About Me
I'm an experienced software developer and since 2019 I've been an avid squash player. I created this website mainly as an opportunity to teach myself some of the technical skills behind building and running a site like this (see below) but I'd love for this site to be a useful tool for the London squash community.
Technical Details
This site is built using React and Next.js, with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui for the UI. There is a backend server written in Scala which does the work of scraping the leisure centre websites and APIs for court availability information. Both the backend and the frontend are hosted on a VPS from OVH.
History of Squash in London
London is where squash began. It evolved from 'rackets' which was played in London's prisons in the 19th century and became 'squash' at Harrow School in the 1830s. 1922 saw the first British Open at Queen's Club in West Kensington. In 2010, Sport England statistics showed that 500,000 people regularly played squash in England but by 2023 this had declined to just over 250,000. The inclusion of squash in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will boost the sport's popularity but it's important to keep the sport alive and thriving in London in the meantime.
My Vision
I'd like to expand this site to include more public squash courts across London where possible. Not all places have easily searchable court availability information that I can integrate with, but I'll start adding more links when I can. I'd also like to compile information of public leagues, ladders and social sessions as well as the many affordable private clubs across the city. If you have any suggestions or would like your club or league to be included please get in touch.
Thank you for visiting my site. If you find it useful please spread the word. If you have any feedback you can email me using the link in the footer. Happy playing!