CELEBRATING SUCCESS. Annual report for year ended March badmintonengland.co.uk

Transcription

1 CELEBRATING SUCCESS Annual report for year ended March 2016 badmintonengland.co.uk

2 Contents 3 President s Report 4 Chairman: A time of challenge and opportunity 8 Chief Executive: A year of focus and transition 13 Financial Performance 2015/16 14 Increasing participation 16 Nurturing talent and winning medals 18 More places to play 20 Investing in coaches 22 Summer circuit shows year-round competition appeal 24 Delivering world class events 26 English Badminton Awards 26 In Memoriam 2 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

3 Looking back as a Proud President 2016 will be a huge year for sport in this country with the forthcoming Rio Olympic Games, which I am really looking forward to and I wish all the GB players who are going to compete the best of luck. It will also be a significant year for me personally as I will be stepping down as President of Badminton England in June. I have been an extremely proud President for nearly six years, but have decided that the time is right for me to step aside and let someone else take over this incredibly privileged role within the organisation. I am so very grateful that my time as President has been marked by so many great moments, one of the highlights of which for me was seeing Chris and Gabby Adcock win the Superseries Finals in Dubai last year, and also win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I long for them to win the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships at some point. My biggest highlight however has been meeting so many wonderful people, both within our own organisation and from abroad, who all contribute to making badminton the great sport that it is. My time as President of Badminton England has passed quickly too quick really, but I would like to thank our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Adrian Christy and his staff for all their tremendous help and support over the years. I would also like to thank the army of volunteers that the sport relies on. Our great tournaments could not take place without them, and I cannot thank them enough for their amazing efforts over the years. You truly are all a credit to our organisation. I also wish the next President of Badminton England, whoever he or she may be, all the best for the future. I hope that they enjoy it as much as I have over the past six years. Geoff Rofe President Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 3

4 A time of challenge and opportunity The year has seen considerable change in the environment in which we have to work and this will continue to appertain into the future. During the year we saw the Government publish its consultation document on the direction that future policy on sport and physical activity should take and this was followed by publication of its Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation. Over much the same period as the Government s consultation, Badminton England undertook one of the widest consultation processes ever undertaken with its membership to help shape its strategic direction for the period , i.e. the next two Olympic and Paralympic cycles. This was aimed at gaining agreement about what was right for our sport and ended up with two clear objectives being confirmed: 1. To increase the number of people taking part in badminton; and 2. To win World, Olympic and Paralympic medals Clearly there are a number of strategies that underpin the above and these will assist in the delivery of our objectives. 4 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

5 As detail of the Government strategy, and the subsequent Sport England strategy, begins to emerge, there is considerable expectation that there will be areas of synergy between their, and our strategies, and that we will be able to work together to achieve our mutual goals. Whilst creating the Strategic Plan for , we reviewed the governance structure to ensure that it both reflected the aspirations contained within the strategy and that the personnel within it had the right mix of skills to set the underpinning goals and to monitor / review the delivery of them. From the outset the intent was to create a streamlined decision-making process that was underpinned by meaningful consultation. In the process of doing this we were also mindful that a new Governance Code for Sport in the UK will be published later in 2016 and that we will be required to comply with it to enjoy any future funding from either Sport England and / or UK Sport. During the year it was also decided to instigate the formation of a Youth Commission and this has met under the chairmanship of Kerri Scott. It also became clear that some revisions were needed to Badminton England s Articles and Standing Orders and work was undertaken during the year to ensure effective addressing of some of the more pressing revisions at the 2016 Annual General Meeting. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 5

