As I write part 2 of this article, I’ve just watched the ladies doubles final of the China Masters. China versus Japan, both new pairs to me so I was interested to see new faces battling out a final. The Japanese pair were victorious; however it was a good match albeit over in two straight games.

This made me question – how many new faces will appear in clubs up and down the country this season?

It’s been a concern of mine that club badminton is declining in many, if not all parts of the UK. The average age in clubs continues to rise, and it would seem that some, if not all leagues have now entered a phase where the rate of decline is worrying. How many years do they have before the league ceases to exist?

The new season has crept on us with last week seeing the first matches being played. It was also the same week I first heard of another club closing its doors. Yes, some of the players will seek new clubs whilst others may have called time on their league badminton exploits. It’s such a shame to hear this type of news.

Clubs have continued to swallow the ridiculous increased venue costs with some players advising that the club is charged more than the standard hourly rate. This is absurd! A weekly block booking whereby the courts are laid out and the staff have no need to attend for a changeover should result in a lower price, not higher.

Additionally, there have been extortionate price rises on shuttles which we are all suffering.

For comparison, the retail price of Yonex AS30 shuttles in 2020/21 was £19.99 per tube. Today they are £38.00 per tube, a 100% increase (based on purchasing 50 dozen or more per order). Other manufacturers report similar price increases. Shuttle costs are now the largest percentage of a club’s annual budget. As you can imagine, declining membership coupled with huge increases in costs is crippling clubs.

Here we are, eight months later and I’ve heard so many reports of clubs and leagues testing these shuttles.

So far, it would seem Victor NCS Max is the front-runner, however Yonex have yet to launch their synthetic shuttle, namely Crosswind 70. I’m advised that it is being tested and will launch globally in 2027.  I also have been led to believe it will be expensive so unless it outperforms the current competition, and outlasts a feather by considerable margin, it will struggle to find a place in the market.

Last week I tested another synthetic shuttle from an unknown brand out of China. It was very good, albeit too slow. However, flight was as good as Victor NCS Max so it’s only a matter of time before the quality in flight and speed is there. Durability is already considerably better than a feather shuttle.

Do I like these shuttles? No. I prefer a feather. It’s more organic in component parts and flight. However, I would consider switching if feather prices continue to rise. Incredibly, I hear so little argument over the green issue of decomposition once the shuttle is beyond use on court. I expected more.

Leagues need to consider allowing clubs to select their choice of shuttle. Yes, I accept this may bring home advantage, especially if the club selects a synthetic shuttle, however, the league should stipulate that it must conform to speed standards as a minimum requirement.

I would also advise clubs to test shuttles properly and make choices based on value for money and not the headline price of the tube. I have done these tests numerous times and the more expensive shuttle tends to outperform considerably lower priced ones by a margin of 3:1 and yet the price differentiation is clearly not the same ratio.

To do this, I suggest testing one hour’s play in an evening with different tubes of shuttles on each court. Retain the damaged shuttles by the tube. After one hour, calculate the cost of play on that court:

• Divide the cost of the tube by 12 assuming standard sizing in order to understand cost per shuttle.
• Multiply this by the number of used shuttles by the tube

This will give you the cost of play.

You may discover that it’s a wiser investment to purchase more expensive shuttles as they last longer and the cost per hour is less.

Despite me suggesting the test, I’m certain most clubs will not complete the research and blindly continue possibly paying more than they need to play.

I watched a video this morning discussing another concern in British badminton, the attendance of women in senior competition. It’s fair to say that male entries in singles continue to be high, but female attendance is below half of the male numbers, perhaps less than that.

Over the years that I have run training weekends or day camps, female attendance is low with less than a quarter compared to men. I don’t know how we are going to reverse this trend but clearly, the game is losing far too many women.

This same concern filters into clubs, with most reporting a shortage of ladies to compete in their teams.

Leagues are restructuring to include Open divisions because the traditional model of say three men and three ladies competing in a team is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Add a few more teams into a club or start playing different leagues, and suddenly women are being asked to play numerous times in a week to ensure there is a full team to compete. Open divisions mean a team can field six players with the combination of men and women of choice.

I’ve just looked at the current World Rankings in all categories. It’s not surprising to see that there is only one English pair in the top 32. Well done Sean and Ben. However, there are no English ladies in singles or doubles, no English pairs in mixed doubles and no male singles players. We have become a weak nation.

English ladies failed to qualify for Uber Cup team event last year, beaten by lower tiered countries such as Turkey (no disrespect). We’ve become mediocre on the world stage aside from Sean and Ben, which impacts the junior scene and eventually filters into senior badminton.

So, where are we heading?

Participation in badminton is still high, but I foresee splinter groups with players leaving clubs and simply getting together to compete with friends in leisure centres, ensuring only those of a certain standard qualify for the group. This will eventually replace the league structure unless costs can be capped, clubs become friendlier in approach and have the ability to develop players.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the massive increasing trend towards Padel in the under 45 age group and Pickleball for the over 45s.

Padel is definitely generating massive investment in courts, albeit expensive, and has the attention of a younger crowd for its relatively low investment in one bat (no restringing required) and a ball. You don’t need special shoes, wear what you want etc and I wonder whether leagues will form or continue with the simple regular bookings for a set number of players which is where I see badminton transitioning.

The same can be said for Pickleball. What’s more worrying with Pickleball is that they play on badminton courts, reducing court availability. The other worry is that many leisure centres allow Pickleball to be played adjacent to another badminton court without barriers. I’m sick of this cavalier approach to health and safety. It’s a time bomb waiting to explode.

The new league season in the UK has now commenced.

Can I implore you to volunteer if you don’t already?

• Whether it’s helping in your club
• Helping a local centre with junior coaching
• Speaking to your County Association

The more players get involved, the more we can achieve in our counties. County Associations do not have huge pots of money, so every penny saved or raised is helpful.

Hopefully, clubs find a way of steering through the difficulties outlined earlier, and all competitors have a fun season.

Bottom line: we love playing badminton! As well as having fun, hopefully new friendships are forged along the way, we learn more about this wonderful sport and learn to be kinder to one another.