In this issue...

Contact Us

Badminton Australia

Unit 15
8 Techno Park Drive
Williamstown
VICTORIA 3016

p +61 (0)3 9397 4722
f +61 (0)3 9397 4733
eadmin@badminton.org.au

Visit us online at www.badminton.org.au

Welcome message from Paul Brettell, CEO

It’s been a busy start to the year with Badminton Australia (BA) inputting into two major funding reviews by the Australian Government and the AOC which may well determine the long term future for sports funding. The pressure on funding from Governments has increased with current financial circumstances but it is important that the voice of sport be heard, as sport at all levels is such an integral part of the Australian culture. The AOC is to be applauded on its efforts to ensure sport remains in front of the Government as long term budget issues are decided.

The 2009 National Squad has now settled into serious training and the new selection process worked well. This year a number of players outside of Melbourne were offered scholarship places which ensures that no player of quality will be disadvantaged because of location. Key targets this year are:

- Sudirman Cup in China in May
- Whyte Trophy against NZ in September
- Senior and Junior World Championships and the Junior Pan Pacs

We are also heading for a busy round of National Tournaments with the U17 in Ballarat (April), U19 in Bendigo (July), Senior’s in Hobart (August) and the U15s in Brisbane (September). There’s also the Futures Event in late June and the International Challenge Event in late July.

A significant meeting of the BWF is scheduled for May and BA will be represented by our President. BA continues to be an active international player and we have nominated Andrew Kam (Malaysia) for the position of President and our own Robin Bryant to the position of Deputy Vice President. We congratulate Geraldine Brown on her election to the Oceania Executive which gives BA two representatives (Robin Bryant is the Vice President).

A review is taking place of the current basis of annual affiliation fees. A committee chaired by Matt Gillie will report in the near future.

We thank the ACGA on its recent decision to provide an additional $60000 to assist with preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. We would also like to thank the ASC on its recent support to a number of national squad players as well as assisting Andy Wood (UK) to undertake a review of the NTID program.

BA wishes you a very Happy Easter and looks forward to working with everyone to make 2009 an outstanding year for badminton in Australia. We continue to face many challenges as we try to increase awareness and player numbers and it is increasingly clear that this will only occur if we continue to function as a team. Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes
Paul Brettell, CEO

Latest News

Badminton Australia is pleased
to announce that the following players have been selected to represent Australia at the
Sudirman Cup taking place
in China from 10-17 May.

Girls
Kate Wilson-Smith
Eugenia Tanaka
Leisha Cooper
Erica Pong
Ann-Louise Slee (emergency)

Boys
Glenn Warfe
Ben Walklate
Ben McCarthy
Jeff Tho
Chad Whitehead (emergency)

Upcoming Events

2009 U17 Australasian Championships and
June Bevan Trophy
Ken Kay Stadium
Ballarat, VIC
10-18 April 2009
www.ballaratbadminton.com

2009 ACT Open
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT
2-3 May 2009
www.badmintonact.asn.au

City of Brisbane Badminton Championships
Calamvale Community Sports Centre
Calamvale, QLD
23-24 May 2009
info@brisbanebadminton.org

Victorian Open - Future Series
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) Albert Park, VIC
27-28 June 2009
www.badmintonvic.com.au

2009 Under 19 Nationals
Bendigo, VICTORIA
1-8 July 2009
trish5253@hotmail.com

Announcement of new National Squad Members

Members of the new National Squad were posted on the BA website in March. It was a lengthy and rigorous selection process but there’s a lot resting on these potential badminton champions, so it was important that they were tested and assessed at all levels. Paul Brettell stressed that commitment to the sport of badminton is of “utmost importance” if Australia is to see its first Olympic champion. That may be a few years off but the race has begun.

Men

Brendan Chu, Victoria
Nathan David, Victoria
Saliya Gunaratne, Victoria
Boris Ma, Victoria
Benjamin McCarthy, Victoria
Jason Tan Jun Sun, Victoria
Einstein Tanaka, Victoria
Dasaratharaj Veeran, Victoria
Ben Walklate, Victoria
Jeff Tho, Victoria
Glenn Warfe, Victoria
Chad Whitehead, Victoria

Women

Erin Carroll, Victoria
Leisha Cooper, Western Australia
Susan Dobson, Tasmania
Victoria Na, Victoria
Ann-Louise Slee, Victoria
Renuga Veeran, Victoria
Spoorti Rattan, NSW
Erica Pong, Victoria
Eugenia Tanaka, Victoria
Leanne Choo, South Australia
Kate Wilson-Smith, South Australia
Talia Saunders, South Australia

Jump Smash Program Evaluation

Andy Wood is the English National Badminton Coach and a well known figure in the badminton world. He recently completed an evaluation of the Jump Smash program which was organised and funded by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

Andy has worked with lots of youngsters and brought them up to the highest competition level in world terms, so he was an ideal candidate to evaluate the program. Badminton Australia would like to thank Andy for this time and to send special thanks to Jason Gulbin, phD, General Manager, National Talent Identification and Development, ASC for the additional funding and for arranging the review.

