Squash historians assert that the game originated in the 19th century at Harrow School in London England. Students
at the school who were waiting to use the rackets court supposedly began hitting a softer rubber ball against the
walls of the buildings with their rackets, and from this the game was ultimately created. The first recorded construction
of purpose-built squash courts was at Harrow in the 1860's.
The game generally remained the preserve of the schools and universities until the early part of the 20th century, by
which time it was becoming popular in the private clubs and with officers in the British armed forces. Squash continued
almost exclusively as the game of the upper classes until around the 1950's, when commercial operators began building
public courts. The game boomed in popularity, with participation peaking around the early 1980's. Despite a downturn in
player numbers, the game remains popular in many places, especially Australia, northwestern Europe, North America and Asia.
Squash is now seen as a very serious contender to be added to the 2016 Olympic Games!
Facts about Squash:
- Squash is one of the fastest and most athletic sports
- played in 153 nations on all continents
- over 15'000'000 players worldwide
- over 50'000 courts available
