Women's Squash Week (16th - 22nd September) is an international campaign that celebrates and raises the profile of female squash. This year's campaign is all about Rallying Together to create a fun, safe, and welcoming environment where women and girls can thrive and everyone feels like they belong.
Celebrating Our Women in Squash
Oriam is a hub for squash activity in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. With 8 high-quality courts on offer alongside an active squash club, scholarship programme and Scottish Squash based on site, there's no where better to play squash in Scotland. Our thriving squash community is open and welcome to all and as part of Women's Squash Week 2024, we're delighted to be celebrating some of our incredible women in squash.
Our Scottish Women's Champions
Earlier this year we were lucky enough to host the Scottish National League finals. The day saw some of the country's best squash players in action with teams travelling across Scotland to compete on our squash courts. Our own Heriot-Watt University Oriam Women's team came out on top on the day, winning the Scottish Women's National League title, and securing their position in the European Club Championships.
The team travelled to Roehampton Club in South West London earlier this month to compete in the European Club Championships against some of the continent's top talent. With seven teams competing in a round-robin format, the team played a total of 6 matches in 4 days. Our team consisting of Erin Classen, Katriona Allen, Ellie, Jones, and Yu Ng Chen, achieved 4th place overall, winning a total of 3 matches against some tough competition, including World Number 14 Satomi Watanbe. This was an incredible achievement for the team in their first championships, and we are proud of all they have achieved.
Our Scholars
Our Squash Scholarship Programme is is designed to support athletes in a high-performance environment to help players achieve both athletic and academic success. This has see us attract top squash players from Scotland and around the world to come and study, train and play here at Oriam. We recently caught up with some of our squash scholars as part of Women's Squash Week 2024 to find out about their journey and how they got into the sport.
Our Coaches
This past year has seen some incredible achievements in the world of squash, here at Oriam. From the formation of our squash club which has flourished into a thriving sports community, to our scholars competing on the world stage, squash at Oriam has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of our fantastic coaches.
Donna Lobban - Head Squash Coach
We are delighted to have Donna Lobban as our head squash coach here at Oriam. As a Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Donna has competed at the highest level and leads the Squash Scholarship Programme here at Oriam. From working with our scholars to providing coaching support for Heriot-Watt University Squash Club, Donna brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to help players develop their skills and get the most from their game. This support has seen Oriam become a destination for squash in Scotland with our teams breaking records year on year.
Kylie Lindsay
Kylie supports squash at Oriam alongside her role with Scottish Squash as a Performance Coach and Pathway Manager. Having competed professionally for 8 years, achieving a world ranking if 34 and representing New Zealand at 2 Commonwealth Games, Kylie has been a key player in the growth of squash here at Oriam and Scotland as a whole.
Rally Together and Get Involved With Squash at Oriam
Feeling inspired to pick up a racquet? There's plenty of opportunities to get involved and play squash at Oriam. From our welcoming and inclusive squash club, open to players of all levels; to pay as you play squash, perfect for getting a game in with your friends or family, you can do it all here at Oriam.
Oriam Squash Club
Our Community Squash Club Membership is perfect for anyone interested in playing regularly at Oriam. This membership provides access to 10 inclusive 1 hour court bookings, alongside a range of exclusive member only classes ideal for playing and keeping active in a community environment. With 8 high-quality courts available on-site, and a programme headed by Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winner Donna Lobban, this offers a fantastic opportunity to play, train and meet new friends in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
We run a range of activities each week for players of all levels, including a Women's Social Squash session on Wednesday evenings.
Pay As You Play Squash - Book a Squash Court
Looking to give squash a try? With 8 high-quality courts to choose from, Oriam offers the perfect environment for playing squash. You can hire everything you need to play and get started from Oriam reception. Simply book online or via our app and step on court today.