Badminton Clubs Take off at Longhill Sports Centre
At the start of this year, staff at Longhill Sports Centre (LSC) decided to add badminton to their list of activities and academies on offer. Now, six months later, the shuttlecocks are still flying, with the badminton clubs going from strength to strength.
Longhill Sports Centre’s Junior Badminton Academy runs every Tuesday from 5 – 6pm and takes players of all levels, aged between 5 and 12 years. Working alongside Darren Hambrook, from the Deans Sports Partnership, the junior academy is proving very popular amongst local primary school children. The cost is great value, at £20 for a 6-week course.
The young players enjoyed recent success in the Rising Stars Junior Tournament, organised by Sussex County Junior Badminton. Junior players may wish to go along to their under 12 badminton festival on Saturday 7th July at Portslade Sports Centre from 2-4 pm. County coaches will lead an afternoon of activities for children with an interest in badminton and it’s free of charge.
Badminton has long been a popular sport amongst adults too and the classes at LSC have produced some very promising players, both in the beginners and intermediate/advanced classes. Both classes run on Wednesday evenings from 8-9pm and 9-10pm respectively and have the benefit of Badminton England coaches.
Adult players are really keen to get competitive and the plan is to launch several teams to compete in regional competitions throughout Sussex from September 2018.
“It’s a fantastic sport for improving fitness, stamina and for sheer enjoyment,” commented LSC Manager, Allan Parker-Read. “As a club, we are keen to raise awareness of the sport amongst adults, particularly female players, who are the most under-represented group nationally.” He added, “By this September we will be launching as many adult teams as we have players wanting to compete – and we have some very good players on our books already, but there’s always room for more.”
Perhaps you are a ‘lapsed’ player, or have always fancied trying badminton, so why not come along on Wednesday evening to the Longhill Sports Centre and give it a try? It’s just £25 for a 10-week adults’ course. The LSC coaches and staff can promise a warm welcome!
For further information about Junior or Adult Badminton Clubs, please contact Gary Dove on 01273 391683.
