Our ambition: squash for everyone
Squash should be easy to find, easy to try and easy to afford. Whether you are a group of players, a club, a school, a council or a landowner, this page sets out the routes we know of for getting squash courts into your community, from a pop-up court costing a few hundred pounds to a full indoor club.
The big change is that squash no longer has to live in a closed box behind a clubhouse. Outdoor courts now exist that fit on a small patch of ground, so a court can sit on the edge land of a club that already has a social space.
Costs are indicative figures from the sources listed at the bottom of the page. Always get written quotes for your own site.
| Option | What it is | Indicative cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop-up and portable courts | Mini perspex courts and rebound walls you can set up in a hall, school or park. | England Squash lists a mini perspex court at £240 RRP, or £150–£175 for clubs. | Taster sessions, schools, and proving there is demand before you invest. |
| Low-cost community outdoor court | A simple outdoor court built by volunteers on existing hard standing, from a shared blueprint. | Basingstoke's early estimate was £1,500–£2,000 for a prototype, plus about £2,000 for resurfacing, drainage and floodlights. | Clubs and community groups with volunteers and a suitable hard surface. |
| Modular outdoor glass court | A free-standing, factory-built court installed in days and able to be moved later. | From €51,250 excluding tax, transport and installation (Access Courts). ASB prices are on request. | Leisure centres, parks, schools, hotels and social venues. |
| Convert existing space | Courts fitted into a hall, warehouse or disused building. | Needs quotes. Access must be at least 2.4 m high by 1.8 m wide and the base is typically a 150 mm reinforced slab. | Landowners and businesses with a suitable building. |
| Partner with another club or venue | A court on spare edge land at a rugby, cricket, football, tennis, padel or golf club, a leisure centre, school or hotel. | The cost of the court itself, plus a lease or licence. The host already has parking, toilets and a clubhouse. | Getting squash into a community quickly, without buying land or building a clubhouse. |
| Add courts to an existing squash club | Extra courts at a club that already plays squash. | Leamington Tennis and Squash Club received £75,000 of National Lottery funding for a second competition court. | Squash clubs with land, members and a clubhouse. |
| New-build indoor club | Purpose-built courts with changing rooms, bar and viewing. | One council report put a four-court build contract at £800,000 plus VAT, roughly £200,000 a court including the building (our calculation). | Councils, large clubs and funded partnerships. |
| Take over or rescue existing courts | Community asset transfer or lease of courts that are closing or under-used. | Varies. A Scottish club bought its building from the council for £1; English councils each set their own policy. | Players whose courts are at risk. |
| Start a club without a building | Hire courts at a leisure centre, run sessions and leagues, and affiliate with England Squash. | Low. Court hire and insurance. | Groups building numbers before taking on a facility. |
New
Until recently squash meant an indoor box. Several products and projects now put squash outside, where it is visible, needs no building and can be placed beside other activity.
England Squash secured £75,000 of National Lottery funding to build mini outdoor courts at five Birmingham venues including schools and parks, to widen access and bring squash into the community.
England Squash announcementBasingstoke Sports & Social Club (Mays Bounty) ran a crowdfunder that raised £11,564 in July 2022 to design a low-cost outdoor court blueprint that other clubs could copy. Planning permission has also been won for a new pavilion there that includes three squash courts, a bar and a function space.
Bounty crowdfunderSupplier claims such as "almost no maintenance" and "withstands winds up to 12 Beaufort" are the manufacturers' own. We have not found a published UK installed price for a full-size outdoor glass court. Ask suppliers for an installed quote, groundworks included, and for UK references you can visit.
A new facility does not have to start with a new site. Many sports clubs have an unused corner, a strip beside a pitch or the edge of a car park, and an outdoor squash court needs only about 66–140 m² of level ground. Clubs that already have a social space, parking and toilets are natural hosts, and we want squash to be part of them.
A single court beside an existing clubhouse, open to the host's members and to pay-and-play visitors, is a small step for the host and a big one for local players. Because the court is free-standing and can be moved, both sides can try it with little risk, and add a second court if it works. Hampshire Squash can help with the introduction and connect you with coaching, juniors and leagues.
Many facility plans stall because of the changing rooms. The most expensive part of a traditional clubhouse is often the showers, and plenty of players simply turn up in their kit and shower at home. We encourage new facilities to start simple.
We found no rule that a squash club must have showers. Funders, your council's planning conditions and Building Control can each set their own expectations, so check them early and ask for showers not to be a condition where a simpler design will do.
Funding rules change. Speak to England Squash and to us before you apply, and do not assume any of the schemes above is currently open.
If you have a site, a group of players or an idea, we would like to hear from you. We can help you check the local need, connect you with clubs and England Squash, and share what other facilities have learned.
Researched in October 2026. Prices change and many are manufacturers' or press figures, so treat them as a guide.
