Squash Professionals Affiliate

The Squash Professionals Affiliate (or SPA) membership provides a range of valuable benefits to professionals in the squash industry. Opportunities will be provided to further ones career through professional certifications in coaching, officiating and tournament directing. Get your professional profile on the ‘certified’ list and maintain your ‘active’ status through professional development opportunities.

Continued Professional Development (CPD) Opportunities

In order to ensure all certified teaching professionals, tournament directors and officials maintain “Active Certified Status” based on their level of certification; there is a minimum continuing professional development requirement. This is critical to maintaining or developing your knowledge, problem-solving, technical skills or professional performance standards.  SPA offers and endorses a variety of professional development opportunities including the Squash Summit, workshops, elite coaching, online courses and leadership opportunities.

SPA Program Policies

To maintain ‘active status’ as a certified coach, SPA membership needs to be maintained. SPA members must comply with, and enforce compliance with all US Squash competition policies for accredited (sanctioned) events. This specifically includes the mandatory Protective Eyewear Policy for all accredited (sanctioned) play including tournaments, leagues and ladders.

 

SPA Program Values

The Squash Professionals Affiliate (SPA) Statement of Values

INTEGRITY – SPAs act with integrity and honesty. These qualities are essential in providing a basis for trust and go to the core of what is expected from business professionals. These values are as important within our professional community as well as the squash community. They help define both how we aspire to act and what it means to be a business professional.  The SPA Values include:

RESPECT – SPAs convey respect for the dignity of all people. SPA relationships are based on mutual respect. Differences of opinion are discussed openly and civilly. These discussions focus on issues and are presented in a courteous manner. We are sensitive to the impacts of both our words and actions on others.

• OPENNESS – SPAs encourage all members of our community to exchange information and ideas freely within the bounds of reasonable behavior. We recognize that learning requires an open environment.

• RESPONSIBILITY – SPAs act publicly and accept responsibility for our actions. We understand that the squash community will keep us accountable for our dealings. We deliver on the commitments and promises we make to others.

• TEAMWORK – Our partnership is stronger when we work as a team. We foster attitudes encouraging members of the community to give and receive constructive criticism, and develop creative solutions to challenges.

SPA Program Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct for the Squash Professionals Affiliate

The SPA Program’s Code of Conduct serves as a guide for the study and application of being a squash professional.  It is an indication of acceptance of responsibility for ethical practice as a squash professional, and provides a framework for the resolution of ethical dilemmas. Squash Professionals Affiliates:

• Maintain their professional and personal standing through the highest standards of ethical behavior;
• Productively discuss and communicate with others what collective knowledge, and which shared practices, best embody the importance of sport and physical education to overall human welfare;
• Provide appropriate service to relevant squash organizations that promote the value and importance of sport and physical education’s contribution to overall human welfare;
• Interact with U.S. SQUASH with courtesy, professionalism and respect, and resolve conflicts with the Association directly, not publicly, and with diplomacy, an open mind and an understanding of the value close partnership provides to the service of the sport;
• Strive to achieve and maintain accepted standards of excellence in sport and physical education;
• Attain relevant qualifications and experiences necessary to carry out professional duties and obligations with competence, honor, and integrity;
• Seek out and implement, appropriate instructional methods that reflect best practice in teaching physical education and coaching sport.