Start of season newsletter

With the start of the season rapidly approaching, a newsletter from the new County Committee was sent to the secretary of each affiliated club, asking them to pass it on to all of their members playing badminton in the County.

The message contained important information about major changes to the County Committee, and information about junior, senior and masters badminton in the County.  If you didn't get the letter then feel free to nudge your secretary to pass such information along!  In the mean time, the message is below:

Dear Club Secretary,

Please see below some updates about Cambridgeshire Badminton Association for the upcoming season.  I would be grateful if you could circulate this to your members so that they can keep up-to-date about badminton in the County.

AGM

Apologies for the delay in you receiving this information, but ahead of the new season I wanted to let you know that following the Cambridgeshire AGM this year it was agreed to raise the county affiliation fees as follows:

Senior: £2.80
Junior: £0.75
Associated Seniors: £2.00

At the AGM, the majority of the long-standing committee members stood down, after dedicating a very significant period of service.  The leaving members had served on the committee for a breathtaking combined 111+ years of work supporting the sport, and club members!

The County Committee is therefore now as follows:

Chairman/Publicity Officer: Daniel Bates
Secretary: Louise Place
Treasurer: Graham Barr
Registration Secretary: Campbell Wilson
Match Secretary/ South Cambs League Rep: Simon Parker
Tournament Secretary: Neil Place
Coaching Coordinator: James Wilson
Masters Coordinator: Nick Pratt

General Committee Members: Sahan Gamage, Ruth LeFevre, Geoff McCall, Damian Saunders.

Please remember the Association is run by volunteers and we need your support to keep Badminton going in the County. If you can help out with anything or have constructive comments please let us know.

COUNTY RESTRICTED

For those that are interested the annual County Restricted Tournament will be held on the weekend of 1st and 2nd October at Swavesey Village College:

Singles: Saturday 1st October 9am-3pm
Level and Mixed Doubles: Sunday 2nd October 9am-6pm

Anyone wishing to be considered for a County team should certainly make the effort to enter, as this is the best chance to pit your abilities against the most players from around the County. Entries will open within the next couple of weeks (announced on the website and Facebook) and will be via Tournament Software as per last year. 

We are also looking for volunteers to help with running the tournament, even if it's just for an hour or two. Please speak to myself or Neil (neilplace101@gmail.com) if you can help.
Please pass these details on to any of your club members who may be interested.  

MASTERS TEAMS

The county is also running Over 45s and Over 50s teams this year and are hoping to have an Over 40s team next year. If you are in either of these age groups (or approaching soon) and would like to get involved please contact Nick Pratt (nick.pratt68@gmail.com).

JUNIORS

We are also very excited that the County is fielding two junior teams this season, for the first time in several years.  Cambridgeshire will have an U18 and U16 team, and the teams will participate in regular squad practice sessions.  If you have juniors who you think are strong enough to try out for a team, please send in their details so that they can be invited.

COACHING

The Association has a long-standing commitment to coaching and development within the County.  If you are interested in taking your coaching badges, the County offers bursaries to help with the cost for anyone who can demonstrate they will be coaching in the area.  Please contact me for more information.

To keep up-to-date with other badminton news in the County, please do check the website at www.cambridgeshirebadminton.org and ‘like’ the Facebook page (search for “Cambs Badminton”).

Wishing you all an enjoyable and successful season!

Any comments or queries, please let me know.

Kind Regards,

Louise Place
Hon. Secretary
Cambridgeshire County Badminton

PAID Fenland Badminton Delivery - Whittlesey, March, Chatteris

The Fenland Project are looking for people to deliver some junior sessions in Whittlesey, March and Chatteris. You do not need a coaching qualification or any coaching experience as training will be provided, all you need is to be passionate about badminton and be willing to share your knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport with young players.

- Monday, 18:00-19:00 at Neale Wade Academy in March;

- Wednesday, 15:00-16:00 at Sir Harry Smith Community College in Whittlesey;

- Friday, 19:00-20:00 at Cromwell Community College in Chatteris;

Rate of pay: £15.67 per hour

If you’re interested please contact Lauren Bremner- LBremner@fenland.gov.uk to confirm your availability or ask any questions. If none of the times/days suit but you’d still like to be involved please contact Lauren as she will be able to work with you and potentially reschedule sessions to allow you to deliver.

Coach training opportunities nearby in October

Anyone interested in starting their badminton coaching qualifications have a couple of nearby opportunities to undertake their Level 1 coaching badge at the start of this upcoming season.

There are two courses, one in Bury St Edmunds, and one in Peterborough:

Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre, Beetons Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3TT:

Day 1

15/10/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

Day 2

22/10/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

Day 3

05/11/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

Thomas Deacon Academy, Queen's Gardens, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 2UW

Day 1

08/10/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

Day 2

09/10/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

Day 3

22/10/2016: 9:30am-4:30pm

After completion of this course you may be entitled to a FREE membership to the Badminton England Coaching Register.
As a member of the BADMINTON England Coaching Register you will enjoy all of the benefits listed below:
 - Civil Liability Insurance inc Employers’ Liability
 - Affiliation to BADMINTON England inc use of “Badminton England Registered Coach” Logo
 - Registered to Coach’ card
 - Access to coach education events
 - Access to Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
 
The course will cost £215 for BE members and £225 for non members
Click Here to book onto the courses or for more details contact coaching@badmintonengland.co.uk

Don't forget, the County will provide a bursary of 25% for Level 1 coaches who can demonstration they will be delivering coaching within the County.

Smash Up Activators Course: Camborne, 3rd May

Badminton England have organised a Smash Up Activator Course at Camborne Sports Centre on 3rd May from 10am to 2pm.  