6 Early in the year a Membership Commission was formed to review the membership structure following wide consultation and input. Much of the work of the Commission was completed during the year and by the time of preparation of this Annual Report; a further version of the proposals will have been taken to the first General Meeting of the New Year. Without wishing to pre-empt the detailed financial report within this document I would particularly draw to your attention to the need to pursue affiliations as membership income this year is well below budget. It is hoped that the new Membership Package will go some way to addressing this adverse trend going forwards. Most readers of this report will be aware that during the year, we reluctantly decided not to proceed with the proposed development of a National Badminton Arena at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes. Despite huge efforts it became increasingly obvious that the capital build costs were outstripping the anticipated capital receipts and that the cost of borrowing to bridge the gap would risk the development s financial sustainability going forwards. That said, it was also obvious that the current National Badminton Centre (NBC) could not produce increased income in its existing format having little spare court time available and with no realistic ability to host events in an arena format. At a time when self-generated income will become increasingly important, the decision was taken during the year to explore ways in which the existing site could be redeveloped to generate more revenue and these are being progressed. Badminton England owes a massive vote of thanks to its sponsors, stakeholders, and partners but, even more so, to its hugely committed staff, and volunteer workforce (including those from the Badminton Umpires Association of England, and the Badminton Line Judges Association of England), and it is fitting that this should be formally recorded in this, our Annual Report. This Annual General Meeting will see the end of periods of office for a number of us and I would particularly like to thank Geoff Rofe who has been such an excellent ambassador for badminton throughout his Presidency; Diana Troke and Dave Eddy who have each served on the Board and contributed to badminton for so many years but have now decided to step away from the Board of Directors; and, finally, to Mark Robertson who has combined co-option to the Board with his day job of Director of Finance. The contribution and counsel of all of them will be greatly missed and I feel sure that you will join with me in wishing them well for the future. Derek Batchelor Chairman 6 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

7 Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 7

8 A year of focus and transition In my report last year, I talked about English badminton being in great shape and the prospects for the future looking strong. With that in mind, the year has seen us focus strongly on the two fundamental objectives that are central to everything that we do and that guide the decisions we make: 1. Increase the number of people playing badminton, and 2. Win medals at World and Olympic level Underpinning these areas of core business has been three other key objectives that are critical in continuing to grow and develop English badminton: 3. Maintaining a financially strong organisation 4. Building a World Class Workforce; and 5. Developing our Business Capability I will reflect on some of these objectives, there will also be references elsewhere in the report. 8 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

9 Fundamental to our future capability is understanding our strategic direction and members will know that the Board of Directors and Executive Team have spent the past 18 months considering the long term vision and strategy for English badminton; this being against a backdrop of a new Government, a new Minister for Sport, a new Strategy for Sport and a new funding period for both the participation and medal environment. I was delighted to spend a significant amount of time touring the country during the year, meeting so many volunteers, club and county officials, coaches and members to listen and understand where you thought the focus for English badminton should be. I would like to say a huge thank you for the warm welcome you gave me but also for sharing such knowledge, passion and insight. The conclusion of this work was the end of January 2016 when the Board of Directors approved the new strategy for English badminton Discover Badminton that was welcomed by the General Meeting the following day. We have also spent this year consulting on a new membership strategy and again we were delighted that the new scheme that will come into force from the 2017/18 season was received so well by the January General Meeting. One of the main components of the new membership strategy is to move the anecdotal mindset from one of having to be a member to one of wanting to be, and we know in order to do that we must create greater value for individuals and to be far more relevant to them. Disappointingly, the evidence shows we have work to do; the year saw a reduction in the number of affiliated clubs down 4% from 1,826 (March 15) to 1,750 (March 16), and the number of members down 3% from 45,075 to 43,631. The financial reality of this was a reduction in income from the budgeted figure of 607,000 to 544,000. Our membership is incredibly important to us and Discover Badminton will very much help to build our audience and enable us to communicate all manner of ways in which an individual can get more from the sport they love. To enable us to activate the plans we have to get more people playing and to achieve consistent medal positions, we have to be realistic in needing to generate more of our own revenue you have heard me speak many times about available government and national lottery resources being finite and consequently we cannot be so reliant on the public purse. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 9

