Understanding Tournaments

Squash tournaments are a great way to play against other players and improve your squash game, whether you are playing socially or you want to be on the official provincial ladder.

It can be very confusing for new parents and players. To help, we want to give you more information about squash tournaments and what you need to know. Please note that we have used the concept of “levels” to simplify the explanation of the tournaments, but officially, there are no levels of tournaments in squash.

Disclaimer: We do our best to have the information correct at the date of publishing. But CJS cannot be held liable for changes to criteria, dates, and other information. This post is to explain the different squash tournaments and events, so please always refer to the organising body for the most up-to-date and correct information.

Squash season
When should I enter my child into tournaments
Squash age groups
List of tournaments
The tournaments explained
Selection criteria for Northern Gauteng Provincial Teams
Payments of Association fees
Contact Information for NJSA

1. Squash Season

The new squash season starts with the NJSA Start of Season tournament (usually in early September) and closes the following year with the IPTs (Interprovincial Tournaments) in June/July the following year.

2. When should I enter my child into tournaments

If your child is new to tournaments, we recommend that you enter your child in a few CJS Social Saturday events, to build their confidence in playing, marking, and refereeing.

When your child is competent in playing a squash game (can serve from both sides, can play a forehand and backhand shot), can mark with confidence, and knows the basic rules of squash (including an understanding of lets and strokes), we suggest you speak with your child about playing in a tournament.

Tournaments can be fun, but they can also be very stressful and disappointing for new players. We believe that the best way to learn is to enter and play in a tournament. There will be very tough games against better players, and there will be easier games. It is all about experience and growth.

Where to start? Here is our recommendation. Please note that the details of the tournaments are below this section:

Step 1

Play in the CJS Social Saturdays. These are short 10-minute games against players of similar strength, giving players the opportunity to experience the idea of competitive play and learn how to mark and referee. Social Saturday events are open for players from all levels (beginner up to provincial). Primary School and high school players welcome!

Step 2

A great first experience of a tournament is the Dunlop CJS Open Tournament. This is an event with more participants and players will get the experience of what a competitive tournament is like. Players from all levels are encouraged to participate, and we group the players according to strength. Players must be able to play a game (able to serve, play a forehand and backhand comfortably) and can mark and referee. Court managers/officials on duty to help where needed.

Step 3

Then we have tournaments that are just for CJS players. In October, we have the CJS Club Champs. This event is for CJS players only, and we split the primary and high school players. The primary school players are grouped according to which grades they are in: grades 1-3, grades 4 & 5, and grades 6 & 7.

Step 4

The school leagues are where teams from the schools in Centurion and Pretoria compete against each other to determine the best school team. Participating schools select their teams and then the schools play against each other. You don’t have to be a provincial player to represent your school and play in the school league, as there are different sections according to strength in which teams can enter.

The NJSA High School League is usually from February to March.
The NJSA Primary School League is usually in September / October.
The National Top Schools Tournament (high school teams only) is where teams play in regional tournaments to determine the best team. The winning team plays in the final round against the top school teams from the other regions.

Step 5:

Players can also enter the NJSA (Northern Junior Squash Association) tournaments. These are competitive tournaments, and players must be able to mark and referee the game after their own game. Coaches cannot assist, although there are court officials at the venues who manage the play and may arrange for assistance where needed (for example, when junior players need to mark and referee senior players’ games). After playing in any NJSA tournament, a player is added to the NJSA ladder, or the player’s rank on the ladder is updated.

If a player wants to qualify for selection by Northern Gauteng to represent the province at the Interprovincial Tournaments or the SACD Junior Teams Tournament, the player must participate in a number of tournaments (sanctioned by NJSA). More details about the qualification and selection criteria are further down on the page.

Step 6

There are also tournaments hosted by the other regions in squash, for example, Joburg Junior Squash and Eastern Junior Squash. These Other Junior Tournaments are important to play if a player wants to qualify for selection to represent Northern Gauteng at the Interprovincial Tournament (IPT).

