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Badminton nets development funding

Tuesday 6 November 2007

Scotland was the epicentre for world badminton when Glasgow hosted the World Team Badminton Championships earlier this year and the sport is hitting the headlines once again with the announcement of £356,500 investment from sportscotland for 2007/08.

The funding, of which £186,500 is from the sportscotland Lottery Fund, will go towards strengthening the sport’s coaching and performance development towards the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and maintains sportscotland’s role as the primary supporter of BADMINTONscotland.

The continued partnership between sportscotland and BADMINTONscotland will have an impact right across the sport from grassroots to elite level.  This fusion was perfectly demonstrated during the World Team Badminton Championship earlier this year when the world’s biggest stars and thousands of Scottish schoolchildren descended on Glasgow’s Scotstoun International Arena.

The World Team Badminton Championships were a huge success for badminton in Scotland.  The national team regained their place in the world's top 20, thousands of children were given the opportunity to try the sport and the organisers demonstrated once again that Glasgow is capable of hosting a major sporting event ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid decision.

Research has been commissioned to review the legacy from hosting the event.  This research will focus on the impact on participation figures as a result of the children’s roadshows held in conjunction with the championships.  In November hundreds more schoolchildren will be given a similar opportunity as BADMINTONscotland runs carnivals during the week-long celebration of their Centenary International Badminton Championships.

The funding announced today will also create opportunities for elite athletes.  Work on establishing 12 satellite training centres across Scotland for players with potential is progressing well with nine already up and running.  The satellite centres, which link in with the Institute network, are an integral part of badminton’s ‘long-term player development programme’ designed to allow athletes to reach their full potential.

Julia Bracewell OBE, Chair sportscotland said: "Hosting the World Team Badminton Championships certainly raised the profile of badminton across Scotland and now is the time to capitalise on that.”

“Having a strong player pathway is key for any sport and the new initiatives that BADMINTONscotland  is putting in place will go a long way in helping to achieve our shared goals of increased participation and improved performance.”

Anne Smillie, Chief Executive of BADMINTONscotland added: "The annual grant from sportscotland is the life blood of most National Governing Bodies and BADMINTONscotland is no exception.  It enables us to maintain our very comprehensive range of programmes and to develop new initiatives in our efforts to attract people to this very exciting sport and to help them fulfil whatever potential they may have.  We are delighted with the level of support offered and look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with sportscotland".

  • The £356,500 investment in BADMINTONscotland is made up of £186,500 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £170,000 from sportscotland Exchequer funding from the Scottish Government.
  • sportscotland supports 60 Scottish sports governing bodies and in 2006 invested over £8 million in these organisations.
  • sportscotland passionately believe in the benefits of sport from the enjoyment and sense of achievement that participation brings, to the shared pride that national success generates.
  • Our mission is to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience, helping to increase participation and improve performances in Scottish sport.
  • We aim to achieve our mission by leading and supporting our partners, investing National Lottery and Scottish Government funding where it counts and advising on policy and strategy for the future.
  • BADMINTONscotland have set up satellite centres in Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Fife, North and South Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Highland, Grampian and Lothians.
  • The Scottish Institute of Sport and the six Area Institutes of Sport are part of an operational network of centres throughout the UK that ensure Scottish athletes have access to the very best support wherever they are based