Expanding squash’s reach, Junior Pan Am 2027 on table in NSC engagements

The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) recently met with the National Sports Commission (NSC) in discussions focused on expanding the reach of squash beyond Georgetown and laying the groundwork for Guyana’s hosting of the 2027 Junior Pan American Squash Championship.
Monday’s engagement formed part of the NSC’s ongoing meeting and consultation process with National Sports Associations and Federations on developmental matters, as the Commission continues to assess and support structured growth plans across disciplines.
Leading the GSA delegation was its President, David Fernandes, while Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle led the NSC team.
Fernandes used the opportunity to both reflect on a landmark year for the sport and outline an ambitious vision for the future.
Fernandes expressed gratitude for the level of institutional backing the Association has received, particularly in 2025.
He noted that Guyana stepped up at short notice to host the Caribbean Championship after Jamaica was forced to withdraw as host due to Hurricane Malissa. That tournament, staged at the National Racquet Centre, proved to be a major success both organisationally and competitively.
Fernandes highlighted that Guyana finished second overall at the Caribbean Championship, while the country’s junior team successfully defended their title on home soil, pointing to a strong indication of the sport’s healthy pipeline of talent.
“We also qualified for the Central American and Caribbean [CAC] Games (men and women), achieving that during the team’s tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was a great year, including the youths that travelled to different tours all over the world, gaining exposure,” Fernandes said.

Beyond results, the meeting also addressed infrastructure and collaboration, particularly concerning the National Racquet Centre.
Fernandes pointed out, “We also spoke about building and growing the relationship and the use of the court at the National Racquet Centre.”
A central theme of the GSA’s presentation was the need to decentralise the sport and challenge the perception that squash is confined to Georgetown.
Fernandes explained that there are facilities in several regions that could be revived to support the game’s expansion, while mobile court technology could accelerate outreach into schools.
According to Fernanes, “We spoke about using facilities in outlying regions that just need resuscitation. So that conversations will be had with the people who are responsible for those facilities, or we can speed up the process of importing the mobile courts, which basically are a front and side wall, that we can move in a vehicle to different schools, where we can see where the potential is and will give an opportunity to the youths to learn a little bit more about the game.”
Fernandes said taking the game to the schools would also allow for physical education teachers to be taught the basic squash skills needed for coaching, “or even level one coaching certification, which is possible in Guyana, due to the fact that coach [Carl] Ince is a certified trainer, so we can have them [the teachers] go to his facility or have him go to different regions to certify these persons to be able to coach squash, which will also benefit them in becoming certified level one coaches in other sports because the basic things are relevant to other sports.”
Fernandes described the engagement with the NSC as “insightful, and we did share common interest in common goals that we have for the year 2026.”
Looking further ahead, the GSA President revealed a major milestone for the sport locally, adding, “In addition to that, which is probably even more significant, we’ve been given the go-ahead by the Pan American Squash Federation to host the Pan Am Junior Squash Championship here in 2027, from the 28th of June to July 4th.”
“So having had this meeting was timely because it gave us the possibility, long in advance, of partnering with the Government and the Ministry and with the National Sports Commission to make sure that this event is a success,” the GSA President said. Fernandes added that Ninvalle advised that the GSA write to Ministers Charles Ramson and Steven Jacob, outlining their intent to host.
Fernandes reasoned that the GSA is focused on bridging strong performances on court and a clear developmental roadmap for the sport in Guyana, which he said will give squash significant national and international growth.