Players can also enter and play in national-level tournaments. Two tournaments are conducted at a national level:

SA Junior Open (North & South): The SA Junior Open North Tournament is an open tournament (meaning any junior player can enter). The tournament is divided into two divisions, a North tournament for the players who live in Gauteng, Bloemfontein, and Kwazulul-Natal. The venue will alternate annually between Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban/Pietermaritzburg, and Bloemfontein. The South tournament is aimed at the players who live in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape, with the host cities alternating between Cape Town, Port Elizabeth (Qbertha), East London, Stellenbosch, and George/Mossel Bay. From these 2 regional tournaments, the Top 8 players will be invited to play in the SA Junior TOP 16 Closed Tournament.
Growthpoint SA National Championship: The Growthpoint SA National Championship is an open tournament (meaning any junior player can enter). There are regional tournaments in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth (Qbertha), Cape Town and Boland. A player can enter any of the regional tournaments. The winners of each regional tournament are then invited to play in the final rounds of the championship, which are hosted in Cape Town.

Step 7

For our high school players who are serious about their squash, we recommend that they participate in any of the PSA (Professional Squash Association) tournaments. These are adult and professional-level tournaments. Please speak to Maryna Fourie first before you enter a player in a PSA tournament.

Optional

For our high school players who want to play more squash socially (no need to play in NJSA tournaments or be a provincial player), we recommend that they participate in the Adult Squash Club League, which is available to members of local squash clubs.

3. Squash Age Groups

Junior squash has different age groups, as follows:

Under 11
Under 13
Under 15
Under 17
Under 19.

Please note the following:

Players must be under the applicable age group on the final day of the tournament. For example, if a player turns 15 on the Saturday of a tournament that concludes on Sunday, the player may only enter the U17 or a higher age group.
To compete in the U17 category at the 2026 National Championships, a player must be 16 years old or younger on the final day of the tournament (22 August 2026).
NJSA will implement a season-long age group policy whereby players must compete throughout the season in the age group they intend to represent at the IPT. Although players may be eligible to compete in a younger age group earlier in the year, all NJSA players will compete in the age group applicable to their age on the final day of the IPT.

4. List of Junior Tournaments

The CJS Tournaments and events are listed below:

CJS Social Saturday (various dates)
Dunlop CJS Open Tournament (August, open)
CJS Club Champs (CJS players only)

The NJSA Tournaments are listed below:

NJSA Start of Season (Sept)
NJSA Closed Ranking (Jan/Feb)
NJSA Open (Feb/Mar)
NJSA Closed (May)

The list of external tournaments (NJSA-sanctioned) is:

WP Junior Spring Open (Western Cape)
Limlanga Junior Open (Polokwane)
KZN Junior Open (Pietermaritzburg / Durban)
Radloff Junior Open Tournament (Somerset West)
SA Junior Open – South
SA Junior Open – North
Growthpoint SA Regionals
Joburg Junior Open (Johannesburg)
Joburg Junior Graded Tournament
SA Top 16 Closed (by invitation only)
SACD Junior Team
Standard Bank Joburg Junior Squash Tournament

The school leagues are:

NJSA Primary School League (Oct)
NJSA High School League (Feb – Mar)
National Top Schools (Jun & Aug, for high school teams)

Other tournaments and club leagues:

Growthpoint National Tournament U15, U17, U19
PSA Tournaments (various dates)
Adult Club League (Mar/Apr to Sept/Oct)

Please note that dates are subject to change.

5. The Tournaments Explained

Please note that we have used the concept of “levels” to simplify the explanation of the tournaments, but officially, there is no levels of tournaments in squash.

Social Saturday

The first exposure to what a tournament feels like is the CJS Social Saturday events.

It is designed to have quick 10-minute games against players of similar strength, giving players the opportunity to have fun on the court, and encourage an attacking game in the 10 minutes available
For new players, it helps to build their confidence in playing and marking.
For more experienced players, it gives them more practice time and the opportunity to practice specific aspects of their games.
Coaches are hands-on here, guiding, helping, and supporting on the court or with the marking.

CJS Tournaments

The next level is the CJS tournaments, like the CJS Club Champs, and the CJS Dunlop Open Tournament.

