Badminton court in the middle of pandemic fallout
GRASSROOTS sport stands to lose a generation of youngsters after a year of almost complete inactivity, says Badminton England chief Adrian Christy.
Non-elite sport in England got the go-ahead to resume last week following the end of the second national lockdown but many sports are still suffering after a miserable 2020.
Badminton is struggling to get going again with most facilities currently on school premises, and no way of accessing restricted campuses during the pandemic. Christy, who has had to oversee job losses at Badminton England due to a £1million black hole caused by a lack of income during the coronavirus crisis, fears the worst. ‘The longer this goes on, the more I think we’re in danger of losing a generation of players,’ he told Metro. ‘All those life skills you gain from coming along to sport will be lost. We need to be clear that what we can’t do in this country is limp from one health crisis to another.’
Christy has come up with a plan for badminton’s comeback, even in the most restricted areas, but feels leisure centres have not helped by deciding to use sports halls as gyms, forcing out sports such as badminton. ‘We’re a sport that’s so dependent on other people’s facilities,’ he added. ‘Ninety-seven per cent of our clubs are in tiers two and three, taking in some 40,000 club players and almost a million regular badminton players.
‘We want to talk to government again about a further relaxation of restrictions, especially in tier two areas. One thing sport does brilliantly is give people an exercise habit for life. People are missing out on using those facilities as they have been repurposed for things like Zumba – they can’t play badminton.’
Christy, who is backing Metro’s Save Grassroots Sport campaign, says while elite players can play and train – some are preparing for next year’s Olympics – thought must be given to club players. He said: ‘Our focus is just on getting the grassroots back up and running. We’ve seen elite sport come back but can’t lose sight of the grassroots.
‘While we’re grateful for government help with the bailout, the challenge around grassroots sport is as great as it ever has been.’
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