AYRSHIRE BADMINTON CLUB
THE ABC OF BADMINTON
Gill Sherry
Eighteen months ago, Alan Martin had the idea of setting up a Badminton Club. Unbeknown to him, Emma Cook and a few others had already had the same idea and had formed Ayrshire Badminton Club (ABC).
“I was wanting to do something in the area,” Alan explains, “because it was quite fragmented. A group of people would book courts… there were a lot of groups doing that in the Kilmarnock area. So I thought, why don’t we all come together?”
Alan had previously coached Emma – she was capped at Junior level – so he came on board with Emma and the others. Collectively they were able to gather the five or six different groups and sessions that now form Ayrshire Badminton Club.
“I think we’re sitting at about 140 players now.”
The club primarily operates from Grange Leisure Centre, Kilmarnock but also holds sessions at the Barony Campus in Cumnock.
Alan and Emma are two of seven committee members, all with different levels of playing experience. Alan himself has been capped at Masters level and is keen to point out the benefits of the sport.
“It’s a great social space. The reason I played when I was younger was because my friends were all doing it. I took some time away when I stopped being competitive at Senior level, and the reason I came back was because there were lots of people I know still playing. Plus, the Masters scene has taken off in the last couple of years.”
For Alan, and for many others, badminton offers so much more than keeping fit.
“It’s about being able to go there and see the people you hit with, and to go and have a laugh. You can have a night out. It’s about the social connection and feeling like you belong to something. I think the mental benefits outweigh the physical benefits.”
Ayrshire Badminton Club is open to players of all ages and abilities. There is also the option of paying by monthly fee or on a pay-as-you-go basis depending on which session is attended.
“We’re getting inundated with adult beginners just now,” Alan says, “so we’re trying to set up new sessions. We’ve also just launched a Junior league on the first Sunday of every month.”
Alan and his fellow committee members are proud of the openness of the club, and encourage anyone who would like to play, to get in touch.
“Badminton can be extremely closed off… but we’ve tried to avoid that. We have folk that come in for their first hit, up to one member who reached the semi-finals of the Senior Nationals last year. We’ve got a really wide range of players… people from all walks of life. That’s what our club is all about, that wide demographic.”
Details of the different sessions available can be found on the Ayrshire Badminton Club Facebook page along with details of how to join or get in touch. Alternatively, you can scan the following QR code.
