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James Green

Apr 17th 2024

Amsterdam + Squash = YES!

Calling all squash enthusiasts aged 35 and above: seize the chance to compete in the exhilarating World Masters Squash tournament in Amsterdam!

If you play squash and are over 35, then every two years an extraordinary event takes place just for you: the World Masters Squash tournament. The location changes from year-to-year. This year it’s in Amsterdam, August 13-23 (prior to this it has been held in Wroclaw (Poland), Charlottesville, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and many other places before that.

The event is open to EVERYONE no matter your level. It’s organized by age and gender starting with 35-39 and going in 5 year increments through 85+ The tournament is a week long, but have no fear of getting knocked out as you keep playing a match every day all week until you get your official world ranking (you can always retire early if the squash gets too much).

I’ve been to two of these shindigs so far, once in the USA and then again in Poland and they are amazing: 

  • You meet an incredibly diverse group of men and women from all over the world
  • There are fun social events organized for players throughout the week to encourage you to see the sights
  • For those of you that have never been there: Amsterdam is fun! You won’t run out of places to visit, things to do and new people to meet. And of course there will be lots of local squash players to guide you to the best places to eat, drink and be merry.
  • You’ll see everyone from ex-pro players to senior citizens battling it out for the honors. There are always some awesome matches and admission to all of them is free!
  • You will become a member of the US National Team (unless you register with a non-US passport and then you will be part of your country's team - either way you’ll be part of the Open Squash Team). Countries battle it out to see who can get most victories.

There is a small core group of us going from Open Squash - if you’d like to join us (and I HIGHLY) recommend you do, here's how you do it:

Check out the official websites to learn more (the event is so awesome that it has two!)

  • The World Squash Federation (WSF) official Website promoting the event is here
  • The official event website showing all the official hotels etc is here

Once you’ve decided to go, follow these steps:

  • Register for your WSF Spin number here. You will not be able to register for the event without a SPIN number (costs about $10).
  • Register for the World Squash Masters Tournament here
  • Purchase your flights
  • Book your accommodation - you can find the official hotels here 
  • Email me at james.green@opensquash.org to let me know you have registered!

For those of you that enter, we are considering organizing a commemorative T-shirt, Special pre-tournament training sessions and other social activities for the group. And no matter what you’ll get cheered on by your fellow Open Squashers, we'll all enjoy the fun and camaraderie, and who doesn’t want to be part of their national team!!

Please note: deadline to register is June 1st and draws are being limited to 128. The event is already beginning to fill up so if you’re interested, do not hesitate just do it! Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

And remember, don’t boast, just keep it deep!

James Green
james.green@opensquash.org