Improve Irish badminton

brucechan

Here's a loaded question: What does Irish badminton need? More funding for the elites or more participation at grass roots? Or both? How do we edge towards greatness...?!!

zeusnero

hard to say, we currently have a number of excellent international athletes, Scott Evans, Sam & Chloe Magee - overall it's a numbers game, in that the more participants there are at grass roots level the higher the number that will funnel through and make it to international level. I think having a more hands on association (Badminton Ireland) combined with decent numbers of qualified coaches would be a good start.

brucechan

Agreed. It seems like a game that anyone can play, almost anywhere, yet we don't hear too much about it. More good coaches are a must though. Cheers Zeus, but I thought I would have seen more responses to the question from others! Maybe that's why we don't hear much...

bellylint

Poss try get it into schools so you get a greater range of people interested in it from a younger age. Facilities are cat, the amount of halls that I have played in that are death traps due to dust on the floor. Also our club trouble get a suitable night with a suitable amount of courts.
I think there are a decent amount of coaches around, though I only have experience of kildare and dublin.

It would be nice to see a greater role being filled by the BI on this matter.

seen2Bgreen

BI seem to be all over the place. things are very loose. Some clubs do very well and are well organised and we have some very decent players. The in-fighting needs to stop, too much politics, and promote the game better.

Repolho

Agreed with most of what has been said here.

Definitely the game needs to be promoted more at schools and underage level and certainly more coaches trained / qualified to higher levels are required. The goal of every club should be to have several qualified coaches within the club and also to have a junior club.

At an adult level the national grading needs to be pushed through. It's a minority sport in a country with a small population. It can't be that hard to do.

tipper1

Promotion I think is a huge factor. The game was well represented in the last olympics and I think the sport got about 5 minutes of tv coverage.
RTE should have to do more as a national broadcaster to promote all sports.
The underage structure is so far behind other sports and countries and a development plan starting on the primary schools are the key.
There is a stigmatism in done quarters in relation to badminton. Hurling, football, rugby are seen as the 'tougher' sports so we need to change this attitude. The lack if girls within the sport is worrying as badminton should be very attractive to them.
A problem with the schools aspect is the badminton Ireland are relying on club volunteers to promote clubs but many are only free at night time whereas schools need help during the day.
Perhaps a fas or adult learning coaching scheme could be developed as unfortunately there are many out of work.

tipper1

I think much of Badminton Irelands efforts over the last few years have been on the elite players but the actual clubs that are ultimately the source for new talent, has been neglected.
Coaching is also a huge area that needs attention. It is very hard to find a coach down the country which won't be too expensive due to travel costs etc.

brucechan

yes it should be promoted / marketed more. you rarely hear anything about the internationals on one hand, or the juiors and club players on the other. seems like a closed community!

Gandalph

I went to a pretty badminton oriantated school and the reason most people only played was because you get the full day off school on match days, they hadnt really any interest. I only took it up in my final year and fell in love with it as a sport, so under-rated!

JellyBeans92

I feel there needs to be more promotion of badminton in schools. I remember when I was in schools we tried to run a badminton club, but none of us knew much about it, we didn't have anyone in to help us with coaching and it mainly just turned into rallies at lunch hour and no serious game time.

I think if Badminton Ireland could get more involved with schools and smaller clubs and perhaps help with funding equipment to try improve the sport nationwide it would improve the image and enhance the sport overall.

Even the number of clubs could be increased, for example there seems to be no clubs between Wicklow town and Gorey, and for young people in Arklow for example wanting to play badminton either town is a difficult commute if you don't drive. Also if more clubs could train on Fridays and Saturdays it would encourage college students home at the weekend to join and play for them.

tipper1

Yes schools in particular primary schools and early secondary are the way forward.
Badminton is just not a fashionable sport among kids right now and especially among the boys its not 'hard' enough.
If we can get more kids trying it, playing earlier and have them realise how physical it actually is, it could change the whole perception of the sport among some schoolkids.
You could also have a kid known more for their academic ability, you know what I mean, beating the top hurler/footballer in the class which again can only help the sport's cred.