Darwin Squash

The DSA Members survey was conducted in Nov 2010 in order for the DSA to facilitate change. The survey was designed to gather members’ opinions and ideas so we can improve our services, retain existing members, generate new memberships and improve our overall public image. Below is a summary of some of the general themes from the survey and some answers/explanations from the DSA Committee.

Implementation of a more complete membership structure that allows for up to annual membership options.

a. With a new facility this is definitely something that will be considered. The implementation of an electronic membership system has been considered for some time and the DSA had a grant to install such a system in the current facility, however given the uncertainty with the current facility this was put on hold.

Have more events such as tournaments, ladies days and social events.

More tournaments:

• We are running a number of tournaments at the facility already, however they are not well supported by the general membership base. This makes it difficult to run successful tournaments. The DSA is committed to finding out why these tournaments are not supported to capacity.

Introduction of a ladies competition / morning

• The lack of women in squash is a key development point for the DSA Committee. It is hoped that with the location of the new facility close to both Playgroup NT and the Toy Library there is good potential for development in this avenue.

More social events

• If you would like to help organise a social event then the DSA Committee would love to hear from you.

Junior Programmes need to be better developed and in particular participation with women.

• We do have a great Junior Program, however it may need some better advertisement of what is on offer and ensuring that it is meeting the needs of the DSA Membership base. This will be looked at by the DSA Committee and the DSA Junior Committee.

The lack of a selection of items available at the DSA shop was noted throughout the survey.

a. Have more food available for purchase including coffee / tea;

• Unfortunately given the current design of the facility it does not meet Government regulations for a lot of the food serving requirements. Also we lack the space at the front counter. This has definitely been taken into consideration for the new facility.

b. A wider range of squash apparel, including ladies clothing, bags, shoes, bandanas, sweatbands etc;

• The DSA Shop deliberately keeps a low stock of product to reduce business overheads. Scott does however have access to a wide range of squash apparel at very competitive prices through his Merchandise Reps. So if you find something online or in another shop then ask Scott for a quote. By buying at the DSA Shop you are supporting the Club.

c. A wider range of racquet brands;

• Again, have a talk to Scott as he has access to a wide range of suppliers. If you like it, he can probably get it at a very competitive price.

d. Having a club T-Shirt.

• Great Idea! Watch this space. If anyone has got any design ideas then let Paul Mead know.

The availability of coaching services should be more widely advertised, with coaching available to be purchased per session or by block.

• There are only a small number of accredited coaches within the club; however we are working on getting more accredited. Most of the coaches unfortunately have limited hours with reasonably full schedules. Each coach has different prices for their sessions. If you are interested in getting some coaching then have a chat to Scott and he will be able to point you to a coach who can meet your needs. In the future we will look to getting Coach Profiles on the website.

Remember a strong and successful club is one where its members fully support the club and its activities. The club only exists because of its members, so please feel free to raise any issues or suggestions to the DSA Committee.

The 2011 Wet Season Pennant Competition is open for nomination!

The competition starts 1st February 2011 and nomination forms can be found at the club, downloaded here or completed online below.

Please note that ALL pennant players must be registered club members!!

Commences - 1st February 2011

Grand Finals - Saturday 21st May. Starting at 3.00pm

***Update – 05/02/11***

Nominations now closed. If you would like to be a pennant reserve, please Contact DSA for more information.

NTMSA-Newsletter-Issue1

Message from DSA’s Manager Scott Chamings and DSA President Richard Weir

Over the last five years the Darwin Squash Association (DSA) has been lobbying the NT Government to assist in providing funds for a suitable relocation and implementation of a more efficient and progressive squash facility. The current facility is privately owned and has been deemed for redevelopment as of the 1st July 2011. Our priority is to have a squash centre built in Darwin’s premier sporting precinct based in Marrara along with many of the other high profile sporting organisations. The present Marrara Precinct tenants are all under perpetual land lease agreements. (i.e. the Government still owns the land) The NT Government earlier this year allocated the peak body – Squash NT, an appropriate parcel of land for the construction of a new squash facility. The actual funding to build this facility still needs to be found

Our efforts for this project to reach fruition have been hampered by bureaucratic processes that are out of our control. (e.g. Three Sport Ministers in the last five years has forced us to reinitiate the application process on commencement of each of their designated portfolios.)

We have provided the NT Government with the necessary resources addressing the majority of their concerns. These include:

• Viability of seeking external funding

• Merging of alternative sporting organisation in the similar positions of ourselves.

• Provision of factual data regarding the sports future longevity.

• Provision of facility concepts that are suitable to meet the squash community needs.

• The effective renegotiation of our present lease agreement to July 1st 2011. Although this has shown to be anything but cost efficient it still provided us with an avenue to maintain player participation.

At present negotiations are taking place relating to various interim options. These being:

• Short term viability of upgrading pre-existing squash courts within the Darwin/Palmerston region.

• Improvisation of concept plans to assist the government in relieving budgetary constraints. (This option would provide negative outcomes in future government negotiations)

• Assessing of various locations around Darwin to implement interim measures.

• The provision of an improved and comprehensive business proposal ensuring the government has a solid foundation in executing the correct channels of resolve.

The DSA are currently working hard to ensure that squash in Darwin has a home for the future. Whilst there are many options being considered, the DSA is working to ensure that the options presented to the NT Government are both functional and ensure the sustainability of squash in Darwin is bright. In short, we have one shot with the Government to get it right, therefore we want to get what is best for the future of squash.