10 I am therefore delighted that during the year we concluded several new commercial partnerships that have enabled us to invest more into core business. In addition to the amazing support we receive from Yonex, we have welcomed Babolat into our community programmes and domestic competition, 188BET have become a great partner of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships, AJ Bell became the title partner of the National Badminton League and their support was helped by the addition of Be Wiser as a further partner. I would like to thank Sky Sports for their superb support going back many years but I was also delighted to welcome Eurosport as host broadcaster of the 2016 YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships and also the BBC who took coverage of the Championships for the first time since Our broadcast partners are critical for the growth of English badminton. Creating assets such as the AJ Bell NBL showcases our sport to a huge new audience and this is a key part of our strategy to increase participation making the sport more visible and more exciting to more people has a positive impact on the number of people picking up a racket and playing. So we are in great shape on and off the court and the new revenues we have secured have helped us support both the grass roots of badminton and the elite side of our sport. LOOKING AHEAD The year ahead is one of planning and transitioning but before I talk about that, we must never forget what we are here for the sport of badminton. One of the principal aims for the year that I spoke about was doing everything we can to prepare our players, that enables their qualification for Rio 2016 and to go on to achieve a medal in the summer, something so many of us desperately want to see. I think we have done everything we can to help the players who have been magnificent throughout the year. I am always so overwhelmed when I witness the focus and determination of such a great group of players and I congratulate those who will represent Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games; I wish them every success. I will say the same for the coaches and support staff who have been simply outstanding and who make regular personal sacrifices to enable our players to realise their dreams. You should all be very proud of them. We will also continue to grow participation in badminton. We know so many people play our sport recreationally; we also know thousands play in clubs up and down the country and we will continue to ensure we create more opportunities for badminton to happen locally. 10 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

11 But we cannot do that on our own and as we plan for the official launch of Discover Badminton we will be visiting the counties once again to understand how a national strategy for the sport can be translated to local level to ensure it has the impact and growth where it really matters. We will also be preparing our plan to secure funding from Sport England to ensure we maximise the investment into our own strategy; the outcome of this funding plan, which will look forward from , is scheduled to be known by the end of So through the summer period, this piece of work will demand a great deal of attention by the National Game Team and the National Game Board. One of the consistent responses I heard loud and clear on the tour of the counties last year was the need for a greater focus on young people and in the autumn of 2016, we will be launching a new programme targeted at primary age young people our future! Alongside the on-court aspirations we have this year, will sit a period of transitioning. I have mentioned already the roll out of the new membership scheme but an investment into our IT infrastructure and digital platforms is critical as we move to an incredibly exciting vision for English badminton that will take us through the Tokyo 2020 and 2024 Olympic and Paralympic cycles. This is an investment strategy that we must continue in the years ahead as we look likely to need to replace public funding with more of our own revenues. I would like to conclude by thanking everyone for the huge amount of time, passion, expertise and ambition that you invest into Badminton England and English badminton. I am privileged to work alongside such a talented team of staff and volunteers and to also have built some extraordinary relationships with a range of partners who are equally ambitious for what our great sport is trying to achieve. Every one of you is invaluable to English badminton and you should be so proud of the contribution you make to our sport. Adrian Christy Chief Executive So we are in great shape on and off the court and the new revenues we have secured have helped us support both the grass roots of badminton and elite side of our sport. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 11

12 12 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

13 Financial Performance 2015/16 The audited accounts for the year ended 31 March 2016 show a surplus for the year before tax of 213,000 (2015: 5,000) against a budget surplus of 39,000 a positive variance of 174,000. The Statement of Financial Position shows we have net assets of 2,864,000 (2015: 2,651,000), which amounts to approximately seven months of trading. This is the end of the third year of the current four year funding cycle from Sport England and UK Sport and we remain in a strong financial position. Our performance this year reflects: another successful YONEX All England with ticket income ahead of the prior year by 18% an increase in other self-generated commercial revenues, with sponsorship revenues ahead of prior year by 9%, driven by new sponsorship arrangements. the surplus generated by the National Badminton Centre and accommodation lodge exceeding last year by 9% Membership income of 544,000, up 3% on the prior year and down 10% on where we had budgeted for it to be. This has allowed us to make significant investment into our sport, including: programmes including capital projects designed to increase participation 2,932,000 performance centres and programmes 842,000 elite athletes 1,637,000 a second year of the AJ Bell National Badminton League 167,000 net It is very pleasing to be able to report that we have continued to build our selfgenerated income, which has increased year on year by 6%, reflecting the increased tournament and sponsorship revenues noted above. However, the level of membership income remains a concern and whilst we hope the new membership package will help to attract new members and improve retention rates of existing members, it is clear that a lot of hard work is required to pursue affiliations. With pressure on Government funding likely to continue for some time, it is imperative that we arrest the decline in membership volume and continue to exploit our commercial assets and increase sources of self-generated commercial income. In the final year of this funding cycle, we have set a break even operational budget for We also have plans to invest in our IT and digital capability and other projects to position us well for the future, which will require additional funding. Mike Robinson Honorary Treasurer Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 13

