Junior Squash: A Parent’s Guide to Kids, Rankings and Recruiting

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Saturday morning at a junior tournament: a row of glass-backed courts, a dozen kids in goggles warming up, parents on the stairs with snacks and phones. Your daughter wins her first match 3–1, sits down for two minutes, then picks up a scoresheet to referee the next one, because in squash that’s part of the deal. Junior squash builds fit, quick, fair-minded kids, and in the US it can lead to high school nationals, college teams and now even the Olympics. This parent’s guide covers how kids start, the US Squash age groups and junior rankings, eye protection, which ball and racket fit, keeping young players healthy, and how college recruiting works.

Where kids start playing

• Club junior programs: group clinics and private lessons at squash clubs, gyms and university courts.
• Schools: many schools with courts field teams that play in leagues and at the U.S. High School Team Championships.
• Urban squash programs: the Squash and Education Alliance links 22 programs, with more than 3,200 year-round team members, that combine squash with tutoring and mentoring; SquashSmarts in Philadelphia, founded in 2000, is one. They’re a great door into the sport when there’s no club nearby.
• Summer camps: a low-pressure way to try squash for a week.

For young kids, coaches use smaller rackets and bigger, bouncier balls so the ball stays up long enough to hit. Dunlop’s mini squash balls, for example, include a red “Fun” ball for about ages 5 to 7 and an orange “Play” ball for about 7 to 10, before kids move to the dotted balls adults use. Our squash gear page has the full ball chart.

Junior tournaments and age groups

US Squash junior tournaments run in five age divisions: U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19, for girls and boys, plus some rating-based divisions. A player must still be under the division’s age on the last day of the tournament. All accredited junior tournaments use PAR scoring to 11 and best-of-five matches. Tournaments come in levels from Bronze, Silver and Gold up to the Junior Championship Tour (JCT).

To enter, a player needs a Club Locker account, a current US Squash membership and a passed age-appropriate online referee exam: Level 1 for U11 and U13, Level 2 for U15, Level 3 for U17 and Level 4 for U19. At the tournament, players referee the match that follows theirs on court. It’s a great way to learn the rules; our squash rules page is a good place to study lets and strokes first.

US Squash junior rankings

Junior rankings are points-based. Players earn points at accredited tournaments depending on the tournament level, the size of the division and where they finish. A ranking is the average of a player’s top 4 points-earning tournaments in the past 11 months, compared with everyone else in the age group. To be ranked, a junior needs a current membership, the referee exam for their age group, US citizenship or residency, and at least 3 tournaments in the past 11 months. Players can play up one division if they’re within 12 months of aging up or ranked in the top 16 of the division below.

Juniors also have a US Squash rating (the Universal Squash Rating), built from every match entered in Club Locker, which helps match them with players at their level. More on the rating on our squash leagues and associations page.

Eye protection is required

This is the one rule parents should know before the first lesson. World Squash makes protective eyewear mandatory at its junior events, and US Squash requires every player and coach on court at its accredited events, juniors included, to wear eyewear that meets ASTM F3164, with the older ASTM F803 still accepted. It must be on the ASTM reference listing and worn as designed, not altered.

The reason is simple. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Pediatrics rate squash as high-risk for eye injury and recommend polycarbonate eyewear that passes ASTM F803; regular glasses aren’t enough, and kids who see with only one good eye should always wear protection. A 2023 review found that lensless “open” eye guards didn’t protect in squash because the ball can squeeze through. Buy goggles that fit your child’s face snugly, check the standard on the packaging, and replace them if they crack.

Keeping young players healthy

• Play other sports too: the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that early single-sport specialization and intense training can lead to overuse injuries and burnout.
• Ankles and knees: squash injuries are mostly in the lower limb. A proper warm-up, court shoes that fit, and gradual increases in training help. Pain that lasts or changes how a child moves needs a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer.
• Head knocks: kids collide with walls and sometimes rackets. Follow the CDC’s HEADS UP advice: if a player seems dazed or confused, or has a headache, dizziness or blurry vision after a blow to the head, they stop for the day and see a healthcare provider. Call 911 for seizures, passing out, a worsening headache or unequal pupils.
• Eye hits: any eye hit by a ball or racket should be checked by a doctor the same day.
• Fuel and sleep on tournament weekends: water between matches, easy snacks, a real meal after, and enough sleep: the CDC recommends 9 to 12 hours a night for ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 for teens.

High school squash and college recruiting

The U.S. High School Team Championships every February is the big event for school teams; the 2026 edition had more than 1,700 players on 210 teams in fourteen divisions around Philadelphia. After that, college: the College Squash Association runs varsity and club squash for men and women. A few things families should know about squash recruiting:

• When: college coaches may start contacting recruits on September 8 of 11th grade (calls, emails, messages, unofficial visits).
• Visits: official visits are limited to one per college and five to NCAA Division I schools; NESCAC schools start official visits in 12th grade.
• Scholarships: the CSA says only a few teams can offer athletic scholarships, and Ivy League and Division III schools can’t. Academics matter a lot.
• Getting noticed: college coaches use US Squash junior rankings to find players, so tournament results count; there are also many club teams for players who want to keep playing without a varsity commitment.

What to buy for a young player

Start small: a junior racket the right length, goggles that fit, non-marking court shoes and a water bottle. The Dunlop Fun Junior is a 22-inch, 180-gram alloy racket made for ages 5 to 7 (about $43); older juniors move up to frames like the Tecnifibre Carboflex Junior (about $100). For eyes, the Dunlop Junior Protective Eyewear is sized for smaller faces and World Squash approved, according to the listing (about $34); before a US tournament, check that the goggles you buy carry the ASTM F3164 or F803 marking. A Nalgene 32 oz bottle (about $16) makes it through every tournament. Prices are what we saw at Amazon in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Back to the squash hub, or see squash rules, leagues and associations and squash gear. Have a tennis player too? See youth tennis.

Junior squash FAQs for parents

What age can kids start squash?

Junior rackets and mini squash balls are made for kids from about age 5, so many start in the early school years. US Squash’s youngest tournament division is U11. Let kids try it for fun first, and keep them playing other sports too.

Do juniors have to wear goggles in squash?

Yes, at tournaments. World Squash requires eyewear at its junior events, and US Squash requires it for all players and coaches on court at accredited events: ASTM F3164, with F803 also accepted. We’d make it a rule for every practice too.

How do US Squash junior rankings work?

They’re based on points from accredited tournaments: your ranking is the average of your best 4 tournaments in the past 11 months. You need a membership, the referee exam for your age group and at least 3 tournaments to be ranked.

Why do junior players have to referee?

It’s part of US Squash junior tournaments: players referee the match after theirs, and they pass an online referee exam for their age group before entering. It teaches the rules, especially lets and strokes, and fair play.

When can college squash coaches contact my child?

From September 8 of 11th grade. Athletic scholarships are rare in college squash (Ivy League and Division III schools don’t offer them), so strong grades matter as much as rankings.