Badminton England are delighted to today announce that former world number one Morten Frost has been appointed as Performance Director. Following his stand-out playing career, when he spent twelve years in the top three of the world ranking, Frost turned to coaching with spells as National Coach to Denmark, Malaysia, on two separate occasions, and South Africa.
This appointment is another key step in Badminton England’s 50-point action plan, following the UK Sport led independent Health check as we seek to restore pride in the World Class Programme.
Having won the prestigious YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships four times, reaching eight finals, he brings a wealth of experience and success to the National Badminton Centre. In recent years Frost has been a regular member of the TV commentary team bringing his informative insights into the tactics and psychology of the game at major events including the Tokyo Olympics.
With two world silver medals to his name, from 1985 and 1987, he was also European champion in 1984 and 1986.
Inducted into the BWF Badminton Hall of Fame in 1998, Frost will join Badminton England at a pivotal time as we seek to rebuild and enjoy renewed success on court.
The former Danish men’s singles legend has been bought in to lead the Great Britain and England elite programmes, with some immediate priorities to attend to. With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching and Paris 2024 around the corner, attention will also turn to nurturing the next generation of talent across the home nations.
Chair of Badminton England, Mike Robinson, said: “We left no stone unturned during an extensive worldwide search to secure the very best person for this vital role.
“While we have recently set out our plan to create the performance system that we aspire to, we committed to reviewing the leadership structure and securing the right person to lead the change.”
Stephen Baddeley, Chair of GB Badminton, added: “After an extremely competitive recruitment process, Morten’s exceptional experience and enthusiasm shone through.
“His track record in similar roles is invaluable, and we are delighted to have secured the services of a true legend of the sport to help fulfil our aspiration to return to the very top echelons of the world game.”
Visiting the National Badminton Centre at Milton Keynes, Frost said: “As soon as I heard of this opportunity, I was very keen to be a part of the mission. It is clear that there have been some challenging times over the last few years, but GB and England Badminton has an incredible heritage and history of success.
“I am under no illusion of the challenge that lies ahead, but having spoken to many of the people involved, I am confident that I can work with the home nations to deliver sustained success.
“Those who remember me as a player will recall my drive and determination to succeed, which are attributes that I have continued to apply in my performance leadership since, and so cannot wait to get started.”
Frost will start in the role from April.