14 Increasing Participation More people playing badminton is a key strategic aim for Badminton England. It remains the highest priority for our major funder Sport England that measures participation amongst the 14+ population via the Active People Survey (APS). We aimed to achieve the following Active People Survey targets by October 2015: participation 157,129; 26+ participation 406,871; and 16+ disability participation 38,660. Furthermore, we were required to support the development of 175 satellite clubs for year-olds. At the end of March 2016 we exceeded the satellite club target, investing in 181 clubs and attracting more than 3,300 players. The 14-25, 26+ and disability targets were not reached, recording 106,600, 325,000 and 32,700 participants respectively. The results are disappointing, as the survey does not reflect the work and activity that is taking place around the country. However, Sport England acknowledged the growth in organised activity around programmes such as No Strings and SmashUp!, alongside the scale and pace of our delivery and confirmed the overall confidence they have in our commitment to produce results. 14 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

15 The first Badminton4Macmillan week took place in November Some 335 nationwide events welcomed 8,000 people into clubs, leisure sites and education settings. More than 1,000 of these players are now playing regularly and 25,000 was raised to support Macmillan Cancer Care. An excellent partnership has been formed and we look forward to working with Macmillan again in The SmashUp! programme continues to be our lead initiative for the youth market and the continued expansion of this programme has been considerable. More than 1,500 schools and community sites have signed up to the programme creating multiple opportunities to attract young people into our game. We continue to work with 64 universities to grow the sport at recreational and club level and this has been replicated in the further education sector with 141 colleges offering badminton. The leisure centre market has seen a continued decline across the sector with footfall reducing nationally by 25% over the past four years. This has had an adverse effect on casual participation in the sector that is driving the decline reflected in the APS. However, organised participation has increased with a collective focus on No Strings Badminton seeing over 825 sessions now active across England and almost 170 Essentials courses being delivered. Play Badminton also launched a resale offer to leisure site partners that delivers revenue to Badminton England and adds value to our relationship with operators. The framework has also generated over 101,400 of income into the organisation. To measure activity we have established a comprehensive data intelligence system (Datahub) that allows us to effectively track participation, market trends, consumer habit and outcome prediction. All our leisure site partners have access to our Partner Resource system where they can access all assets required to both market and deliver any of the available Badminton England programmes. To date, over 210 sites have accessed the system and engagement continues to grow. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 15

16 Nurturing talent and winning medals It has been a rollercoaster year, best illustrated by our team s performance at the World Championships in Jakarta last September. There were a number of world class performances throughout the event that eventually placed us in a position at the business end of the competition to challenge for medals. Sadly these opportunities were taken away or hindered due to a debilitating illness. Whilst a hugely emotional time for all concerned we take great pride in the way the players, coaches and support staff dealt with the situation and subsequently responded, building on the achievement and learning from the experience. Our preparation for the Rio Olympic Games has been a huge focus for the year and we are delighted to have qualified players in every discipline, the first time Great Britain has done this since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Whilst qualification was the first hurdle, seeding positions will be important so we will maintain our efforts right through to the 21st July, with the aim of putting ourselves in the best possible position to achieve medal success. Whilst the Rio Games is our priority we have not lost sight of the need to develop our longer term performance strategy including making our case to UK Sport for funding beyond April This process has yet to be concluded and will be finalised in December when UK Sport confirms investment for all Olympic and Paralympic sports. Alongside our planning with UK Sport we have commenced the process of developing our England talent strategy linked to a potential application for investment from Sport England. A key consideration throughout the process has been to ensure strategic and operational alignment between the England talent pathway and the GB World Class Performance Programme. 16 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