CJS Club Champs: These tournaments are for CJS players only. It is a tournament, which means players play best out of 3 or 5 games, par 11 or 15. Players must be able to mark and must understand the basic referee rules and calls. Coaches may assist on-court when needed for the Grade 1-3 players. For the Primary and High School Club Champs, the players must mark and referee, and coaches are only available to assist with refereeing in certain games.
CJS Dunlop Open Tournament is an open tournament, meaning that players from outside of CJS may also enter to play.

NJSA Tournaments

The next level is the NJSA tournaments (Northern Junior Squash Association).

There are 4 NJSA tournaments in the season:
- NJSA Start of Season (September)
- NJSA Closed Ranking (January/February)
- NJSA Open (February/March)
- Growthpoint SA National Regionals u15/u17/u19 (April) combined with the NJSA Open Graded
- NJSA Closed (May)
These tournaments are open to all players that are part of NJSA. Some of these tournaments are CLOSED, meaning that it is for NJSA players only, while some are OPEN, meaning that players from other provinces can also enter.
These tournaments are for competitive players who want to move to the next level in junior squash. It is for those players who want to be on the NJSA ladder and who want to qualify for the selection of the Northern Gauteng provincial teams. See more about the selection criteria further in the post.
Players must mark and referee after every game they have played.
Coaches are not allowed to be involved in marking and refereeing.
Please note that players must have their own rackets and protective eyewear.
Important: Players must be available for the entire duration of the tournament and organisers will not work around other sports commitments.

Other Junior Tournaments

Next are the other junior tournaments.

The other provinces also have their own tournaments, some are OPEN to other provinces and some are CLOSED.
A few examples of the other provinces’ tournaments close to us are the Joburg Junior tournaments and the North West tournaments.
There are also national-level tournaments, like the SA Junior Open (North and South). The Top 8 of the North and the Top 8 of the South are then invited to play in the SA Junior Top 16 Closed.
The Growthpoint SA National Championships are another national-level tournament. Regional tournaments are hosted in various cities across South Africa, and the winner of region are then invited to play in the final rounds in Cape Town.
Please note that players must have their own rackets and protective eyewear.
Important: Players must be available for the entire duration of the tournament, and organisers will not work around other sports commitments.

Provincial Tournaments

There is also an opportunity to represent Northern Gauteng in provincial tournaments. There are four official tournaments during the squash season where a player may be elected to represent Northern Gauteng in an official team:

SACD Junior Team Tournament
- This tournament is aimed at selecting combined teams from the smaller provinces to participate in the Inter-Provincial tournaments in June.
- The tournament serves as a development opportunity for our C and D teams (typically players on the NJSA ladder from nr 11 and down may be invited to play) and where these players can get exposure to inter-provincial squash. This exposure may lead to higher achievements later on.
- The teams range from u13 to u19 and consist of four players each. Players selected for these teams are still eligible for selection to represent Northerns in the Inter-Provincial teams.
- The NJSA committee encourages participation in this tournament from a development point of view.
- To be eligible for selection to a SACD team, players must play in at least 3 sanctioned tournaments (see section List of Tournaments below for more information).
- Players qualify for half provincial colours.

U11 Angela Difford Festival.
- This tournament is scheduled for the same time period as the Inter-Provincial Tournaments.
- The teams consist of four players each and are aimed at developing the under 11 players in order to prepare them for participation in the future.
- As this is a festival there are no final team positions declared at the conclusion of the tournament.
- Players need to play in official clothing (no tracksuits). However, due to the nature of the festival, players qualify for provincial half-colours.
- To be eligible for selection to an Angela Difford Festival team, players must play in at least 4 sanctioned tournaments (see section List of Tournaments below for more information).

SA Schools Inter-Provincial Tournaments (IPT). The IPT is scheduled for the first week of the mid-year school holidays and is deemed to be the pinnacle of the squash season!
- This is another team-based tournament.
- Northern Gauteng teams in the different age groups play against all the other provinces, some foreign teams on invitation, and the combined teams from the smaller provinces. IPTs take place for u13, u14, u16, and u19 boys and girls. The teams consist of five players each, except for the Boys u16 & u19 B teams which have six players. The u14 teams consist of 4 players.
- At the conclusion of the IPT medals are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
- Players may only play in official clothing as stipulated by NJSA and will receive provincial colours.

