Three-time world champion Nick Matthew has been named Director of Squash at Berkshire School in New England, USA.
Since retiring from the professional circuit in 2018, the former world No.1 has founded an academy at his home club Hallamshire in Sheffield and was assistant coach for the England team under David Campion at last summer’s Commonwealth Games.
Matthew first joined Berkshire School as its squash ambassador in the summer of 2018 and made an immediate impact by hosting a summer camp and working one-on-one with Berkshire’s squash teams during the winter season, both virtually and in-person.
He has now signed a three-year contract extension to become the school’s Director of Squash and hopes to expand his impact.
“We are looking to build a programme that is successful, yet sustainable in the long term,” said Matthew. “Our fantastic 10-court Soffer Athletic Center deserves a thriving squash programme, with hopefully a few more pennants on the wall in the years to come.”
Matthew, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, calls Berkshire his “home away from home” – not least because the Berkshire School is situated in the town of Sheffield, in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1907, Berkshire School is a co-ed college preparatory boarding and day school for 425 ninth-12th graders and post-graduates.
Three-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Matthew visits campus regularly through the winter to work closely with Berkshire’s squash athletes – from experienced players to beginners – as well as the programme’s coaches to provide high-level training techniques, physical fitness methods and in-game advice.
He has also partnered with brands including Dunlop and SquashSkills to bring a higher level of competition to the programme.
“I love coaching at Berkshire. The remote stuff is fun but you can’t beat physically being on the campus, catching up with everyone on the court,” added Matthew.
In addition to sharing his wealth of experience inside the glassed walls of Berkshire’s courts, Matthew works closely with the school’s admission team on player recruitment, as well as Berkshire’s College Office on player placement at the collegiate level.
Recent graduates who’ve worked with Matthew include Kiro Manoharan (Columbia University), Amanda Miller (Colby College), Hussien Eldesouky (Dickinson College) and Peter Koenigsbauer (Bates College).
“Nick’s impact on our squash programme is a testament to his skill on the court, but he’s also embraced a role that’s had a much larger impact on our entire school community,” said Head of School Pieter Mulder. “We’re excited for the future of squash at Berkshire.”
Main pic: Nick Matthew with Head of School Pieter Mulder at Berkshire’s squash courts in the Soffer Athletic Center.