17 With the announcement of the inclusion of Para- Badminton in the Tokyo Paralympic programme we have been considering our strategy to develop and support our most talented players to challenge for medals in The classes to be included in Tokyo will not be confirmed until 2017 and that means we cannot as yet confirm the way forward. However we have submitted our initial Para-Badminton strategy to UK Sport and remain determined to build on existing Para-Badminton performance activities irrespective of the current uncertainties and limited resources. There have been a number of notable highlights over the past twelve months as we strive to strengthen the performance system for the future: The most significant achievement within the past twelve months has been the success by Gabby and Chris Adcock in winning the season ending SuperSeries Finals in Dubai. This was a historic achievement for English badminton confirming Chris and Gabby s status as a world leading pairing as we approach the Rio Olympic Games. Throughout the year players have competed to challenge the best in the world and to continue to develop towards being players who can challenge for medals at the highest level in the future. 19 players have collectively won 17 international titles from across all five disciplines. The primary aim of the England Junior Programmes is to identify and nurture our next generation of world class performers. Whilst not the sole measure of the progress of young talent, our performances at European international events are a strong indicator of how we compare to our closest rivals in Europe. England has competed in all the major European junior competitions and the World Junior Championships. Notable performances have included: U19 World Junior Championships Mixed Doubles Quarter-final Ben Lane & Jess Pugh U17 European Championships Boys Singles Silver Johnnie Torjussen U15 European Championships Boys Singles Gold Harry Huang Boys Doubles Silver Rory Easton & Harry Huang U15 Danish Junior Cup Boys Singles Rory Easton U13 Refrath Cup Boys Singles Gold Alex Green Girls Doubles Silver Lisa Curtin & Holly Williams Mixed Doubles Silver Alex Green & Lisa Curtin Within the last year we have seen three England Senior players make notable progress stepping up to be considered and subsequently selected for the GB Performance Programme. This is once again a positive indicator that with determination and commitment we have players capable of delivering at the highest level in the future. The Elite Coach Programme has entered its second year. This is an innovative programme supported by UK Sport that continues to evolve but which is immersing coaches into the training environment at the National Badminton Centre and exposing them to world class badminton at international events. We are delighted that Andrew Stewart and Dean George, both members of the ECP have been recognised nationally for their contribution and achievements of the past year. When reflecting on the past twelve months, it has been a challenging but encouraging year in many respects. As reported there have been a number of positive performances internationally across the pathway and we have pushed ahead with our aim to expose more players to the training environment at the National Badminton Centre earlier in their careers. Progress never stops, we will continue to challenge ourselves to maximise the talent of the best performers and to strengthen the pathway at every stage. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 17

18 More places to play Interest in the development and improvement of facilities has remained high this year. Badminton England s Capital Investment Programme was oversubscribed again and many more projects sought our advice on applications to other funding bodies or requested technical advice. 21 projects received capital grants from us this year, including seven schools, seven public leisure centres, three badminton clubs and four other racquets clubs looking to add badminton to the range of sports they offer. A total of 600,000 was awarded, with the largest grant of 100,000 going to Nottingham University s new 20 court sports hall and the smallest grant of less than 1,000 going to a school that needed to tackle the glare from natural light before they could set up a new community badminton club. The majority of awards were for improvements to the aspects of sports hall design which are most critical to the enjoyment of badminton and which are most often criticised i.e. flooring, lighting and the colour of walls. A total of 109 courts were developed with our help - 38 new courts were created and 71 were improved. Badminton England s investments were paired with over 42m of partnership funding although this includes three multi-million pound new-build projects. However, even if these are excluded, our grants still attracted pound for pound partnership funding. Whilst developing better courts is important, this will not increase badminton participation on its own, so we make sure that every grant recipient signs a community use agreement guaranteeing a significant number of hours dedicated to badminton, so that facility operators, clubs and coaches have the space to expand their programmes. This year an average of 46 hours a week were guaranteed for badminton which, with agreements in place for up to 35 years, means that over four million court hours have been secured. We also require funded projects to set targets for increasing the number of people playing badminton regularly and this year s projects have pledged to deliver 7,984 adults and 3,466 young people playing badminton at least once a week, with a further 422 people with disabilities playing regularly, either in Para-Badminton sessions or inclusive club sessions. 18 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

