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Introduction

Despite its current status as one of the most popular participation sports in the UK, badminton has been faced with a number of challenging problems in recent years. This section aims to provide an analysis of the fundamental problems currently experienced by badminton within the UK, as well as a suggested solution.

The report is based upon common problems as perceived to be faced by clubs and players around the country. It is founded upon practical experience, discussion with other players and coaches, and commentary and articles in Badminton magazine and other badminton media.

Update Note

Since badminton.me.uk was launched in 2002 it would appear that the BA of E has listened and started acting upon the recommendations contained below; in the August 2004 issue of Badminton magazine Stephen Baddeley (BA of E Chief Executive) wrote¹⁵ that 'Pilot Grading Systems are taking place this season in both Northumberland and Kent and the BA of E will be investigating overseas systems, to see what ideas and lessons we can learn from European systems... Another area which we wish to investigate ... is a National Club Competition.'

FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS with badminton in the UK today:

Fundamental Problems:

• Declining number of players - the number of players affiliated to the BA of E has more than HALVED since the early 1990s!
• Ageing badminton population - the average age of affliated players in England is 49!!!¹²
• LACK OF MOTIVATING ELEMENT
• Very little grass-root interest
• Single-tier tournaments cater only for top-level players
• Almost no singles played
• Elite & exclusive county system - despite the dramatic fall in player numbers, total income of the BA of E has doubled in the last 5 years, which appears to have been spent almost entirely on elite players.
• Elitism within clubs
• Little training available
• Countless players not affiliated to the national associations
• Poor image of badminton amongst the general population
• Almost no TV coverage of badminton
• High-profile, high-risk strategy adopted by BA of E.

The above problems, coupled with a lack of accountabiity to every-day players, leaves the BA of E open to criticism about a perceived inherent elitism at the heart of the system.

Similar problems as those above appear to be faced by the national associations of both Scotland and Wales.

No wonder badminton within the UK is experiencing problems!

Current STRENGTHS of UK badminton:

• Most popular racket sport in the country (over 40,000 BA of E members)
• Experienced coaches
• Numerous clubs around the country (more than 2,000 clubs)
• The country that created the sport - something to be proud of
• Reasonable / good international performances (including 2 Olympic medals)

Note that none of these strengths come anywhere near to touching upon the problems above, with the possible exception of the Olympic medals; this can be seen as a great success for UK badminton (and a great success by Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms for their Silver at Athens) although apart from a welcome increase in media coverage around the Olympics, it would be hard to determine whether this has had a long-term impact on the sport.

SOLUTIONS to today's problems:

One simple answer to all of the current problems:

MULTI-TIERED TOURNAMENTS as run in France with a move from a county to club-based system.

Badminton in France has grown exponentially since being established in 1978, and doubled in numbers in the last 5 years, providing the Féderation Française de Badminton (FFBA) with almost twice the membership level of the BA of E. This growth is due largely to the French tournament system:

(Source: FFBA's web-site, www.FFBA.org, reproduced with permission.)

The Badminton Association of England / Scottish Badminton Union / Welsh Badminton Union simply cannot ignore the immense growth in popularity of badminton on the other side of the Channel, and it is suggested that adopting such a system would resolve almost all of the fundamental problems with badminton in the UK listed above.

• Open to anybody (including foreign players) of any standard to compete
• Graded according to 6 levels of play, ranging from International players to beginners (i.e. Grades A, B, C, D, E and NC - Not Classed)
• Tournaments effectively run as a separate competition for each level of play, with competitors allowed to play at any level equal to or better than their own
• All members given grading (A-NC) and national ranking (in both their own level and nationally combined, as well as on a departmental / county basis)
• Grading / rankings based on tournaments and inter-club (local league) match results
• All results available on 'live' web-site, along with updated rankings for every member after every match
• Different junior (5 age ranges) and veteran (over 35) levels available, graded on a the same basis as seniors (with slight age allowances), allowing for direct competition between juniors, seniors and veterans
• Numerous tournament across the country - available in almost every town in France
• Extremely well organised
• Singles often initially played in multiple small pools before the knock-out stage, guaranteeing at least 2-3 good games
• Cheap entry, averaging £10-15 per tournament for all events.

