Review of 2022
2022 has been an activity packed year for Play Badminton Club.
We have welcomed many new members into our Club and expanded the range of sessions we offer, from beginner to advance levels, special dedicated sessions for Women only and Senior’s only (50+), children’s sessions as well as training sessions!
Here is a quick look back on the year.
January
2022 started with a fresh new session dedicated to women only!
This Girl Can, is a nationwide campaign launched by Sport England, to encourage women to overcome barriers and get back into sport such as badminton or other activities that will get them moving.
Our monthly Women’s only badminton sessions share similar principles with this campaign. To encourage more participation by women in our club, by providing a friendly, fun, safe and positive environment. Since the introduction of these sessions in January 2022, they have been a great hit with members, and we’re delighted to see an increase in Women joining our club.
February
Over the years our Club has built up great long-term relations with all our regular venues. This year, to cater for a growing membership and to offer an expanded range of sessions, we increased our regular playing venues with the addition of Bentley Wood and Harefield.
Harefield is the home of our regular advance sessions. Bentley Wood is the home of our regular children’s badminton training session on Sunday mornings, as well as our intermediate sessions on Friday evenings.
March
In March our Club celebrated International Women’s Day. It has become an integral ritual over last few years! It’s wonderful to see the support from all members at the club, both men and women, of varying ages, professions and backgrounds. This year’s theme of #BreakTheBias reminds us to be mindful in recognising and addressing biases to prevent any prejudices or unfairness taking place.
In March we also held a first aid training course in partnership with Red Cross Training. We are pleased to say that as a Club we now have over a dozen members who are qualified first aiders.
April
Following two disruptive years with COVID lockdowns, this year our Club membership has flourished, with a huge intake of new regular players.
As a Club we offer adult sessions for beginners, intermediate and advance players, as well as adult training & fitness sessions. We also have dedicated Women’s Only and Senior’s Only (50+) sessions. For children, we offer training sessions for two age groups from 8 to 14 years and 15 to 17 years.
Overall, in an average week we have twelve sessions taking place across four venues, catering for over 200 players per week.
May
In May we encouraged Club members to connect with each other off-court, by going for a walk, coffee or doing some other activity where they can get to know each other a bit better. This was in support of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and how sports, like badminton, can play a vital role in helping with mental health and wellbeing.
June
Over the year we have continued with our dedicated sessions for children with an aim of providing children with a fun and safe environment to play badminton. Our sessions are designed to teach children the basics of badminton along with fitness and warm-up practices as well as help develop teamworking skills with their doubles partner and learning good sporting etiquette. We now have sessions for two children’s age groups: 8 years to 14 years and 15 years to 17 years.
July
It was over 87 years ago, on 5 July 1934, that the International Badminton Federation (now BWF) was founded. In recognition of this significant date, and to make this a day of celebration for badminton globally, World Badminton Day will be held annually on 5 July.
Play Badminton Club joined in worldwide celebrations of the first World Badminton Day, by holding a special come and try session. We had nearly 50 enthusiastic badminton players, young and old, come and take part. A huge thank you to some of our regular club players who were on hand to welcome and speak to new players coming for the first time to try out a session.
August
Aloha! In the summer we held our first ever Club Summer Social with a Hawaiian theme! It was great to see everyone in their summer and Hawaiian clothes, so relaxed and mingling in the warm afternoon.
The tempo turned up as we introduced some teambuilding games on the lawn, starting with adults casually showing their might over tug-of-war. They soon became strategic and louder as they entered a three-legged race, lots of tangled legs and some great finishers. Then came the children’s turn with the three-legged race – most paired with a parent which needed a few practice rounds to get some rhythm going. It was great to watch, the children and parents really had fun.
Having built up an appetite we then rounded off the afternoon with cake, celebrating Play Badminton Club’s 8th birthday. A huge thank you to all the club members who came and the volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to host the wonderful Hawaiian party!
September
Every second Tuesday of the Month we hold a dedicated session for Seniors’ (50+). Our aim is to encourage more participation by elders to take up more active sports, by providing a friendly, fun, safe and positive environment.
In September, we introduced dedicated induction sessions which are an opportunity for potential new members to learn about the club, get a quick assessment of their badminton ability, and sign-up for sessions to play at the club on the regular basis. Feedback from the sessions have been excellent and we have welcomed many new players into the Club.
October
In the run up to the Club Competition, we introduced new fitness sessions, comprising of circuit training and strength and conditioning. The aim of the circuit training session is to improve strength, stamina, cardio and muscular endurance working on specific muscles. Strength and conditioning allows athletes to strengthen supporting muscles, helps even out muscular imbalances. Increases mobility and range of movement ultimately correcting posture. We are supported by Vanessa, a qualified fitness instructor.
