Membership:
There are over 15,000 players affiliated with clubs throughout the 32 counties. These would mainly be league and tournament players, with an estimated 100,000 players playing badminton in Ireland.
Number of Clubs:
There are 430 affilaited clubs throughout Ireland.
Number of Participating Schools:
There are over 300 schools taking part in county leagues, leading to provincial and All Ireland Finals.
Badminton Ireland 2012/2013 Highlights:
- Niall McVeigh Gold Para Badminton European Championship 2012
- Scott Evans Men’s Singles Winner Irish Open 2013, first Irish winner in over 40 years
- Chloe Magee Ladies Singles winner Turkish Open 2013
- Sam and Chloe Magee Winners of Turkish Open Mixed Doubles 2013
- Scott Evans Men’s Singles Winner Cyprus Open 2013
- Sam and Chloe Magee Runners-up Dutch Open Mixed 2013
- Scott Evans represented Europe at the recent Axiata Cup
- Irish Open received over 50,000 hits over the 3 days of streaming
- World Class Coaching clinic series with Lee Jae Bok – Dublin & Galway
- Live Streaming of All Ireland Interleague Finals
- New Mobile Application
- New ranking system
- New grading system
- New Ecommerce offering for members
What are the key events to look forward to in 2013?
The Irish Open it the highlight of the Irish Badminton Calendar and is part of the World and European Circuit where players can earn essential World Ranking and European Circuit Ranking Points. The Irish Open has a rich history in World badminton, with Ireland being one of the founding members of the World Badminton Federation. The event, which takes place in Baldoyle Badminton Centre this year, has been run uninterrupted since 1902, making it one of the oldest and prestigious Badminton events in the world.
Key events calendar:
05 Jun | Ireland vs Lithuania, Kaunas, Lithuania |
27-28 Jul | BI Coaches Conference, Dublin |
5-11 Aug | BWF Wold Championships, Guangzhou, China |
6-8 Sep | Carlton Irish U19 Open, Dublin |
9-14 Sep | World Masters Champsionships, Ankara, Turkey |
10-13 Oct | Carlton Irish Future Series, Dublin |
16-17 Nov | Irish Para Champioships, Lisburn |
4-7 Dec | Carlton Irish Open & Badminton Ireland Awards, Dublin |
How can people get involved in Badminton in Ireland?
Clubs are located throughout the country and can be found at http://bi.tournamentsoftware.com/group/find. A number of badminton centres also run Beginner’s and Improvers classes, or individual tuition is available from qualified coaches.
Social Media Channel Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badminton.ireland
Twitter: @bad_min_ton
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BadmintonIrelandTV
Website: www.badmintonireland.com
Any interesting facts or statistics for inclusion in our Badminton Ireland Fact File:
The Badminton Union of Ireland was founded in 1899. The first badminton international ever was played in 1903 between Ireland and England. It was a founding member of the International Badminton Federation in 1934.
In 2000, Sonya McGinn ranked 50th in the world and qualified for the Sydney Olympics. This was followed by Scott Evans and Chloe Magee’s qualification for the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.