19 Whilst our Capital Investment Programme has had a significant impact over the last six years, it does not have the capacity to support every project that approaches us for help. However, we have influenced far more developments than we have funded, by providing support and advice on applications to other funding bodies, and by providing technical advice on all aspects of sports hall design. In the last year 287 individual projects were supported with design advice on a wide range of matters from how to treat VAT on a new build project to risk assessment when playing badminton in the dark! The most common enquiries related to wall colours, floor specifications, lighting layouts and court layouts. In order to ensure that the advice provided remains current, we have sought involvement in the development of a number of new design and technological advances, including acoustic treatments and LED lighting. Badminton England is currently working with Sport England on the development of a new minimum performance specification for LED lights in sports halls. The next year will be equally busy and challenging, with the final year of the current Capital Investment Programme to deliver and a wide range of exciting potential projects to support at a time when everyone s capital and revenue budgets are being further squeezed. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 19

20 Investing in coaches A sport that is constantly evolving needs a coaching workforce that is equally progressive. The development of a diverse network of coach education provision, resources and learning opportunities is how the Education & Training team at Badminton England are trying to support coaches in their work with players at all levels across the country. Over the last two years the Education & Training team (on behalf of the UK Source Group) has been redeveloping the UKCC Coach Education programme. The team has worked alongside a broad group of badminton experts including experienced coaches, educationalists, tutors and members of the performance coaching team from Badminton England to refocus and reshape the qualifications at all levels. The main aim of this work is to focus the learning programmes on the key elements at each level that will enable our coaches to have the skills and knowledge to produce a generation of more technically accurate and tactically aware players. This direction enables us to focus on the fundamental hitting and movement principles with Level 1 assistant coaches, applying a stronger tactical focus to technical practice at Level 2 and then culminating with the knowledge and skills needed to work with performance singles, level doubles and mixed players at Level 3. Alongside the re-focus of the learning programme at each level, the assessment process has been refined and will result in greater confidence in the knowledge and skills of the coaches that qualify and then start to work with players. These new programmes are now being delivered across the country. We have run slightly fewer Level 1 courses in 2015/16 as we managed the transition from the old programme to the new one in January We ran 49 Level 1 courses (that included 15 courses running the new programme) compared to the 58 delivered in 2014/ assistant coaches qualified at Level 1, compared to 698 in 2014/15. We delivered 21 Level 2 courses in 2015/16 (including 4 running the new programme) compared to 20 in 2014/15. This has added a further 126 qualified coaches to the workforce. This compares to the 151 new Level 2 coaches in 2014/ Annual Report for year ended March 2016

21 We delivered 21 Level 2 courses in 2015/16 (including 4 running the new programme) compared to 20 in 2014/15. This has added a further 126 qualified coaches to the workforce. This compares to the 151 new Level 2 coaches in 2014/15. England now boasts 57 UKCC Level 3 qualified coaches, with another new crop of candidates having completed the taught elements of the programme and working through the portfolio and the final assessment process. All the new programmes are also supported by a more comprehensive set of resources that range from a more user friendly course manual to a set of online resources that provide coaches with detailed video information related to the complex technical content of the courses. The Coach Update (CPD) modules have been further developed and have been delivered across the country. These will play an increasingly important role in the overall coach education programme as we move forwards, as these will provide more specific information to coaches to supplement what they receive on the UKCC courses. To date, 24 practical workshops have been delivered, with 113 coaches having attended and 275 coaches having accessed at least one of the different online learning modules in 2015/16. The Coach Licence continues to grow, with more and more coaches across the country becoming licensed. This is of benefit to these coaches as they can demonstrate that they are engaging with the progressive learning approach and furthering their knowledge and skills in areas relevant to their coaching. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 21

