Players across the country are relishing the return of competitive badminton, with a series of circuit tournaments taking place in recent weeks.
Milton Keynes, Birmingham and Dorset have been among the venues to stage events and while changes have been made to ensure social distancing and the safety of everyone involved, the action has been as tense and competitive as ever.
Alex Green and Nathan Moore made a successful return to the court at the U19 Gold tournament in Birmingham, winning the men’s doubles, and Green spoke afterwards about his delight at being back in action.
“It was great to be back on court and finally playing competitive matches again,” he said.
“Badminton England made the U19 Gold a safe environment, where we could still be social enough to catch up with friends we haven’t seen in a long while.
“We’re already looking forward to the next one!”
Cara Collins, a winner in the mixed doubles, added: “I was really excited to finally get back to competitive play.
“I was really impressed with how safe and well organised the U19 Birmingham Gold was.”
If you’d like to get involved in competitive badminton, there are several ways of getting involved.
- Search for Badminton England circuit tournaments near you by clicking here
- Contact your County Badminton Association to see what local tournaments they are running or enquire about trying out for the County Squads by clicking here
- Get a group of friends together and enter our new Summer Team Cup! Anyone can enter a team, which requires two men and two women, and full details on how to get involved are available here
And don’t forget, if you’re back playing competitive badminton, we’d love to hear about it.
We can’t wait to discover your stories from being back on court for the first time in over a year – get involved on social media by using the hashtag #FirstHitBack.
