There are three badminton leagues a fair drive from where I live. Two have useful clubs in that they welcome new members and have good websites. The third, which I won’t mention here, has a merely functional website added to which a few clubs appear to deter new members! Not only that, but in the results posted I see these particular clubs can sometimes only put out two pairs for a match. Given that I contacted them politely and know at least two other players willing to play in the league you’d think they’d be keen to welcome new faces. What really gets me is that no club notices appear on the website, unlike others that take advertising for new players, and so for anyone new in the area it’s just down to guesswork.

Also, I notice websites of all types seem reluctant to post contact details of clubs and societies, citing some guff about data protection. Funny that considering the other two badminton clubs post useful contact details of all secretaries and match organisers. To me, one of the issues with badminton in general is its lack of open doors. I know this isn’t always the case and many areas and individual clubs are welcoming, but those that aren’t are doing badminton a disservice. People often tell me local league badminon has a declining membership and divisions are getting smaller. Well, the way some local leagues operate it’s no wonder.