16 October, 2024
Hummersknott Badminton Club believe the next generation deserve the chance to be the best they can be, which is why they’re fully committed to developing rising stars in the north-east.
Having teamed up with Badminton England to offer a series of free coaching sessions, the County Durham-based club is working to increase accessibility by reducing barriers to entry.
Badminton initiatives in the local area are yet to return to previous levels after the 2020 lockdown but head of Hummersknott Phillip Doyle hopes to change that.
He said: “We owe it to school-level young people to restore the vibrancy of badminton events pre-Covid. Durham County has abandoned all structured junior events, so we want to work towards restoring that.
“Financial support from home tends to be discriminatory, no one can help that, but sometimes when a coaching course is run parents must cover costs of court hire, coaches and shuttlecocks.
“With help from Badminton England, we’ve been able to avoid that and are keen to continue developing local young players at primary and secondary school levels.”
A former teacher, Doyle has run the club for 50 years, even receiving an MBE for his services, and has remained a steadfast champion of funding to make the sport accessible to all.
This has required thinking creatively, with Doyle frequently organising bag-packing initiatives in local supermarkets, but with Badminton England’s support more young people can now access training for free.
Matt, a parent of two children who attended Doyle’s free sessions, said: “I especially appreciate the funding from Badminton England which enabled Phillip to run the course at no cost to me as a parent.
“We’ve had some difficult times and it has been great that my two children have been able to participate without impacting us financially.
“My daughter Emilia has especially enjoyed the course given that there seems little to no encouragement for young girls in the sport.
“I have also been able to see the social impact the course has had on my children – it’s not only improved their technical ability, but their general confidence has grown so much too.
“It’s just excellent to see so many players able to take part in badminton. Hummersknott is such a good example of a grassroots venture bearing fruit in so many ways.”
Sessions are run by a Level 2 coach, Matt Train, who also credited the funding for ensuring sessions could be run at an optimum level to maximise enjoyment and encourage improvement for the youngsters.
He said: “The funding has been great in terms of allowing us to use a specific badminton hall that is a great training environment for the kids.
“The numbers allow us to work on plenty of aspects of the game and not be restricted to half court singles drills. The players improve each week and most importantly enjoy the sessions.”
As well as removing the financial burden for parents who share in the club’s belief in the power of sport to enhance young people’s lives and maintain physical health, the enjoyment of the players is a priority.
A junior member of the club said: “I would definitely recommend these sessions to my friends as they are important for learning skills for future games and developing individual strengths and weaknesses.
“I really enjoy being able to attend the coaching sessions as I get to spend time with my friends and improve my badminton too.”