Decathlon Ulster Junior Badminton League

Saturday 30th March 2019 saw the end of the first season of the Decathlon Ulster Junior Badminton League. The competition began in October 2018 and after 5 rounds of matches taking place at venues in Lisburn, Belfast and Coleraine the competition was concluded with the last round of games at Lisburn Racquets Club.

The competition comprised of teams from Alpha, Banbridge District, Smashers Coleraine, Carryduff Cobras and Greenwell Street from Newtownards.  Each match day teams competed against each other in this U15 event with teams consisting of 2 boys and 2 girls, playing level and mixed doubles matches.

The competition was and ran by Ulster Badminton with the support of the clubs, and sponsored by Decathlon Belfast with the aim of providing competitive playing experiences for club level players.

Speaking at the conclusion of the event Ulster Badminton’s Club and Coaching Officer, Ryan Prentice, commented “it has been a great first year for the competition. We started this venture with the aim of providing more competitive playing opportunities for clubs and their players. Over the last few years the number of clubs competing in leagues has been on the decline so we hope to readdress this with this competition and are looking to attract new clubs each season and to increase the number of age groups competing. We are delighted to have Decathlon as a sponsor for the league and we look forward to growing this relationship over the next few years to benefit all clubs across the province.”

The competition was won by Greenwell Street closely followed by Banbridge District, but the league was extremely competitive all season and all players, coaches and parents deserve huge credit for their commitment to ensuring the league was a success.

Plans for the 2019/20 season will begin over the next couple of weeks and we are keen to hear from clubs from across Ulster that would be keen to get involved. As mentioned teams are made up of 2 boys and 2 girls and we would aim to have 5 match days throughout the season. If you are interested then please contact Ryan on 07894507435 or via email at ryanprentice@ulsterbadminton.com . The competition is aimed at club level players who want to take the next step from competing in their club to playing against new people and different clubs throughout the season. If any clubs are interested or would like more information then please get in touch.