A system of inter-club competitions (comparable to some extent to local league competitions in the UK) is also run in France alongside the tournament system. This system (run on a similar setup to football) is run on a nation-wide basis, whereby top teams from around the country play each other (Nationale 1), before being subsequently divided into further regional sub-divisions (eg Nationale 2, 3 etc.)

This standardised, high-quality system encourages clubs to reach the highest levels of play by promoting competition across the whole of the country. This system also integrates top-level play with normal club-play, removing an element of eletism from the system by making it based entirely on merit and encouraging clubs to develop all levels of play.

Inter-club matches are fully integrated into the national ranking system for individuals, as all results of inter-club matches and tournaments are taken into account on an equal weighting.

The whole system in France has thus been carefully designed and implemented to encourage the growth of both clubs and individuals in equal measure, with both the high-level (and downwards) inter-club competitions and the national graded tournament structure respectively.

Adopting a French-style tournament system would provide:

• Solution to the declining number of players
• Solution to the ageing badminton population
• Solution to the LACK OF MOTIVATING ELEMENT
• Solution to the very little grass-root interest
• Solution to the single-tier tournaments which cater only for top-level players
• Solution to the almost no singles played
• Solution to the elite & exclusive county system
• Solution to the elitism within clubs
• Solution to the little training available
• Solution to the countless players not affiliated to the national associations
• Solution to the poor image of badminton amongst the general population
• Solution to the poor TV coverage of badminton
• Solution to the high-profile, high-risk strategy adopted by BA of E.

What a smashing idea!

The French system has shown what it is capable of achieving by way of its phenomenal growth. Such a system would revolutionise the way badminton is played in the UK if adopted. The various national associations (England / Scotland /Wales) are urged to take a closer look at and adopt a system that has proved itself beyond any doubt.

In the November edition of Badminton magazine,¹² Stephen Baddeley, the BA of E Chief Executive, proposes the creation of large clubs to 'to provide sustainability into the future'.

Such a change is fully supported by badminton.me.uk. However, if such a system is adopted, it cannot exist alongside the current county setup, as the resulting overlap between the two systems would simply divide the sport even more than it already is.

The consequence of this would be that the county system as it is will have to be completely overhauled; what is suggested in its place is a county system which loses direct control over top players, and instead takes on the central administrative roles of actively developing, promoting and coordinating all levels of the sport on a county-wide basis.

At the same time a whole new system of competition (encompassing all levels of play) will be needed to fully integrate county players into the new structure; the new structure will have to effectively replace county competitions, local leagues and existing tournaments. The national associations are therefore urged to create both national inter-club competitions and graded tournaments to develop both team and individual play at all levels by respectively.

It is clear that the creation of large clubs would benefit the sport, and such a move is seen as a good step forwards by the BA of E, if only simply by the acknowledgement that something needs to be done. However, this currently can only be the seen as first step in the rejuvination of the sport in this country.

As Stephen Baddeley admits,¹² 'without a change in club structure, the BA of E will continue to suffer a slow and gradual decline in membership.'

Contact the BA of E / SBU / WBU

The Badminton Association of England clearly understands the power of public pressure, having encouraged members over numerous years to lobby the BBC to provide more TV coverage of the sport (which eventually seems to be paying off).

In an article in Badminton magazine ⁹ Stephen Baddeley writes, 'The BBC calculate that every letter received equates to 100 people with the same view. For a little effort you can be part of a drive to raise the profile of badminton in England. We will never have a better opportunity, so please lend your support.' Using this logic, just 400 emails to the BA of E would equate to their whole membership!