The Under 17 Nationals consists of a national teams event called the June Bevan Trophy followed by the Australasian Championships which is an individuals tournament.

Originally conceived as a preparation arena for Under 18 'Carnival' competitions, the 1979 proposal from Victoria for an Under 16 interstate carnival aimed to introduce promising juniors to a carnival atmosphere and help them develop the skills and confidence to compete in elite events.

It was not until 1983 that the first carnival was held in Newcastle, NSW, with three States - NSW, Victoria and Queensland competing. The tournament was considered a great success and plans were made to repeat it the following year, again in Newcastle. In honour of former Australian and NSW champion, June Bevan, a dedicated coach and supporter of junior badminton, a perpetual trophy was donated for the event, making her name synonymous with Under 16 elite competition in Australia and New Zealand.

1984 saw the inclusion of a team from Auckland, then in 1985 Hobart, Tasmania and the Sturt Club from South Australia entered. The same number of teams competed in 1986. In 1987, when the event was held in Auckland, team numbers increased with the inclusion of additional New Zealand teams, although Hobart was unable to field a team that year. By 1988, ten teams were competing, with three from Victoria and three from New Zealand, which was now defined as three regions – Northern, Central and Southern.

The ACT became involved in 1989 as wider interest in the event throughout Australia and New Zealand became evident. 1990 was again a ten team draw. In 1991 the carnival saw the welcome return of a team from Tasmania and for the first time, Geraldton in WA.

In 1992, the 10^th anniversary of the Under 16 Badminton Carnival was significant in that it was the first year as an official Australian Carnival. The Australian Badminton Association By-Law to regulate the event recognizes the dual involvement of Australia and New Zealand and introduced the Under 16 Badminton Singles Championships.

In 1996, the tournament was held in Castle Hill, Sydney and was renamed the Under 17 Australasian Junior Championships with 13 teams competing. In 1998, in Auckland, 16 teams played in the competition.

2001 saw the first time the event was held in WA and the first Australian Carnival held in the new Badminton Association of WA’s Kingsway International Sports Stadium, Madeley.

In 2005 the carnival was hosted at ‘Springers’, home of the South Eastern Badminton Association. A total of 17 teams entered – another record, and for the first time a combined Oceania team with players from Fiji and Samoa.

The Nationals holds a warm and sentimental place in the memories of all those who have been involved in or have contributed to its success. The record of achievement of many players who began their badminton careers as an Under 16/17 team member is an inspiration and incentive to many more young badminton juniors in the future.

Val Nesbitt Trophy

The Val Nesbitt Trophy is awarded to the player of the tournament who exhibits the highest standards of sportsmanship, personality, court demeanour, player ability and appearance.