Some options that have been proposed may be on the ‘cheap’ side; however we don’t want to be left with a facility that is not to international standards and is of poor quality which results in people not wanting to play on them and results in being a financial burden for the DSA.

Accepting second best as far as the DSA is concerned does not do justice to the hard work and negotiations already undertaken by members of the DSA. It does not do justice to the past, current and future players who will use this facility and will not ensure a long term trouble free facility that encompasses the needs of all players well into the future.

This is the fine balance that the DSA is currently working on with an Investment Proposal to ensure that squash remains a sport available to the Darwin Community. Squash NT is also being kept involved in this process to ensure that the process is transparent.

This Proposal will be available to all club members via the DSA Website when it is completed in the near future. It is a comprehensive document that covers the reasons why we need the facility, alignment to NT Government Policies and a detailed Options Analysis with financial reports. It will be presented to the NT Government at a meeting scheduled for early in the New Year.

The DSA Executive Committee is aware of the squash community’s concerns regarding our future and is confident that a resolution will be presented in due course. We appreciate the efforts and contributions from those club members who have been pro-active in their ventures to support the project. We understand the importance of having somewhere to play but we must remain focussed that the facility provides us with the sustainability, sport development and enjoyment we deserve.

We will provide updates regarding additional information in its forth coming.

Thank you for your patience and ongoing support.

Scott Chamings – DSA Manager, Richard Weir – DSA President

The centre will be closing over the Christmas and New Year period, from Tuesday the 23rd of December to Thursday the 4th of January.

On behalf of the DSA Staff and Committee, we wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous Christmas and New Years and look forward to seeing you back down at the club in early January.

From Wendy Beard

For those of you who don’t know, I will be taking over Paul (Curly) McKerlie’s job running the weekly teams for Master’s Comp for 2011.

Thursday the 16th of December are the finals for this round and Vince has asked everyone to bring a plate to share.

The Centre will be closed from Thursday 23rd December 2010 (no Masters for the 23rd) and reopening on Tuesday 4th January 2011. Thursday 6th January 2011 will see the start of Master’s for 2011 and a social round will be played, with the start of the first round of Masters for 2011 being played on the 13th January.

For those of you who will be playing the next round please let me know, by return email or if you see me tonight (16/12/10) or Tuesday night (21/12/10) , if you will be committing to a team or just reserving.

Unless anyone has any strong objections, the format will stay the same until I have gained more experience with this new task.

If I don’t see you before hand, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Wendy Beard

If you wish to contact Wendy, please do so through the DSA Contact Us Page

The DSA Wet Season Pennant is done for 2010, leaving behind some great matches, surprising results and plenty of fun! Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the finalists and winners. We look forward to a great Dry Season Pennant in 2011.

Here are some photos from the finals (click photo to enlarge).

[Show as slideshow]

The DSA Christmas Party was held this year the the Nightcliff Sports Club.

Here are some photos of DSA’s members enjoying the fun! (Click photos to enlarge).

[Show as slideshow]

Here are the latest PSA Squash world rankings, released 01 December, 2010.

For the full ranking list and further information about rankings, please visit PSA Squash.

On Wednesday 23rd November the Squash Club hosted a challenge tournament between the New Future Alliance and the Sitzler Territory Alliance.

Approximately 20 players took part ranging from complete novice through to current playing members. Several participants that had never picked up a racquet before enjoyed the opportunity to try out the game, guided by some expert tips from DSA’s Manager/Super Coach Scott Chamings.

A comprehensive grading system was used to try and match player abilities:

SQUASH RATING :

0 Never played before, really just signing up to play for the beer afterwards

1 Played many years ago, will dust off the racket and give it another go for a laugh

2 Played a few years ago and up for a challenge to see if the memory is still there

3 Currently engaged in social squash, not too much of a danger (to self or others)

4 Currently play competitive “serious” squash and/or actually graded

5 Fiercely Competitive : Win or Die Trying !!

The overall result was a win for the Sitzler Territory Alliance as they were victorious in slightly more than half of their games. A rematch looks to be on the cards soon!

Both the Sitzler Territory Alliance and the New Future Alliance have expressed huge thanks to Jesse and Scott for assisting with the event on the night, especially Scott for hosting the impromptu coaching session. Many ex-players have expressed an interest in again getting involved in the sport and we hope to see some of these people as regular competitors on Wednesday evenings.

[Show as slideshow]

Photos, from left to right:

Tara Mallie (New Future Alliance) vs Steve Wild (Sitzler Territory Alliance)

Hannes Scholl (STA) vs Jim Soul (NFA)

John McCullough (NFA) vs Ram Gouthaman (STA)

Thanks to Andrew Ling and Sitzler for submitting the article and images.

If your company is interested in organising corporate events please contact DSA for further information.

As usual, DSA is running a Christmas competition. This year the comp will start 4 weeks prior to Christmas and finish 4 weeks after New Year, just prior to the new Pennant season 2011.

The competition will be on a Tuesday night, handicapped and FUN. Supper will be provided for all who wish to stay and socialise.

Competition Details:

Entry Fee: $100 per player (includes weekly court cost)

Time: 7.30pm, Tuesdays

Nominations Close: Friday 26th November 2010

Start Date: 30th November 2010