NJSA Primary and High School Leagues

The school leagues are NJSA-organised events, where teams from the schools in Pretoria/Centurion play against each other to determine the best school teams for both boys and girls.
The high school league is usually played in February and March on a Monday afternoon.
The primary school league is usually played for one week in October each afternoon.
Please note that players must have their own rackets and protective eyewear, as CJS coaches will not be able to lend rackets or protective eyewear to players.

National Top Schools Squash Tournament

The National Top Schools Squash Tournament is a national event. It is for high school teams.
Each region will play a tournament to determine the best girls’ and boys’ school teams. Then, these teams will play in a final tournament against the top schools from other provinces.
This tournament is school-team-based.

SA Junior Rankings

The SA Schools Top 10 Ranking is a huge achievement for players! For each age group and gender, SA Schools Squash announces the Top 10 players for the year. Squash SA will publish age group rankings annually based on results from all tournaments for the year by the end of August. A player must play in either the SA Junior Open North or South tournament and a minimum of 2 of the 4 other selection tournaments to qualify for ranking.

Compulsory Tournaments for SA ranking: SA Junior Open North or South – players may play in any one or both tournaments.
Selection Tournaments for SA ranking:
- SA Junior Closed Top 16
- Growthpoint SA Junior Regionals
- Provincial Junior Closed
- Junior IPTs

Growthpoint SA National Championships

Another great tournament for our competitive players is the Growthpoint SA National Championship u15/u17/19

The Growthpoint National Tournament has Under 15, Under 17, and Under 19 sections.
There are regional tournaments, and the winning player from each region play in the final rounds against other provinces in Cape Town in August.
Important: Players must be available for the entire tournament duration and organisers will not work around other sports commitments.

PSA Tournaments

Experienced high school provincial players may also want to consider playing in the PSA tournaments.

PSA (Professional Squash Association) tournaments are professional-level tournaments. These are not junior tournaments.
PSA tournaments are great exposure and experience for high school players who play at a provincial level.
Please contact Maryna to find out if your child should consider playing in a PSA tournament.
Important: Players must be available for the entire duration of the tournament and organisers will not work around other sports commitments.

Adult Squash Club Leagues

Club League is a series of games that are played in a team format in a club setting. Clubs then play against each other over a period of a few months in the evening on a weeknight. In Northern Squash, the Winter League is usually from March to August/September.
Club league is for adults, and we recommend that high school players who want to improve their squash consider playing league. Keep in mind that games start at 18h00 at a club in Centurion/Pretoria and players have to stay for the duration of the evening’s games.
To play club league you must be a member of a squash club, such as Uitsig Squash Club, Irene Country Club Squash, or Centurion Squash Club.

Selection for SA Teams for the World Junior Championships

To qualify for selection for the World Junior Squash Championships, the following are required:

Compulsory tournaments

SA Junior Open North or South – players may play in any one or both tournaments.
SA Junior Closed Top 16
Growthpoint SA Junior Regionals
Provincial Junior Closed
Junior IPTs

Strength & conditioning, skills benchmark tests

Players must submit the standardised test results monthly from January to May.

Marking & refereeing

Players must complete the WSO Player Certificate – Tournament Level online marking & refereeing course by a certain deadline.
Players who have completed the course and have a valid certificate don’t have to repeat the course.

6. Selection Criteria for Northern Gauteng Provincial Teams

IPT (Inter-Provincial Tournament)

The IPT (Interprovincial Tournament) is the highlight of the year for many players. Northern Gauteng selects players to represent the province in team format games, playing against teams from other provinces. It is 4 or 5 days (depending on the age group) and each age group plays in a different city. Cities include Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, East London, Bloemfontein, Gqeberha, and George to name a few.

Northern Gauteng has selection criteria that players must comply with in order to qualify for selection. Players must play and complete at least 4 tournaments during the squash season (September to August). The 4 tournaments are made up as follows:

NJSA Closed Tournament in May, which is compulsory.
Any 3 tournaments sanctioned by NJSA:
1. One external tournament, refer to the section List of Tournaments above.
2. One additional NJSA tournament, such as the NJSA Start of Season, NJSA Ranking, or NJSA Open.
3. One tournament can be either an NJSA tournament or an external tournament.