22 Summer circuit shows yearround competition appeal Badminton England has provided 241 Circuit Tournament opportunities for members this year. The senior circuit remains strong with 75 tournaments held during the year, two more than the previous year. The junior circuit grew from 160 to 166 this season. The growth of tournaments was a result of a Summer Circuit pilot in July and early August 2015 to test the demand from players to compete at this time of year. A total of nine tournaments were held across a range of age groups and circuits, in Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire and Tees Valley. Entry levels for all tournaments were at a similar level to the regular season, and a Summer Circuit will continue to be offered in The number of players on the circuits has fluctuated across the season and currently sits at 4,000 players recorded on the English National Rankings - this is lower than at 4,100 players. The reduction in player numbers can be seen in the age group from and more significantly in the age group 25-40, which has been evident in the lower entries experienced by tournament organisers in many Senior Silver and Bronze tournaments. More than 50% of these 4,000 players only played in one or two circuit tournaments in the last 12 months, and the player gradings show that there are a further 300 junior and 400 senior players active in county competition that do not compete in circuit tournaments. The Badminton England Compete website is a one stop shop for members, tournament organisers, and anyone with an interest in competition. All members are provided with an online username and password to enter tournaments and 95% of the circuit tournaments offered online entry with payment this season. Between March 2015 and March 2016, the Compete website grew by 16,500 to 162,338 unique visitors (devices), with an average viewing time of seven minutes. 22 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

23 The new mobile Competition App was launched in August on Android and Apple devices allowing users to track their membership, competition profile, tournament entries and results, search and follow their favourite leagues and tournaments, enter county match results, and follow live scoring of key tournaments at their finger tips including the AJ Bell National Badminton League, County Championships Premier Division, English Nationals, U19 Nationals, U17 Nationals, National Schools Championships finals, and the YONEX All England Open Championships. In this first year 1,643 people downloaded the Competition App by 31 March The Senior County Championships had 118 teams, the same as during the season. This year saw the launch of the new format whereby all teams played their divisions in a central venue. A player survey after the last regional weekend showed that the majority of players enjoyed playing the new format and felt that the changes made were positive for the competition: 73% think the central venue creates a more competitive atmosphere compared to 11% who disagreed (16% neither agreed/disagreed) 64% think the central venues heightened the profile of the SCC compared to 12% who disagreed (24% neither agreed/disagreed) 52% preferred the new format compared to 29% who disagreed (19% neither agreed/disagreed) this year reached a staggering 440 players from 19 countries (380 players from 17 different countries in 2015). Whilst numbers are still strong there is wider concern that fewer players are joining at the younger age groups that may impact future success - the Masters Policy Group is addressing this. The Under 17 Inter County Tournament received the same entry as last season with 35 county teams. It is an iconic tournament for players at this age group and for many counties the most important event of the year. The last two years have been run in a temporary facility at Nottingham University due to the building of a new Sports Park. We look forward to hosting 2017 ICT in the new venue that will boast 20 playing courts and provide an even better experience for the players. The National Age Group Championships Masters, Under 17, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 - all continue to receive a strong entry with all age groups being oversubscribed. The National Series is the pinnacle tournament for many members. The National School Championships was projected by the Youth Sports Trust to have reached over 32,000 participants. This came on the back of some key changes to the entry and delivery mechanism which saw 95% of County Sports Partnerships taking responsibility for the organisation and funding of level 3 county rounds. The finals were hosted for the first time at the National Badminton Centre giving them a more professional and grand final feel to the participants. Masters badminton continues to be strong with 157 teams in the Masters County Championships five more than last season, and 138 teams in the Masters County Challenge three more than last season. The All England Seniors celebrated its 100th year in April 2016 and continues to be an important annual event in the International calendar and for the first time this year carried international ranking points entry has grown each year for over five years and Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 23

