Introduction
The Junior Excellence Programme provides a pathway for all junior players to progress through. This pathway provides junior players with the opportunity, within a national squad environment, to develop all areas of their game and supports them to improve and reach their potential.
The Junior Excellence Programme plays an important role in ensuring the future of the sport in Scotland is strong, encouraging more young people to play squash and inspiring them to become full time senior athletes in the future. A collaborative approach to helping the players develop is important and, to achieve this, communication between the squad coaches, individual coaches, parents and the players is key.
The expectation of players in the Junior Excellence Programme is that they are committed to attending the squad sessions during the season, ask questions and welcome feedback, demonstrate a desire to improve, work hard in between squads to make improvements, seek out opportunities to be challenged, and have aspirations for their squash in the future.
If you have any queries or you would like to discuss a potential application to the Junior Excellence Programme, please contact SSL’s Senior Performance Coach at kylie.lindsay@scottishsquash.org
Boys Academy – Lead Coach: Kylie Lindsay
The squad will be based and run in a professional environment with our senior players training in the sessions when available. There will be much greater court availability so players are able to work and practice without restrictions. The players involved in the squad should be aspiring to become full time senior athletes in the future or training at a level which would give them the opportunity to do so.
Players will be expected to be self-reliant in their squash progress but be given all the resources and information needed to be successful. The SSL Senior Performance Coach will work with the players individual coaches to support their player development.
- There will be 10 squad days throughout the season, which will all take place on a Saturday between 10am-4pm.
- Throughout the season, players will be encouraged to review their progress in training and competitions and new applications will be welcomed at any stage in the season. Please apply via the link here.
- Main venue: Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS.
- Cost: £250.00 per season.
Girls Academy – Lead Coach: Kylie Lindsay
The squad will be based and run in a professional environment with our senior players training in the sessions when available. There will be much greater court availability so players are able to work and practice without restrictions. The players involved in the squad should be aspiring to become full time senior athletes in the future or training at a level which would give them the opportunity to do so.
Players will be expected to be self-reliant in their squash progress but be given all the resources and information needed to be successful. The SSL Senior Performance Coach will work with the players individual coaches to support their player development.
- There will be 10 squad days throughout the season, which will all take place on a Saturday or Sunday between 10am-4pm.
- Throughout the season, players will be encouraged to review their progress in training and competitions and new applications will be welcomed at any stage in the season. Please apply via the link here.
- Main venue: TBC
- Cost: £250.00 per season.
Development Squad – Lead Coach: Simon Boughton
The Development Squad is designed to guide young players through the process of developing all the necessary attributes for the athletes to begin to compete at the top level. The programme will be holistic to develop all the necessary attributes a top junior squash player requires with a strong focus on technical, skill and tactical development and coached at a level that all athletes involved will understand. This will be the perfect opportunity for players to build all the necessary skills to be a top squash player in a highly supportive and quality coaching environment.
- It will be a mixed squad of boys and girls and there will be 10 squad days throughout the season, which will all take place on a Saturday or Sunday between 10am-4pm.
- The Lead Coach will communicate with individual coaches/parents to give feedback on the squad and their players.
- Throughout the season, players will be encouraged to review their progress in training and competitions and new applications will be welcomed at any stage in the season. Please apply via the link here.
- Main venue: TBC
- Cost: £250.00 per season.
Youth Development Squad – Lead Coach: TBC
The Youth Development Squad will offer high quality group coaching and the opportunity for young players to train with each other in a high-performance environment. The squad will bring together the best young players from across Scotland, with sessions aimed at being fun and inspiring as well as developing the fundamental technical & tactical skills required to develop their squash further.
- There will be 10 squad days throughout the season, which will all take place on a Saturday or Sunday between 10am-4pm.
- The Lead Coach will communicate with individual coaches/parents to give feedback on the squad and their players.
- Main venue: TBC
- Cost: £250.00 per season.
