6 September, 2023
Masoomin Sports Club is one of countless clubs that have benefitted from funding to boost and grow their badminton club further in recent months.
Based in Birmingham, Masoomin has seen growth across all ages in terms of membership, with a focus on growing both player and coaching numbers.
Badminton England would like to highlight the success of funding at Masoomin to demonstrate how other clubs and help grow and boost their membership, and get more people from their local community involved in badminton.
Target
The ambition for the project was mainly to get new players – across all ages – trying badminton and ultimately playing the sport on a long-term basis.
This would hopefully lead to more badminton sessions at Masoomin, engaging old and new members with badminton.
Furthermore, there was a target to encourage more people to undergo coaching qualifications at the club, which would enable more sessions to be delivered.
🏸 Access to courts and facilities is crucial for the growth of badminton. 📈
Your membership fees have helped secure over 170 new court hours for clubs in previously unused educational settings. 🕐👏 #badminton #membership #community #badmintoncommunity pic.twitter.com/BxVg8zoTsH— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 2, 2023
Delivery
Badminton England used financial support as part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund to help to deliver these ambitions at Masoomin Sports Club.
A grant of £250 was provided to run junior taster sessions for children over the summer holidays, while a further £250 bursary paid for court hire for their adult groups.
The CWG Legacy Fund also helped the financing of a activators training course, which 12 club coaches attended to help enable their delivery of sessions.
Alongside these grants, support from the Yonex All England Legacy Fund allowed a handful of female club members to complete a full-funded Level 1 coaching award, meaning they can now coach children who play at Masoomin.
YAE Legacy Fund support also provided 50% of the costs of a Level 2 coaching award for one of their members, meaning they can now assist in the running of a new junior club.
Results
The grants and Badminton England support have delivered a significant level of success, with both junior and adult sessions growing in popularity.
After initial junior sessions, which attracted around 40 kids between the ages of 5 to 11, Masoomin decided to move forward with a junior club which has attracted 25 participants.
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— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 1, 2023
Furthermore, adults ladies sessions started off earlier this year and has more than doubled in number of players, necessitating the booking of an extra hour of courting time to accommodate all the players.
All of those who received Level 1 or Level 2 coaching grants have now qualified and are able to assist with coaching and the running of the club, with plans in place to open the junior club now the new academic year is underway.
Masoomin Sports Club said: “We are thrilled to share that, thanks to the support of Badminton England we are now on the verge of opening a badminton academy. This milestone wouldn’t have been possible without their generous contributions and belief in our mission. We are excited about the prospect of working closely with Badminton England in the future to further promote and develop the sport.”
Badminton England Clubs and Programme Manager, Sarah Darragh, said: “It is great to see the Commonwealth Games Legacy funding being invested in activity for new participants, who would not usually have the opportunity.
“This project has embraced the legacy ethos by also accessing training and education for volunteers to ensure delivery continues long after the funding has ended. The group have done a fantastic job at bringing Badminton into the heart of their community.”
Relationship Manager, Alex Lane, added: “It was great working with Masoomin Sports Club in the Birmingham area, and fantastic to see that their adult members were keen to become activators and coaches to broaden their knowledge of badminton and help give back to the younger members of the club.”
