The Research On The Current State And Expansion Of Squash In Shanghai

Squash, which first appeared in the UK, has the name of"The King of Indoor Sports". It spread to the world since early 20th Century. In 1980s, squash was becoming popular in Shanghai It is easy to learn, and can be either competitive or just entertaining, You may play squash at anytime, even by yourself. It is a unique ball game which calls for "three-dimensional" thinking, and is suitable for Asians who is well-known for their skillful performance.Shanghai is a pioneering metropolitan city, where the culture of Shanghai Style, which combines the eastern and western cultures, was cultivated. There is no visible or invisible barriers for Shanghai people to take initiatives to develop squash as a sports game or a way of entertainment. This paper investigated the present situation of squash in Shanghai through various channels, such as literature review, questionnaires, interviews with experts, data collection and statistics, logic induction. Based on these investigations and its features, this paper also put forward a plan for the spread of squash in Shanghai.The results of the investigations are as follows: 1. the fans of squash in Shanghai are mainly white-collars, who are well-edueated and tend to accept new things; while the male squash fans apparently outnumber the female ones according to the investigations, the number of female players is increasing quickly according to the statistics collected from the recent 5 entry-level class; 2. Shanghai has the biggest share of the junior and senior referees-10 out of 21-for squash in China; however, comparing with other well-developed sports games, the number of referees is still very small, which sets limitations for the development of the game; 3. the trainers of squash in Shanghai are mostly experienced amateurs, who are not certified or approved by any qualification approval system; 4. the number of playgrounds for squash is relevantly small, and among them the ones which can hold large-scale competitions are few; 5. since squash is not listed in the Olympic games, it is not given great attention by the government and the media; 6. Shanghai is taking the lead in the public recognition of the game, the capability of holding the game, number of referees and competitive level in China; 7. the general public is highly willing to participate squash according to an investigation among the squash fans and other people. According to the investigation, this paper put forward suggestions as follows: organize squash association in Shanghai to promote the spread of the game; to quicken the pace of building up more playgrounds for squash to meet the market demands; train more squash coaches and referees; promote the culture of "Fancy Sports", and organization of squash matches; industrialize the squash business and build up the squash leagues; promote the game in the universities so as to lay a solid foundation among the next generation. With these methods, the squash is going to have a very bright future in Shanghai.