Cost=£99 per candidate payable by card/cheque/invoice this fee covers: Training costs, DBS check, Safeguarding, Insurance.

Please note the following reduced fees are available:

• Candidate has a DBS from BADMINTON England – revised cost is £57.50
• Candidate has a valid safeguarding qualification – revised cost is £94.50
• Candidate has a DBS from BADMINTON England and a valid safeguarding qualification – revised cost is £42.50

SmashUp! is BADMINTON England’s perception changing, innovative youth badminton initiative, aimed at inspiring 13-16 year olds of all sporting ability to swing a racket for fun. With a modern ‘mashed up’ mix of big hitting badminton challenges, mates, music playlists and bold court branding, sociable SmashUp! sessions are ready to go in over 180 secondary schools and leisure centres across the region.

We have numerous opportunities to deliver SmashUp! in schools or leisure centres across Cambridgeshire immediately

Benefits of becoming a SmashUp! Activator:

• Paid work opportunities in local secondary schools – (weekly 1-hour sessions, paid at £15 per session)
• Access to SmashUp! branded pack and kit
• Access to discounted Adidas kit (dependent on demand)

Please note – you must be available to work at lunchtimes (12-2pm) and/or after school times and have a means of travelling to and from schools or leisure centres. Min age 17 yrs.

LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE. If you would like to attend this training day please complete the attached booking form (course code not required) and return to coaching@badmintonengland.co.uk as soon as possible!

Coaching Bursaries Available From Living Sport

Living Sport, the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough sports partnership, has 10 coaching bursaries of up to £250 available each to support coaches wishing to gain a Level 2 coaching qualification.
 
More qualified coaches on the ground working in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s clubs and communities will support an increase in participation, contributing to the development of the local coaching workforce. By supporting the local coaching workforce, Living Sport aims to contribute to the national objective of more people participating in regular sport and physical activity.
 
This coaching bursary scheme will contribute to the Sportivate programme aims of over 5,000 young people aged 11-25 years, participating in regular sport and/or physical activity in the county, with coaches successful through such funding committing to delivering a series of 6 beginner/taster sessions for these young people.
 
The deadline for the submission of an application for a Living Sport Coaching Bursary is Friday 17th January 2014. As there are only 10 bursaries available, we strongly recommend coaches apply as soon as possible to ensure they do not miss out.
 
Ryan Cullum, Living Sport’s lead officer on Sportivate said, “The launch of this coaching bursary scheme, through the Sportivate programme, will see more young people being able to access opportunities to play sport while improving local coaches. We can only encourage local clubs and coaches to apply for a bursary today.“
 
For more information, or to discuss a Living Sport Coaching Bursary, please contact Ryan Cullum on 01487 849924 / ryan.cullum@livingsport.co.uk or Helen Clarke on 01487 849922 / helen.clarke@livingsport.co.uk.

If you are interested in applying, you can also have a look at the Guidance Form, and the Bursary Application Form.

CBA Tournaments and Boot Camps

The Cambs Badminton Academy have a number of tournaments before and after the start of the season, and also an opportunity to participate in badminton 'boot camps'.

The CBA Open Tournament for Seniors and Juniors, is on 14/15th September 2013. Seniors' tournament on Saturday 14th and Juniors on Sunday 15th. To be held at CRC Sports Centre, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge. Entries to be in by 31st August 2013. £8 for singles and £7 for doubles.

Two ability categories for both seniors and juniors: County/League and Social/Club. Singles, doubles and mixed doubles (two competitions per player) for seniors and singles and level doubles for juniors. U11 (combined playing ability), U13, U15 and U17 age groups in juniors. Enter online at either:

http://webcollect.org.uk/cba/category/tournaments

http://be.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=9FC43C38-F067-47B4-B306-255914491E8D

Cambridgeshire Junior Ladder for all age groups from U11 - U17. Three day long competitions to be held at CRC Sports Centre, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge. Dates of competitions: 9th November 2013, 7th December 2013 and 18th January 2014. Players are expected to play at all three matches and cost of the ladder is £30 for all three matches.

Online entry http://webcollect.org.uk/cba/event/cambs-2013-14-junior-ladder-entry

CBA Badminton Boot Camps are open to anyone. There are 3 different levels of training camps run over 5 days from 19 - 23rd August, with beginners/young players training for 90 minutes from 2 - 3.30pm each day; intermediate, more experienced young players training for 2 hours a day from 12 - 2pm and high level training for adult and very competent juniors for 3 hours a day from 9am - 12pm. There will be a professional strength and conditioning consultant giving between 30 minutes and an hour of training each day for all levels of ability, shuttle launching machine for accurate practising of shots, footwork drills, agility, balance and co-ordination exercises and much more.

£20 for beginners/young players (7yrs up) for the week

£35 for intermediate players for the week

£50 for higher level players for the week

Free refreshments for all throughout the week.

There will be a match play day at CRC, all day on Saturday 24th August for all those attending the intermediate and high level boot camps and anyone else who plays to a reasonably good - high level. That will run from 9am - 3pm and players are able to stay for as long as they choose throughtout the day. £8 per player however long they choose to stay. Open to all.

Adult Beginners/Developers Course at Chesterton

Any players who want to start the sport, or develop their basic badminton skills (ideally up to a level where you might be able to participate in a club) might be interested in a new course which is starting at Chesterton Community College.

This course will run for 10 weeks from ​Monday 29th April (not including Bank Holidays) at 6:00-7:00pm, coached by Sandra Dennis.

CCC Sports Centre is at ​Gilbert Road, Cambridge, CB4 3NY.  Anyone interested should phone 01223 576 110 for more details or to book a place.