Retired Tour Player Aaron Frankcomb To Mold World Class Training Facility At Aussie Club
by David Rowlands
photo courtesy Squashsite635
April 3, 2012 - Willoughby has re-inforced its status as Australia's premier squash facility by signing one of the country's most talented and respected players to an exciting new role.
Aaron Frankcomb recently began as the club's Head Pro, bringing with him the knowledge, skill and passion that made him a competitive force on the PSA tour for almost a decade.
The inspiration for the appointment came from the man himself, as he recovered from a serious knee injury, sustained last September in Hong Kong.
Realising that he couldn't go on playing forever and with his 27th birthday bearing down, Frankcomb approached his good friend Peter Aitken, the Willoughby general manager, about getting involved in coaching.
For Aitken, it was the proverbial 'no-brainer'.
"When the opportunity presented itself, it made enormous sense for both parties," Aitken said.
"What impressed me the most was that Aaron came armed with a stack of ideas and we're already starting to see the benefits. We've achieved more in the past two weeks than we've done in the previous two years through pro-active management.
"It's fantastic to have someone who is not only enthusiastic, but is essentially still a current professional player, meaning that he brings all the latest knowledge from squash around the world."
Frankcomb would've had little trouble landing a far more lucrative coaching role in the United States, however he had no hesitation in returning to base himself in Sydney, the city he relocated to from Tasmania at the age of 14.
While he hasn't completely retired from playing, Frankcomb says he is all but done with roaming the globe for a living and intends to focus on his new gig at Willoughby, with the re-vitalised Australian circuit likely to sate his competitive appetite upon resuming full fitness.
"I feel like I've done everything I possibly could have in squash," offered Frankcomb, who souvenired bronze medals with Australia at the 2009 and 2011 world team titles, which sandwiched a Commonwealth Games berth in the year between.
"The professional tour is a bit of a grind and as much as I enjoyed it, I had to be realistic after being out of action for some six months.
"I had to consider my other options and I was keen to get involved with Willoughby, because their facilities are second to none and it's so well run by the Aitken family, who are passionate about squash.
"I saw a lot of potential here and there's no limit to what we can do."
Frankcomb's brief at the club, which underwent a major refurbishment during the middle of the previous decade and now boasts ten courts- with all bar one being a glass-back- is indeed a broad one. At the top of the list is implementing a new junior program in concert with Australian squash legend Michelle Martin, a six-time British Open winner and triple world champion.
"The development of young players is crucial, both for the sport and the club," he said.
"There's so much for kids to choose from these days when it comes to recreation and squash has fallen behind in that department unfortunately.
"We want to be able to show them what a fun sport this is and how healthy it is for them as well."
Willoughby, which is on Sydney's lower north shore, entertains around 400 local children a week for school sport and Frankcomb is intent on converting a solid percentage of them into avid 'squashies'.
At the other end of the spectrum, Frankcomb intends to help the club's established legion of pennant and social competition players by imparting the wisdom that took him to a world ranking high of 38.
"I'll be doing specialised one-on-one coaching for individuals, as well as running group sessions," he added.
Frankcomb is especially eager to make the centre a training hub for the finest male and female players in the world and Australia when they venture Down Under, which will give local players the chance to get up close and personal with the best the sport has to offer.
More tournaments are on the list for Willoughby, with four events likely to be staged on an annual basis.
Utilising social media is another of Frankcomb's innovations, with Willoughby set to drastically improve its club website and have a strong presence on Facebook, which is sure to help engage with the younger generation.
"There's going to be a lot of changes and it's going to take time, but it'll be worth it," Frankcomb said with an assured smile that brought a nod of agreeance from his new boss.
As Frankcomb makes the transition from professional player to coach, he is eager to acknowledge the many people within the squash community that have influenced his career.
He was quick to salute the coaches who guided him, namely David Pearson, Geoff Hunt, Byron Davis, Rodney Martin and Anthony Ricketts, not to mention some of his earlier mentors like Reto Vogel, Bill Cook and Dean Landy.
"It was an honour to be able to work with coaches of such a high calibre," he said.
Frankcomb also praised Squash Australia, the AIS and TIS for their support, while reserving the biggest show of gratitude for his family and friends.
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