24 It s been an exciting and inspiring year for our Major Event portfolio: a landmark hosting of the BWF World Para-Badminton Championships, building on the inaugural AJ Bell National Badminton League season in 2014/15, a new venue for our English National Championships, and an exciting opportunity around the delivery of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships. Delivering world class events We have once again been able to showcase our sport and talent to the highest levels, whilst facing some unique challenges. Our ability to do this can be attributed to the continued commitment and passion from our partners and an incredibly professional and voluntary workforce. It s a true celebration of what can be achieved through sport. The first game-changing season for the National Badminton League (NBL) concluded in June 2015, as we hosted the NBL Finals at the K2 in Crawley. After a thrilling season of fixtures, Surrey Smashers qualified in first position, and were joined by Team Derby, University of Nottingham Badminton and Loughborough Sport in positions two to four. Birmingham Lions and MK Badminton failed to qualify. After some exciting semifinals, Team Derby triumphed over Loughborough Sport in the Final 3-2, gaining the honour of lifting the League trophy for the first time. The season enjoyed exposure through Sky Sports and online platforms, and made significant progress towards positioning the English League as a competitive showcase for our sport and a range of athletes. In September 2015, Stoke Mandeville Stadium opened its doors for the BWF World Para- Badminton Championships our first staging of the Championships, and a landmark return to the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. We welcomed 223 athletes from 37 countries into the competition, which was supported by a celebrated legacy programme of community engagement, workshops and the promotion of opportunities within Para- Badminton. We received praise from the BWF for the improvements made to the staging of these Championships (including opening and closing ceremonies), which was aided by the recruitment of a 152 strong volunteer workforce (many new to badminton) and some key partners. The privilege of staging these Championships was only surpassed by a domestic medal haul of 11 medals - meaning England achieved second place in the medal table - and a series of magnificent performances by Rachel Choong who became our first triple Para-Badminton World champion. This, in turn, led her to be also awarded The UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards; and the Outstanding Achievement award at Badminton England s National Badminton Awards. 24 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

25 The second season of the AJ Bell NBL has been another game-changing addition to our domestic portfolio, now gaining increased commercial interest through continued sponsorship from Yonex, who have been joined by title sponsor, AJ Bell, and supporting sponsor, Be Wiser. We have successfully delivered 15 matches, which concluded with Loughborough Sport positioned at the top of the league, followed by University of Nottingham Sport, Birmingham Lions and Team Derby. We have also announced our expansion of the numbers of participating teams for the 2016/17 season, as we integrate the Bristol Jets and Suffolk Saxons from October Information and results can be found at nationalbadmintonleague.co.uk. The English National Badminton Championships continue to provide an opportunity to showcase our finest domestic talent, and the 2016 Championships were staged at the University of Derby Sports Centre in February 2016 through the support of Yonex and the University of Derby. This new centre welcomed around 300 athletes and workforce over the three days of competition, in addition to the 1,300 spectators and guests, just over 11,000 online viewers, and 16,000 visitors to our website landing page. We crowned new champions alongside some familiar faces results are available through the Badminton England website. The prestigious and exciting YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2016 rounded off our season in March our 106th staging of the Championships, once again at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, and launching the 2016 season of BWF World Superseries Premier events. It was delivered through valued partnerships with Yonex, 188Bet, Birmingham City Council and Marketing Birmingham. We were also a prominent event within the qualification period for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and this was perhaps reflected by some outstanding, but also surprising results. In excess of 27,000 guests joined us throughout the week, an increase on 2015, in addition to the 200 plus workforce and 302 athletes from 28 BWF Member Associations. The latter three days were broadcast through a new partnership with Eurosport, and the BBC broadcast Chris and Gabby Adcock s semi final live; both broadcasters complimented an extensive World Feed. We continue to deliver and receive praise for the outstanding experience from all who attend, which allows the athletes to perform to the best of their ability in order to showcase our sport to the highest level and inspire not only partners, but also the next generation of athletes, officials and volunteers. Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 25

26 Awards The English Badminton Award was instituted in 1993 for long standing exceptional service to Badminton in England. The following have been recognised for their achievement and service to our sport and to the wider badminton community: Robert Reed Ted Mitchell Mike Harding David Gardner The winners of the National Badminton Awards 2016 were as follows: Player of the Year Chris and Gabby Adcock Young Player of the Year Ben Lane and Jess Pugh Volunteer of the Year Judith Pedersen Club of the Year Colne Badminton Club Coach of the Year Dean George County Badminton Association (CBA) of the Year Oxfordshire Outstanding Achievement Winner Rachel Choong In Memoriam Badminton England pays tribute to the following friends who have passed away during the year: Brian Keefe Geoff Williams Matt Page Ray Wilson Angela Margaret Palmer Charles Ian Eddy Pauline Robins 26 Annual Report for year ended March 2016

27 Celebrating Success badmintonengland.co.uk 27

28 National Badminton Centre, Milton Keynes, MK89LA T: E: badmintonengland.co.uk badmintonengland.co.uk