Find out more about gradings
Grades are provided to players who are competing to indicate their playing standard and then find sanctioned tournament circuits that meet their on court levels.
A player may request a starting grade to be given before competing to competition@badmintonengland.co.uk. This is advised as it may support your selection if the tournament is oversubscribed. A player can compete without a grade, which will then be automatically assigned during the next grading run after you competed.
The minimum starting grade (see table below) will be provided, unless you wish to appeal for a higher starting grade and can provide clear evidence of your standard against other graded players (see appeals section below).
For the 2023 season:
- All players will be eligible to receive a Badminton England grading
- New grading will published on the last Friday of February, June and October.
- Completed tournament results by 12pm on the last Friday will be included in the grading run
- All Badminton England sanctioned events will be included in the grading system (County Restricted Tournament results are included where requested by the organising County).
- Players grading can be upgraded or downgraded based upon results in sanctioned tournaments in each grading run.
- U18 ICT, Shires league matches, Senior and Masters County matches will be included from all divisions. These events will not award qualifying losses in any discipline.
- There is a Starting Grade for players. See table below
| Age | Starting Grade |
|---|---|
| U11 | K |
| U13 | J |
| U15 | I |
| U17 | H |
| U19 | G |
| Age | Starting Grade |
|---|---|
| Senior & O35 | G |
| O40 | G |
| O45 | H |
| O50 | I |
| 055 | J |
To adjust your grading, you must first play a minimum of four qualifying matches in each grading period.
A qualifying match is:
- A win against a player/pair* of the same grade
- A win against a player/pair* of a higher grade
- A loss against a player/pair* of a lower grade
Players achieving a 80%+ win ratio will move up a grade. Players achieving a 20% or less win ratio will move down a grade.
* For doubles the individuals grade will be compared to the average of the oppositions grades.
Wish to appeal your grading?
Using your results history on sanctioned tournaments, Badminton England will be creating a unique win/loss ratio for each player. This win/loss ratio will form the basis for the starting grades.
Players can appeal to be up upgraded or downgraded by clicking here.
Please note:
- Appeals can be made at any time, but appeals received 28 days before a new grading publication may be disregarded until the end of that period.
- Ensure you give detailed supporting evidence to assist with the review.
- Badminton England may at time to time review grades of players are inactive or less active and make appropriate adjustments, to support the integrity of the system.
Players involved in the appeals process will be notified of the outcome within 14 working days of the appeal.
Advice notes on gradings
Entry to some circuit tournaments will be restricted by Grade. For doubles and mixed grades,this is based on each individuals event grade. (For example a player may be restricted from the singles event but still eligible to compete in the doubles and/or mixed. Grade restrictions for the circuits are shown below:
| Circuit | The following grades cannot enter |
|---|---|
| Junior U11 Bronze | A to H |
| Junior - U13 Bronze | A to G |
| Junior - U15 Bronze | A to G |
| Junior - U15 Silver | A to F |
| Junior - U17 Bronze | A to F |
| Junior - U17 Silver | A to E |
| Circuit | The following grades cannot enter |
|---|---|
| Junior - U19 Bronze | A to D |
| Junior - U19 Silver | A to C |
| Senior - Tier 4 | A to E and all U16 players |
| Senior - Bronze | A to C and all U16 players |
| Senior - Silver | F to J if aged U17 |
| Senior - Gold | E to J if aged U17 |
Playing badminton in one of our partner venues
With over 22,000 courts across England, we work with a wide range of national and local providers to offer more chances for everyone to play badminton in their area. Whether it’s organised court time for children or adults, hiring a court to play against friends or compete in local tournaments, you can find out how to get involved through our partner links below.
