In Squash - The Podcast

After many head scratching years of wondering why pro league squash hadn't taken off in the US, Fernando Valdizan along with co-founders Spencer Lovejoy and Timmy Brownell have put something truly special together with the National Squash League. The NSL is set for it's 3rd season after 2 incredibly successful previous editions. Fernando and I talk about how this all came together, what it means for squash overall, expansion, and much more.

Class is now in session. Rob Dinerman has forgotten more about the history of squash than I’ll ever know—apart from maybe Jonah Barrington—but few speak or write as eloquently about our beloved game as Rob. In this episode, he delivers a tremendous recap of U.S. College Squash’s 2025 season alongside highlights from the latest U.S. pro hardball doubles circuit. He’s also been busy off the court: within the past year, Rob has published two new books—Racquets at Rest and Racquets and Rivalries. He takes us inside both works, which you can find on Amazon

Fresh off an impressive showing at the 2025 World Junior Championships, US Junior National Team Director Karim Ibrahim joins us to share his thoughts on the team’s performance and the event itself. Additionally, he discusses what makes Amina Orfi and Mohamad Zakaria so exceptional, weighs in on whether the gap between Egypt and the rest of the world is growing, and takes us inside the game of his uber-talented younger brother, world #10 Yousef Ibrahim.

Three-time British National Champion, 2014 World Team Champion with England, and a former World No. 5 — Sarah-Jane Perry’s squash résumé speaks for itself. In this episode, Sarah reflects on her incredible PSA journey as she officially bows out from the pro tour. Her swan song came fittingly at the 2025 British Open, held close to home in Birmingham — the perfect time and place for a memorable send-off. We talk about career-defining moments, her player/coach dynamic with Rob Owen, what made this final British Open so special, and much more.

Squash Canada CEO Jamie Nicholls makes his debut on the pod—and he does not disappoint. We dive into Jamie’s squash backstory, relive the glory years of Canadian squash, and trace his evolution from athlete to executive. He shares candid insights into his leadership approach, the vision driving Squash Canada forward (including the Road to the Podium fundraiser), and what it will take for our athletes to thrive on the road to LA28.

3 time British Open champion and former world #1 Nick Matthew breaks down the 2025 British Open which saw Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias emerge victorious. He also gives heartwarming tributes to the recently retired Ali Farag and Hall of Fame inductee Jonah Barrington. We also take a trip down his personal British Open memory lane. Great chat with The Wolf!!

Squash Player Magazine Editor in Chief Nathan Clarke jumps back onto the pod to recap the World Championships and set the stage for the iconic British Open which kicks off in a few days time. We also talk about the new Squash Player Magazine podcast which was launched just a few weeks back. Great chat.

For 26 years, Steve Lawton held down the fort as the head squash professional at the Vancouver Racquet Club. With over 30 years of experience playing at the highest level in Canada during an era where we had several players in the top 30 in the world, Steve brought to Canada a style of squash that had rarely been seen on Canadian courts, both in terms of squash flare and banter with the officials and his opposition. A true legend of the game, he’s recorded big wins against top tour players at the World Team Championships and even took a game off former world #6 Jonah Barrington at the Canadian Open. In this episode, Steve and I take a deep dive into his incredible journey in squash—from his playing days to his enduring legacy in Canadian squash

Here's Johnny!! Back just in time to recap the season just ahead of the World Championships in a few weeks' time. Johnny's going to be at the World's in Chicago on the mic for SquashTV, and he's got his thoughts on how it's going to play for both the men and women.

At the age of 21 Mostafa Asal reached world number one for the first time, and he made it to the promised land once again a few months ago, recently retaining that top spot in a winner take all type final at El Ghuna earlier this April. In the aftermath of that win though, a youtube video titled "Mostafa Asal Cheating Analysis" was released highlighting 4 or 5 areas in Asal's game that they allege prove he is cheating. The video could have been an objective piece that identifies and discusses the leg trips, aggressive swings, and taking space issues, but instead the video is injected with troubling hateful language and doesn't raise any questions, only pointing fingers solely at Asal. Mostafa provides his thoughts on the video and how he's handling the upshot of it all. We also discuss the high stakes face-off with Ali Farag at El Ghouna, how he adjusted to life and squash in Pontefract, his relationship with coach James Willstrop, his brother Marwan and much more.

