressive and thought-provoking.  The standard of junior squash across Australia was evident, providing an opportunity to watch some of the country’s best young players and consider the environments helping them develop. For me, it also raised an uncomfortable question: Is Western Australian junior squash falling behind?

WA has talent. We have enthusiastic juniors, committed parents, passionate club coaches, players capable of competing successfully at a national level, and a state association juggling multiple priorities under various funding/financial constraints. The concern is whether the structure around those players is giving them the best opportunity to progress.

Talent alone isn’t enough.

A successful junior pathway requires more than identifying talented players and placing them into squads. It needs a clear development philosophy, good communication between coaches and an understanding of where each athlete is heading. Young players are developing technically, tactically, physically and mentally. They need to understand what they are working towards and why.

That responsibility extends beyond an individual coach. There needs to be a framework in which club and representative coaches can work together rather than leaving athletes to navigate different approaches on their own.

That is an area where I believe WA needs to take a serious look at itself. A comment that should concern us.

One comment I heard recently particularly stood out: “Athletes don’t get a choice who coaches them.” That raises an important question about the role of the athlete in their own development. Should athletes have no meaningful voice in their coaching relationship?

Athlete 'input' doesn’t mean juniors should simply choose whichever coach they prefer. Good coaching can be demanding, and young players need to be challenged, but there is a difference between strong leadership and removing the athlete’s voice altogether.

A junior player is an individual with different needs, personalities, learning styles and relationships with coaches. If an athlete has developed a productive relationship with a coach who understands their game, surely that should at least be part of their development conversation.

What are other states doing differently? 

The Australian Junior Open should be more than a competition. It should be a benchmark. Watching players from different states provides an opportunity to examine the systems behind them. How are their athletes being supported between national competitions? How closely are coaches communicating? How involved are players and parents in development planning? What happens when a talented player doesn’t fit neatly into the preferred pathway? These are legitimate questions.

It would be easy to look at national results and conclude that WA simply needs more talented players. I don’t believe that is the issue.WA already has talent. The question is whether we are developing it as effectively as we could. 

Another issue is the assumption that a single coaching approach will work for every athlete. It won’t. Some players need technical correction; others need tactical or physical development. Some need greater confidence and independence on court. A strong development system recognises those differences while maintaining clear standards and expectations.

If a junior receives different advice from their club coach, state coach and other programs, there needs to be enough communication between those coaches to ensure the athlete isn’t left trying to reconcile conflicting instructions. 

Selection and development are also two different conversations. Being selected for a representative squad is one thing. Developing a young player over several years is another. A player who isn’t selected shouldn’t feel that their development has stopped. Equally, selection shouldn’t mean that an athlete simply enters a system in which they have no input. The objective should be to develop better players over time, not simply identify those already performing well.

Asking difficult questions isn't about questioning the commitment of individual coaches or volunteers. Many people within Squash WA give enormous amounts of time and energy to junior development. The question is whether the structure they are working within is delivering the best possible environment for Western Australian juniors. That is a legitimate question for any sporting organisation.

If WA is performing well, the evidence should demonstrate it. If there are weaknesses, we should be prepared to examine them honestly.

The Australian Junior Championships showed the depth of talent in Australian junior squash. It also made me question whether WA is doing enough to ensure its own talented juniors reach their potential. We have the players, the coaches and the clubs. The challenge is making sure the system connects those resources effectively.