Since Bidston Juniors was established in 2003, the club has increased massively. They have gone from only 2 courts for 1 hour a week, to a huge 15 courts with 3 sessions a week and now even have an extensive waiting list. The club works alongside the local authority to access more courts as a joint venture to attract more players.
This phenominal growth has been spurred on by Bidston Juniors Club Secretary and coach, Peter Jones. After reading an article about badminton in the Independent newspaper, Peter remembered the fun he’d had playing badminton as a child and in 2003 decided to set up Bidston Juniors. The club has acheived BADMINTON England Premier Club status since its birth 6 years ago and currently has 4 coaches and 48 Junior members.
The first step for Peter, and fellow badminton enthusiast Phil Evans, was to complete their level 1 coaching course and to secure local sponsorship from the West Cheshire Cleaning Services company.
In the beginning the club had so few players, they joined with another local team, Bebington Juniors in order to compete in the junior league. Only four years on Bidston won the 2007 Division 3 title and went onto compete in all three divisions of the Wirral League.
Premier Club
Achieving Premier Club status transformed the club taking 18 months of hard work, but has been worth the effort. During that time Peter gained a level 2 coaching qualification.
Peter said “Our aim is to attract players from grassroots level and keep them involved in playing badminton. We have a link with West Cheshire Performance Centre for our stronger players so there is a development plan for the most talented.”
Bidston is working in partnership with Wirral Borough Council to providing funding and access to more courts in a campaign to attract more players to the sport and to the club. This support includes helping advertise sessions to the local community so reducing club costs and increasing the number of people able to take up the offer.
Bidston has also received funding from Sportsmatch and the Community Foundation for Merseyside. This is due to the outstanding work they’ve been doing in getting kids active, and will help them continue to grow and develop the club for years to come.
Playing Standards
The Bidston Bullets (under 10’s) and the Bidston Junior Team play on a squad basis. They also have a non competitive social section encouraging children and parents to mix together which is proving very popular. Bidston also has a newly formed senior league which has just embarked on competing in the local league for the first time.
The four main social events a year include an AGM / Christmas Party, an end of season presentation, an outdoor teambuilding event and also one live badminton event each year, normally the English National Championships. All of these events aid communication with the club to parents, members, officials and coaches.
The coaching programme runs mainly in the summer as there are many games in the season and members generally prefer the summertime for this kind of activity. Paul said, “We also find it easier to attract coaches during this time and our members are more receptive.”
Another area the club has ventured into is running annual Junior Helper Awards. All members are eligible to try and achieve level one coaching once they reach 16 which is a fantastic opportunity for young people that will keep the sport thriving in the area.
New Year Helping Hand
Bidston’s 5 year plan comes to an end in March 2010 and they will be using the AGM in December to agree on new actions. The club’s most immediate challenge is to become an established senior club to cater for the influx of 14yr olds, 15yr olds and older players who also want a competitive team environment.
On looking to the future Paul said, “Our goals are to have a neutral base to operate from as opposed to spare rooms, boots of cars and various other locations. We have looked to form links with a local cricket club to utilise their facilities so we have a permanent base for functions and social activity. That way we can build the heart of the club along with playing opportunities.”
Bidston is currently planning a Christmas Ice skating trip in celebration of another successful year.
Club Contact Details
Name: Peter Jones (Club Secretary and Coach)
Tel: 07795108025
Address: 14 Burton Avenue, Wallasey, Wirral CH45 8QH
Email: pn.jones100@ntlworld.com