Ruth Barnard caught up with Andy to get his views on how the evaluation was going. Ruth also spoke to two of the Jump Smash girls: Joanna Weston and Gemma O’Farrell and talked to Lasse Bundgaard to find out what he learnt from Andy. Click here to view Ruth’s report

Upcoming Tournaments

If you’re in Ballarat over the Easter holidays, why not drop in to the Ken Kay Stadium and witness some of Australia’s top juniors competing in the 2009 U17 Australasian Championships and June Bevan Trophy? For information on the schedule, click here

The ACT Open takes place 2-3 May at the Australian National University, Canberra. For more information,visit www.badmintonact.asn.au

The City of Brisbane Badminton Championships is being held on the 23rd and 24th May at the Calamvale Community Sports Centre, Calamvale. Entries are open and close on Wednesday 13 May. For more information, email the tournament organisers on info@brisbanebadminton.org

Another date for your diary is the Victorian Open – Future Series which is being held on the 27th and 28 June at MSAC. Contact the Badminton Victoria office for more information on 03 9686 4777, or visit www.badmintonvic.com.au

From 1-8 July, the 2009 Under 19 Nationals are taking place in Bendigo. For more details, contact Rob O’Neill by email on trish5253@hotmail.com

Spotlight On!

This is a new feature for Shuttle News and a great opportunity to find out more about some of the key people involved in the sport of badminton.

Under the Spotlight in this issue is Geraldine Brown, President of Badminton Australia.

How long have you been involved in badminton and what have your roles been?

I started playing as a junior in the West Tamar area in Tasmania when I was around 10 years old. My parents were involved in playing and coaching locals so I went along. After that, I moved on to play rosters in Launceston with my grandmother's club and then represented the Northern Tasmania Badminton Association as a junior and senior team member. I then became a State Rep at Tasmania (as captain and coach), represented Victoria and returned to Tasmania again. I’ve also represented Australia at Masters level which was the final leg of my playing career.

I was involved in administration in Northern Tasmania and have been on the BA Board for 12 years. I was elected President of BA in October 2008.

I’ve been a member of the Oceania Executive at various times and was re-elected in February 2009 for a 2-year period. I am a BA delegate to the ACGA.

I’ve been an umpire, coach and manager of badminton teams on numerous occasions - both for the State and Australia. In these roles, I’ve been involved in the Thomas/Uber Cup finals, Commonwealth Games, and Olympic Games.

What attracted you to the sport?

My grandparents were active in Northern Tasmanian badminton and my parents were involved in numerous sports including badminton (my mother played for Australia). All members of my family have at some point been involved in the sport, including my daughter, sister, brother, nieces, nephews who have all played for the State at various levels.

What are the key challenges you face in your role as President?

Together with the States, board and staff, we need to move the sport forward with regard to: profile; elite performance; grass roots development and coaching development. I feel it is important to make others realise what a fantastic sport badminton is: it’s fast, difficult, exacting - in all, simply the best.

What are the highlights of your involvement?

The NTID squad is a fantastic opportunity for us. Also having a greater number of players representing Australia at the Olympics.

Who are the best players you've seen?

I was fortunate enough to be at the 2004 Olympic finals: the women's doubles was a fantastic match. At two Thomas/Uber Cup final series, I was blown away by the atmosphere, ability and standard of the event. It was fantastic to see world champions in action.

If you could do one thing to impact on badminton's development,
what would it be?

I would dearly love to see that the number of "registered" players is a true indication of the sports popularity. Numerous people play the game at a social level and their details are not captured on any database. If we had an accurate record of the number of people playing the sport, this will increase its profile and potentially lead to better opportunities for all.

Acknowledgements

Badminton Australia would like to thank our major sponsor, the Australian Sports Commission, and the significant funding contributions from the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (Delhi 2010) as well as the significant in-kind support from Yonex and Yang Yang.

Proud supporters:

Copyright Statement   Privacy Statement

Editor - Ruth Barnard, Purple Chameleon Communications www.purplechameleon.com.au
Design and implementation - Frontline Design www.frontlinedesign.com.au

Click here to subscribe