Squash was invented in Harrow School out of the older game racquets around 1830 before the game spread to other schools, eventually becoming an international sport. The racquets have changed in a similar way to those used in tennis. Squash racquets used to be made out of laminated timber.
In the 1980s, construction shifted to lighter, carbon-based materials (such as graphite) with small additions of components like Kevlar, boron and titanium. Natural “gut” strings were replaced with synthetic strings.
In the 19th century the game increased in popularity with various schools, clubs and even private citizens building squash courts, but with no set dimensions. The first squash court in North America appeared at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1884. In 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the earliest national association of squash in the world was formed as the United States Squash Racquets Association, (USSRA), now known as U.S. Squash
In April 1907 the Tennis, Racquets & Fives Association set up a sub committee to set standards for squash. Then the sport soon formed, combining the three sports together called “Squash”. In 1912 the Titanic had a squash court in first class.
It was not until 1923 that the Royal Automobile Club hosted a meeting to further discuss the rules and regulations and another five years elapsed before the Squash Racquets Association was formed to set standards for squash in Great Britain.
By 2010 there were around 50,000 squash courts in the world, with 188 countries and territories having at least one court. England has the greatest number at 8,500. The other countries with more than 1,000 courts, in descending order by number are Germany, Egypt, the United States of America, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Today, The United States has the fastest growing squash participation. There are an estimated 20 million squash players world-wide.
As at October 2015 there were seventeen nations represented in the PSA Mens top 50 rankings and 17 nations represented in the top 50 womens rankings. Egypt lead the way with 24 players, followed by England with 18.