An influx of players keen to pick up a racquet has encouraged Green Hills Hit-N-Dip owner Bob Geoghegan to re-open two of the three courts he converted to gym space in the late 1980s.

The businessman believed it was the first time the number of squash courts in the Lower Hunter would increase in more than 25 years.

While the sport had a massive player base in Maitland in the ’60s and ’70s, the rise of aerobics in the ’80s signalled the start of squash’s slow decline.

But a resurgence of interest in the indoor sport is slowing taking hold in the city, with Easts Squash Club treasurer Kristie Golledge revealing people had been lining up to join their social competition for more than a year-and-a-half.

“We’ve had a huge waiting list for the past 18 months with people wanting to join us,” she said.

“When (Mr Geoghegan opens the new courts] we’ll be expanding from nine teams of four [people] to 11 teams for the first half of the year, and possibly more teams later in the year.

“Even with this expansion we’re still going to have a waiting list.

“I’ve been told this is the 40th year for our club and I can’t see it slowing down any time soon.”

Mr Geoghegan said work had already begun on the conversion, with all six of the venue’s courts scheduled to be in action by the start of Easts Squash Club’s ­competition on January 20, 2013.

“In the early ’80s there were 47 courts around us, including Beresfield and Kurri Kurri and now there’s my four [soon to be six] and five at Raymond Terrace,” he said.

“For the last 25 years the number of squash teams and players have been slowing declining.

“But the last competition of the district pennants was the first time in years we have had to increase the number of grades to accommodate all the teams.

“And it’s not just in Maitland – when we talked to a [Gold Coast based] contractor who builds squash courts, they said they were flat out building courts throughout Australia.

“It looks as though the tide has turned and squash is right on the cusp of making a real comeback.”