Players must be on the NJSA ladder.

Players must have paid the relevant membership fees for NJSA and Squash SA. Please refer to the section on Payment of Association Fees above for more information.

Note: The NJSA committee may require challenge matches to be played in cases where players could not meet the criteria due to circumstances adjudged acceptable by the committee. The NJSA Committee may take a player’s conduct into account and choose not to elect a player based on bad conduct, non-compliance with tournament rules, etc. regardless of individual results.

PLEASE NOTE:

As CJS we encourage players to participate in tournaments, especially the NJSA Closed, which is the compulsory qualifying tournament for IPT eligibility.

NJSA also decides how many teams in a particular age group they will enter into the IPT’s, and may increase the number of teams depending on the number of teams that the other provinces enter. It is for this reason that CJS will always encourage the players to participate in tournaments. The CJS coaches do not have any insight or information on how many teams are entered into the IPT each year.

IF A PLAYER IS ILL DURING A TOURNAMENT:

It may happen that a player, upon the start of the tournament or during a tournament, becomes ill or incurs an injury. Should this happen, please obtain a medical certificate from a licensed medical professional, and please submit it to the tournament organisers via email as soon as possible. This is to ensure that the player’s participation is still recognised even though the player could not complete the tournament.

U/11 Angela Difford Festival & SACD Junior Team Tournament

Players must play and complete at least 3 NJSA-sanctioned tournaments during the squash season to qualify for team selection (September to July). At least one of these tournaments must be an NJSA tournament. Players must also be on the NJSA ladder.

Players must also have paid the relevant membership fees for NJSA and Squash SA. Please refer to the section on Payment of Association Fees above for more information.

Please note: The NJSA committee may require challenge matches to be played in cases where players could not meet the criteria due to circumstances adjudged acceptable by the committee. The NJSA Committee may take a player’s conduct into account and choose not to elect a player based on bad conduct, non-compliance with tournament rules, etc. regardless of individual results.

7. Payments of Association Fees

All tournament players are required to register with Squash SA as well as NJSA (Northern Junior Squash Association). Please note that to represent Nothern Gauteng at any official competition and/or tournaments, players must be:

be a paid-up registered player with NJSA,
placed on the NJSA Ladder (to achieve this, have played in one or more NJSA tournaments), and
have a paid-up membership with Squash SA for Under 13 upwards. U11 players do not need to pay for Squash SA membership, but must still be registered with NJSA.

The registration payments are done on a platform called SportyHQ (www.sportyhq.com). Parents will need to create an account on SportyHQ for each player to pay the registration fees. Click here to view or download a step-by-step guide on how to register a new account on SportyHQ. Please complete all the steps, up to the payment of the Squash SA registration. In completing these steps your account is automatically linked to the NJSA database.

IMPORTANT FOR u11 PLAYERS: All u11 players do not need to pay for Squash SA membership, but still have to pay for NJSA registration. If you have registered the account and it prompts you to pay the fee for Squash SA, please contact Gerda Dreyer on 081 400 5208 to override this payment.

Once you have set up the player account on SportyHQ, you can now make the payments for Squash SA and NJSA, respectively.

NJSA Registration Fee

There is an annual NJSA registration fee that is payable by 28 February for all players who play in NJSA or national tournaments. To pay this fee, please log into your SportyHQ account, and search for “NJSA Player Registration“. Then, click on “Sign Up” and you will be taken through the payment process.

https://www.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/NJSA-Player-Registration-2023-6

As part of the registration steps, under STEP 1 where your information and contact information is, please scroll down and check that the following information is completed:

State/Province: Gauteng
Region: Gauteng North
District: City of Tshwane – Centurion

Ashampoo_Snap_Monday, 27 February 2023_09h30m36s_004_

8. Contact Information for NJSA

For all NJSA-related queries, please contact Gerda Dreyer.

Email: njsa@northerns.co.za

Website: http://www.northerns.co.za/

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.