Matt Pisanelli formed the ‘New York Squash Club’ (a name which he couldn’t believe was available) which is an LGBT squash organization, with their home base at our facility and leads and organizes their weekly round robin.
He first began playing squash in boarding school, and although he didn't make the JV team, his passion for squash was ignited. He played casually throughout high school and college, in his own words, “Casually enough to own a racket, but to not know where it is.”
In 2016, on a move from NYC to Baltimore for work, he joined the Maryland Club where his love for squash grew more. He moved back to NYC in 2024 and joined Open Squash, where he was originally playing with one of his friends who was a member at FiDi, where he formed the New York Squash Club.
At the time of the interview, New York Squash Club was preparing for their first ever takeover of the whole facility, using all 8 courts for a “tournament/pizza party, general party.”
“Over the course of 2025, we had at least 110 people come to at least one of our events. And we’ve had people from all over the spectrum. We have people who have never held a racket before, but my favorite is when someone comes and they beat everyone” laughed Pisanelli. He also thanked Open Squash for handling all of the scheduling and payments, etc.
In his own personal game, Pisanelli has found his game has improved a lot from playing in the round robins and taking lessons and clinics at Open Squash. “Apparently if you play more, you improve,” joked Pisanelli.
Looking to the future, Pisanelli hopes to grow their tournament play and get more tournaments running for all levels. “Doing beginner nights, trying to make it as easy for folks to check it out” all align with their goals as an organization, and to make things as welcoming as possible.
“Playing squash is a lot of fun, it's a great workout, and our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to come and try out the game, and I think we are doing that really well. The message would be, if you’ve never played squash, come and give it a try. We are happy to show you the ropes and make it a fun and welcoming experience.”
Pisanelli says that thanks to the social nature of squash, “it's been a great way to make new friends” and that he has managed to get his boyfriend on court too!
As for the general schedule, they usually play on Thursdays and Sundays, and people can join their round robins by contacting @nycsquashclub on Instagram, or by reaching out to Open Squash.