Squash New Zealand Appoints High Performance Programme Manager

Squash New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of Shelley Kitchen to the role of High Performance Programme Manager.

Kitchen will be a familiar face to many in the squash community having been a professional player who reached a world ranking of #6. She returned to New Zealand at the start of 2015 and has been actively involved in the SNZ High Performance Programme as a coach and a manager. As a player, Kitchen represented New Zealand at a junior level twice competing in the World Junior Championships in 1995 and 1997. Kitchen has also competed in the World Women’s Team Championships seven times from 1998 to 2010. Added to this she enjoyed success at the 2006 World Doubles Championships with Tamsyn Leevy winning a gold medal and the pairing went on to win a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. Kitchen also claimed a bronze medal in the individual event and both her and Leevy were recognised in the Maori Sports Awards for 2006. Kitchen was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Sport in 2011. Along with her four consecutive Senior Nationals titles from 2005 to 2008 she boasts a very successful playing career.

Kitchen has been involved in the High Performance Programme for the past two years as a coach and in 2016 she was appointed to a part time role as a High Performance Programme Manager where she had a pivotal role in guiding players and decisions around the High Performance Programme. The appointment of Kitchen to this role will see her assuming overall leadership for the off court management of the SNZ High Performance Programme which will include frameworks for HP coaches, elite senior and junior athletes, and the infrastructure that supports the HP programme. 

SNZ Chief Executive, Jim O'Grady says "Shelley will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this newly created role and I am looking forward to working with her to achieve our goal of international success. Recent performances by our elite and emerging athletes have put squash in a very good space heading toward the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and other pinnacle events so it's great to have Shelley on-board for the journey."

We look forward to Shelley joining the Squash New Zealand office and supporting the High Performance Programme.