Badminton England is delighted to announce that we are continuing to actively pilot a National Badminton League (NBL) competition.
Following the successful running of the first year of the pilot (between December 2023 and March 2024), we are now seeking to build on the INSPIRE pillar of our strategy by running a second pilot competition in 2024-25.
First launching in October 2014, the league initially included six franchise teams before expanding to seven by the time it reached its final year in 2017. The NBL returned for a pilot season in 2023-24, looking to build on the foundations established previously, but exploring a sustainable way of creating engaging competitive and fan opportunities.
With Team Skyfall winning all three of their fixtures last season, it was a thrilling end to a very closely fought competition!
Each team had competed either home or away to their rivals, five events (Men’s & Women’s Singles, Men’s & Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles), each played to the best of 5 games to 11 points.
Having coasted to a comfortable 5-0 win over High Wycombe Performance in the opening fixture back in December, the University of Nottingham took early advantage in the tournament.
But Team Skyfall edged to a 3-2 win away to Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club in their opening clash before sealing a vital 4-1 victory at home, in Milton Keynes, to their Nottinghamshire rivals in February.
The title was theirs when they just overcame the challenge of High Wycombe – winning 3-2 at home to top the table with an unbeaten record in 2023-24.
Congratulations to all who took part in the pilot season of the NBL!
Our ambition to create more opportunities to watch players compete at a world-class level domestically remains as strong as ever.
We are striving for the NBL to be a sustainable, commercially viable league capable of increasing the sport’s profile and visibility with its players.
Chris Miller, Head of Major Events at Badminton England, said:
“To explore ways to develop and showcase our sport, athletes and officials is always exciting and an important part of our strategy.
“With the continued passion and commitment of the teams involved, we’re able to take another step forward this coming season, providing a platform for talented players to entertain and inspire their community and beyond.
“Badminton is a beautiful and accessible sport in so many ways and to have another opportunity to see the the precision and athleticism up close is very special.”
The dates for each fixture are as follows:
| Fixture date | Match | Start time |
| 18th November 2024 | University of Nottingham vs Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club | 19:00 |
| 19th December 2024 | Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club vs Team Skyfall | 18:00 |
| 20th January 2025 | Team Skyfall vs Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club | 18:00 |
| 3rd February 2025 | University of Nottingham vs Team Skyfall | 19:00 |
| 14th April 2025 | Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club vs University of Nottingham | 18:00 |
| 28th April 2025 | Team Skyfall vs University of Nottingham | 19:00 |
Full results and fixtures can be found here:
https://be.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=4DAF6864-96DB-403E-926B-BD72EE357B01
