31 years!
That's how long the French Junior Squash Open (FJO) has existed. Created in 1993 by the Open de France de squash association, run at the time by Michèle and Fred Lecomte and André Deloste, the Open has never stopped evolving.
If we look back at the history of this tournament, it wasn't always held in Lille as we know it today.
✶ 1994: first edition of the French Junion Open in Les Halles in Strasbourg
✶ 1994-2000: Les Halles club in Strasbourg
✶ 2001-2008: Set club in Marseille
✶ 2009-present: Wam / Bondus, then Wam / Lil
For several years, the Lille Open was always held at several clubs: the Wam in Wambrechies, the Tub club in Bondus, but also at the Arbonnoise in Villeneuve d'Ascq.
For logistical reasons, the FJO is no longer played at the Bondus club, but at the Lil club in Lille. With 7 courts, including 1 semi-glazed, the Open was able to offer players and spectators a better experience.
Although the Open has moved to France, the association has always been very solid. In fact, most of the members of the association are from the PACA region, and they continue to contribute to the dynamism of the association and the Open.
When Dominique Fontanon (president of the FJO squash association) took over the
presidency in 2013, he was able to count on the support of Jean-Claude Cayzac, Fred Lecomte, Marco Palmeraie, Guillaume Dubarry, Eric Leclerc and their respective wives. They also have been involved in the adventure, as well as many others. Together, they all work day in, day out to develop our sport to its highest level.
Many people associate the French Squash Open with the French Squash Federation
(FFS), whereas the event is completely independent.
However, since 2023, an agreement between the FJO and the FFS has been in place to consolidate its activities.
In a few figures, the French Junior Open is :
✶ an average of 250 male and female players over the last 10 years,
✶ around 25 nationalities represented each year,
✶ an event now rated Gold tournament,
✶ some of the biggest names in international squash have won this Open, including Grégory Gauthier, Tinne Gilis, Moustafa El Serty, Grégoire Marche, Gorges Parker, Victor Crouin, Camille Serme, Lucas Serme, Lauren Baltayan, Mélissa Alves, Nicolas Muller and many others.
✶ Ranked No. 1 for its top-quality catering, the players are in for a treat.
For the 2nd year running, the French Squash Open is a Gold-rated tournament
(previously superseries).
This distinction takes into account a number of criteria, such as the welcome, the quality of the facilities, the catering, the atmosphere in the club, the organisation, the
management of the players, the logistics, and so on.
This proves the prestige of our stage in this international circuit, and above all the work of the association over so many years. We are present alongside the most prestigious tournaments such as the British and the Dutch Junior Open.
Thank you to all our private and public partners, the French Squash Federation and the Hauts-de-France league, who support us every year on this eagerly-awaited event.
- French Junior Open squash association -