Squash Canada will host the 8th World Squash Coaching & Development Conference in Calgary, in the Province of Alberta, from 6-9 September.

Titled Learn From The Best To Be The Best, the four-day event follows previous conferences in Sweden, Netherlands, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia and Egypt - all of which were judged by delegates to be outstanding successes and a marvellous aid to the improvement of squash coaching and development techniques globally.

"The 2007 conference should be even better, with its strong program designed by Squash Canada in conjunction with the World Squash Federation (WSF)," said Linda MacPhail, CEO of Squash Canada.

"Furthermore, I am particularly delighted that Canadian Jonathon Power - the most successful North American player ever - has agreed to be the conference presenter."

The Conference is intended for coaches from established and squash-developing countries interested either in working with players of an already elite standard and/or developing potentially elite players from junior into senior levels. 

The event will provide the opportunity for delegates to be exposed to new and innovative ideas for coaching, as well as share ideas with colleagues from around the globe.

"Squash Canada is thrilled to be hosting world class coaches and delegates in Canada," added MacPhail.  "We are especially honoured to have Jahangir Khan, WSF President, in attendance for the conference.  The delegates will receive their certificate of participation at the conference from JK at the conference closing."

Khan, the record ten-times British Open champion from Pakistan who is thought by many to be the greatest player of all-time, added his enthusiasm for the Calgary conference:  "The World Squash Coaching & Development Conference is a critical initiative within our plans to continuously develop the sport in every region.  The 2007 edition provides a robust programme for elite coaches to further their set of skills as we strive to develop top talent in all corners of the world.

"In addition, I have asked Squash Canada to use the forum to discuss the benefits of coaching for new Squash players.  This responds to our objective to continuously grow our sport's 'stick-rate' (ie, the percentage of people who remain active after trying it for the first time)," concluded Khan.

Among the wide-ranging conference sessions on offer are 'Early Learning of Squash Skills'; 'Creative Drills'; 'Deception'; 'Tactical Session'; 'Pressure Drills for Advanced Players'; and 'Development of a Program-based Vs Levels-based Coach Education System'; together with presentations on Sports Science and Sports Psychology and a variety of Sport Technology & Training Aids.

Speakers at the conference will include a host of world-renowned coaches, including Shaun Moxham (coach to David Palmer); Gene Turk (Jonathon Power); and Mike Johnston (Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Anthony Ricketts).

The registration deadline for the conference is August 30, but would-be delegates are urged to submit their applications as soon as possible to guarantee acceptance.

Further details can be found on the website at: www.squash.ca/worldcoaching07/