University of Pennsylvania men's team won its first ever Potter Cup in 2024, and proved they weren't a one hit wonder by winning it again in 2025. Head coach Gilly Lane talks about this year's win, winning two in a row, this year's team, the 7 seniors who will be moving on, College Squash individual champion Salman Khalil, and what it's going to take to make it a three-peat.

Parlaying a playing career which saw him reach world #1 in 2004 into an incredibly successful coaching career is not something you see very often, and the more of John White we see, the better it is for squash. John White ranks up there with the most exciting players in the history of our sport, and now he's developed a highly successful College Squash program at Drexel University from the ground up. John talks about Drexel's 2024/25 season which saw both men's and women's teams finish in the top 10, the tragic passing of former Drexel captain Filip Krueger, the National Squash League and the Philadelphia Lightning, and some nuggets from his days on tour.

Jamie Maddox is one of the most prolific content creators in squash today. For over a decade, Squash Stories has been the go-to online squash community, bringing players and fans together to discuss everything from the pro game and officiating to squash history, lore, and even the occasional laugh—all with squash as the backdrop. In this episode, Jamie and I discuss the evolution of Squash Stories, Mostafa Asal’s return to world #1, the state of the pro game, the progress in officiating, and much more.

Squash Egypt has its first ever female President, Amna Eltarabolsy; former world junior runner up and world junior teams champion. She's been a member of Squash Egypt's board for several years, and now she's ready to take Egypt to yet another level. Amna lays out her vision, Squash Egypt's success at growing the game, its unparalleled junior program, LA 28, and much more.

Karim Darwish was one of the Egyptian greats, along with Ahmad Barada, Amr Shabana, Rami Ashour and Mohammed El Shorbagi, who laid the groundwork for Egypt's complete domination of the pro game. Darwish reached world #1 in 2009 and was part of 2 World Championship winning teams in 2009 and 2011. Karim's post playing career has been nothing less than impressive as well. He's the man behind the Wadi Degla Squash Academy, with 9 branches and counting, and over 2000 juniors across Egypt. Darwish also served as VP of the World Squash Federation and was part of the historic story behind squash's long awaited acceptance as an Olympic sport for LA 28. We take deep dives on all of this and so much more.

Not many can lay claim to being inducted into both the Canadian and US Squash Halls of Fame, but Gary Waite might be the one and only. 4 Time Canadian National Champion, World #1 Hardball singles and doubles, and as high as 12 on the pro softball tour, Gary Waite's eclectic squash accolades are unparalleled. Gary takes us back to the Sarnia wolf pack that laid the groundwork, memories and rivalries throughout the years in Canada, Canada's second place finish at the 1997 World Teams, his hardball days, his vision to bring hardball doubles into the mainstream of racket sports, Harrow Squash, Jack Fairs and much more.

The National Squash League launched in 2024 as a pro squash league unlike anything we've seen before. The brainchild of several young US squash brains including Timmy Brownell and Spencer Lovejoy, have come up with a concept that includes a match with 3 periods and a potential shoot out to determine the winning team. The Philadelphia Lightning are one of several expansion teams to join the NSL, and B.G. Lemmon and the rest of the ownership team in Philadelphia can't wait for the season to commence. Draft day, much like most professional sports, brings with it great anticipation as the list of players available includes none other than Mostafa Asal, Mohammed El Shorbagy and the Colombian Cannonball Miguel Rodriquez just to name a few. B.G. and I talk about all of this and more on Ep. 351

Miles Jenkins has been working with Joel Makin for the last 12 years; former college teammates at the University of Birmingham which was the beginning of the supremely successful player/coach partnership that we see today. Miles talks about those early beginnings with Joel, the evolution of Joel's game and the skillset which has him at #5 in the world, what is required to gatecrash Asal, Elias and Farag, and a deep dive into Miles' coaching philosophy. Many thanks to our sponsors Open Squash and Squashify.

Calgary's Bow Valley Athletic Club will host the Airsprint Private Aviation Canadian Men's Open in week's time and the Bow Valley brain trust, CEO Dean Brown and Darren Thompson, talk about the event, last year's epic final, this year's draw, the growth of BVAC since it reopened during Covid, and much more.