Where COMMUNITY meets competition
Located in Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood, Steel City Squash is building a community where players of every age, background, and ability can discover the sport, develop their skills, and find a place to belong.
At the heart of Steel City Squash, we believe that sport can create opportunity.
Through education, mentoring, community service, travel, and squash, we provide Pittsburgh youth with consistent, long-term support and the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. We challenge our students to work hard, pursue their goals, and become leaders both on and off the court.
At the same time, we're building a community where families, friends, adults, beginners, recreational players, and elite athletes can all share the same space and passion for the game.
Our Vision
Steel City Squash is a non-profit 501c3 organization. Our business model may be best understood in two parts. One part provides membership, clinics, leagues and lessons at the facility for individuals, families, and kids. The other part is our scholarship program that provides educational support, mentorship and squash training for kids from 4th grade through high school, with the goal of college graduation and life-long success.
Why Squash
More than 20 million people worldwide play squash, and Forbes has rated it the healthiest sport. The great Egyptian pro, Amr Shabana, explained the sport’s appeal:
“Squash is the toughest, most brutal, most complete sport there is. It takes everything out of you. It takes every mental and physical effort you have. And if you do your best you have a 50% chance to win.”
In the U.S., squash is little known and has long been synonymous with prep school and Ivy League circles. Urban squash programs like Steel City Squash have proudly made this once exclusive sport accessible to students who not only benefit from its physical and mental demands, but from gaining a unique skill that distinguishes the kids in our programs. The sport is integral to our goal of helping students to prepare for and graduate from college.
Our History
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In 1995, former professional squash player Greg Zaff launched SquashBusters in Boston, MA, based off of a graduate paper he wrote entitled ‘Bringing Squash Down from the Ivory Tower, the Creation of an Urban Squash and Education Program.’ Gregg recruited 28 students to work with him after-school at the Harvard Club and Boston YMCA on homework, squash and fitness. From these humble beginnings spawned the international movement known as urban squash.
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In 2005, leaders of the four original urban squash programs banded together to create the National Urban Squash and Education Association, what is now known as the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA). The mission of SEA was and is three fold: establish and monitor best practices for member programs, coordinate national tournaments and educational opportunities, and assist in establishing new urban squash programs. Their efforts brought 18 new member programs into the SEA fold between 2005 and 2014.
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In 2014, Talbott Simonds from Pittsburgh, PA approached Tim Wyant, Executive Director of SEA, about bringing urban squash to his home city. With the initial support of the Hillman Foundation and Heinz Foundation, Talbott and Tim quickly identified a group of five founding board members who hired Brad Young to be Steel City Squash’s Executive Director. A partnership with the University of Pittsburgh was quickly solidified and Brad launched the program in January of 2015, becoming the 19
Steel City Squash is a member of the Squash+Education Alliance
SEA launches and leads youth programs that combine squash, academics, mentoring, travel, college support and career readiness.
Through the partnership with SEA, Steel City Squash is able to access and participate in national and international opportunities. Our program travels monthly to compete against sister programs in cities across the country and participates annually in the SEA Urban Team Championship, SEA Urban Individual Championship, and SEA Midwestern Championship. Our students have won national academic contests hosted by SEA, won scholarships to attend elite educational opportunities totaling over $30,000, and participated in multiple squash camp and training opportunities across the country. Without the partnership with SEA, these opportunities would be fewer and more difficult to obtain for our deserving students.
25 Programs, 15 states, 6 countries
Nationally, SEA member programs are partnered with 70 schools in under-resourced communities. Today, member programs currently have over 2,500 students enrolled, with an annual retention rate of 84% for students who start and complete the year.
Upon graduating high school, 77% of urban squash college students choose to pursue a four-year degree. Urban squash alumni earn college degrees at 3 times the rate of their peers in the same demographic. Six out of seven Ivy League Universities have enrolled squash college students, 37% attend top-100 colleges and universities, and 24% attend attend top-50 colleges and universities.
Our Partners
