History of the Organization

Brief History of U.S. Squash

The United States Squash Racquets Association (USSRA) was founded in Philadelphia in 1904, following the popular desire of local athletes to organize the newly exploding sport. With its creation, U.S. Squash (the organization starting doing business as U.S. Squash in 2006) became the first national squash body in the world. U.S. Squash took immediate action to govern the sport by creating crude regulations that dictated everything from court and ball specifics, to the rules and regulations of the game.

In 1923 U.S. Squash began its decades-long expansion and promotion of squash in the first annual meeting of the Executive Board. At this time, U.S. Squash began to formulate the more contemporary mission, policies, and by-laws of the organization.

As years passed and the sport grew, U.S. Squash evolved to accommodate the demand by expanding board positions and hiring full time executives. By the 1950s U.S. Squash graduated from its initial mission to nationally organize the sport, and began to promote its growth with the advent of both the junior and senior nationals, and the Association officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit in New York State in 1957.

Squash was perhaps one of the most pioneering sports of its time, and U.S. Squash was one of the first national athletic organizations to promote female participation. In the 1970s, the United States Women’s Squash Racquets Association (USWSRA) was created as the governing body of Women’s squash. U.S. Squash and the USWSRA worked in conjunction until the organizations merged in 1979, in an effort to promote the sport as a unified, and thus more influential, advocate for the sport.

In 1975 Darwin P. Kingsley became the first Executive Director of U.S. Squash. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors realized the need for a full time leader of the organization. Despite modest beginnings, Kingsley revolutionized both the sport and the organization. When he assumed the position, there were 800 members and 40 member clubs. By the time he retired in 1992, U.S. Squash boasted 10,000 members and 250 member clubs. Craig Brand served for ten years in the role of Executive Director, shepherding the transition from the dominance of the hardball singles game to the international softball game as well as opening doors with the U.S. Olympic Committee by becoming a member Association. Palmer Page took the reigns as the Chief Executive Officer in 2003 and quickly injected 21st century technology to support the growing sport’s needs and celebrated the Association’s 100th year with an historic gala. Kevin Klipstein, the current CEO, succeeded Page in late 2004.

In the 104 years since its creation, U.S. Squash has come further and made more innovations and improvements to the game than any other national squash governing body. U.S. Squash is still a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and governs the affairs of a broad based national individual membership and a club network where squash is played in over 1,000 facilities across the country, with over 11,000 members.