Badminton Australia welcomes Eefje Muskens as National Para Head Coach
After a competitive hiring process, Badminton Australia is pleased to announce our incoming National Para Head Coach, Eefje Muskens, who will commence in the role from November 2026. The appointment marks an important step in the continued evolution of Australia’s Para badminton high performance program. Supported by targeted investment from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Para Uplift initiative, Eefje’s appointment is a boost for the program’s focus on accelerating the development of athletes with the greatest potential to achieve podium success at the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games.
Eefje has a longstanding involvement in badminton as both a player and a coach, bringing over 15 years of experience across the full performance pathway. In her previous roles she has set up and lead the Badminton Netherlands Paralympic Program and coached the Dutch national junior team at international level. Eefje is also an accomplished athlete herself, as a top-10 world-ranked doubles player, Olympic quarter-finalist (Rio) and two-time European Championship medalist.
As the Australian Para High Performance Program continues to build depth, performance capability and international competitiveness, Eefje will play a critical role in leading athletes, coaches and support staff toward achieving sustained world-class results. Eefje will be relocating from the Netherlands and will work in a hybrid model in her first few months with BA before permanently relocating to Melbourne in early 2027.
“I’m very excited to be joining Badminton Australia’s Para High Performance Program. It’s a privilege to work with Para athletes and I can’t wait to share my experience, energy and passion, as we work to develop the program and achieve our goals of world-class success.”
– Eefje Muskens
“Eefje’s appointment is a significant milestone for our program that is focused on building a sustainable Para high performance system. With Los Angeles 2028 firmly in sight and Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, we believe Eefje is the right leader to drive performance standards, strengthen our daily training environment and help position our athletes to perform at their best on the road to a home Paralympic Games. ”
– Olivia Knowles, Badminton Australia Para High Performance Manager
To find out more about Badminton Australia’s Para Badminton programs and how to start playing, visit: https://www.badminton.org.au/para-badminton/
