As recent events on the PSA Tour have demonstrated, squash refereeing is a role that comes with scrutiny, pressure and stress.
Given the unenviable rigours of the job, it's hardly surprising that the profession is short-staffed — but in France, they're seeking solutions in the next generation.
The French Squash Federation (FFSquash) faces the same issue with officiating as many other leading nations: there are precious few new recruits coming into refereeing and those who are still willing to take the chair are ageing as well as dwindling in numbers.
The man who decided to take action was Joaquim Rissetto, a WSO Level 4 referee who has officiated at PSA tournaments, European and World Championships and the World Games. He is Chairman of the French National Referees Committee and part of FFSquash's junior committee.
Rissetto, left, with the junior referees
Rissetto decided that the 2026 French Junior Championships in Bordeaux (14-17 May) would be the place to put his plan into action.
Firstly, he sent emails to over 4,000 registered French juniors inviting them to the championships — for free — to shadow national grade referees, with the offer of meals, accommodation and transport expenses all paid by FFSquash.
Contracts were drawn up between the young people's parents and FFSquash about what to expect over the four days at the event. One of the stipulations was that each child had to complete the basic WSO first grade (A1) refereeing course online before travelling to the tournament.
Once in Bordeaux, 10 youngsters took part in the training programme — four of whom were also playing in the tournament and six who travelled for the officiating course only. Three were U13, four U15 and three U17, with seven boys and three girls overall.
On days one and two, each youngster sat alongside one of the six national grade (WSO Level 3) referees and acted as the marker. "Most people don't realise that good marking is really important," said Rissetto. "The voice you use and when to call the score are both key."
On the third and fourth days, still shadowing the national grade referees, it was the youngsters who marked and made all the decisions (both players on court were warned beforehand). If there were any glaring errors, the adult referee would correct them.
Thereafter, some were allowed to referee matches alone. For some it proved tricky, especially when overseeing a testy match, but others revelled in the responsibility straight away.
The course was organised so each trainee worked with a different referee each day, so they got a good mix of advice, opinions and experiences.
"I had a lot of messages from the French referees and parents thanking us for the training programme," said Rissetto. "Some of the youngsters were also playing in the tournament so their schedule was very intense. It's a lot of information to take in. They all learned a lot."
The onward plan is to offer the trainees more opportunities to referee and deepen their qualifications (possibly at October's French Junior Open). The intention is to repeat the programme at next year's French Junior Championships too.
Interestingly, one of Rissetto's observations was that the three females on the course were some of the best among the 10 participants — particularly encouraging, given the dearth of women referees at elite level.
"It was a really good experience for all the juniors as players as well as referees, because they can better understand the referees' point of view," added Rissetto. "I hope they will at least read the rules, because most squash players have never read them, which I still think is incredible!
"Most French referees are over 50, so we hope this will lead to a transition. It's the first step, and we hope to make more."
