For Immediate Release
July 27, 2026
ROBERT PACEY LEADS NEW ERA FOR WORLD SQUASH DAY
Canadian Robert Pacey is the new director of World Squash Day following the retirement of founder Alan Thatcher.
The graphic designer is the co-founder of Pacey & Pacey Design and the Squash Republic brand and hails from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is looking forward to continue to build the profile of World Squash Day with the sport’s Olympic debut on the horizon.
Squash makes its first appearance in the Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and Pacey is keen to use his professional experience to harness the feel good factor embracing the build-up to that momentous occasion.
An enthusiastic singles and doubles player, Robert has been part of the World Squash Day promotional team for many years, designing brilliant logos and running his own World Squash Day events in Vancouver.
As a graphic designer, he has worked with Squash Canada creating logos for the 2026 World Junior Squash Championship, the Canadian National Squash Championships, and the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Open as well as marketing material for numerous high-profile events.
Now he takes on the mantle of leading World Squash Day in what he hopes will be a bright new future.
He said:
“It’s an absolute honour to be selected to continue the legacy that Alan Thatcher created. As the new director of World Squash Day my goal will be to help grow the game and give the world an opportunity to celebrate and share the game we love. I look forward to working with World Squash and the PSA to make this annual event truly global.”
Founder Alan Thatcher launched World Squash Day in 2002 to honour all those squash players who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks in America.
Working with friends in the UK and America, he inaugurated the Derek Sword Trophy, played for by teams from New York and the UK, in memory of the former Scottish junior international who lost his life in the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
World Squash Day soon became a major promotional vehicle for the sport’s Olympic bid. This culminated in more than 40,000 players across the globe taking part in a single match to promote the Olympic bid during World Squash Day 2012.
Thatcher said: “With squash now gearing up to make its long-awaited debut in the Olympic Games, I’m happy to hand over the reins to someone who I know has the skills to lead World Squash Day into a new era.”
“Robert has become a good friend over many years of working together on various World Squash Day projects and I look forward to seeing his creative genius help to grow the game in partnership with World Squash and the PSA.”
