Indoor Sports in Indoor Arenas

[johng]

We have a problem.

We run a junior section on a Sunday evening for the hour preceding our club/match night. This is slowly becoming more and more popular with an average of 24 children turning up each week to play on the 6 available courts.

We are fortunate that we have three BAof E registered coaches (myself included) and a number of parents/club members who regularly turn up to assist, to the extent that we usually have one adult for each of the courts.

Unfortunately there is a limit to what can be achieved in a one hour session, our solution to this is simplicity itself.....book another hour. Our problem however is that the hour before we arrive is taken by a group of footballers.

We have made a number of approaches to the Leisure Centre staff, suggesting that as football is a game that can be played outside, and as the Centre has a relatively new outside 'redgra' surface, that the footballers should play outside whilst we play in. Unfortunately they wish to continue playing in the warm (can't say I blame them)

We have pointed out to the centre that it is in their interest to move the footballers outside in that they are realising the hall for an extra hours booking fee. All to no avail.

I am certain that other clubs and groups must have come across this problem in the past, so if anybody out there has any advice or stategies that they can give us we would be eternally grateful.

[rachyuk]

Hmmm! That's a good one! I've spent plenty of time appealing to sport centre managers about issues surrounding Badminton clubs, bookings, courts etc and they don't really care, do they? As long as it's bodies through the turnstyle eh?

When you say 'achieve more' - what are you doing at the moment in the hour you have available?

Perhaps look at the dynamics of your group for a solution. You have a lot of court space booked, so for the 'junior' hour (for want of a better description!)perhaps reduce the games to 7 or 11 (no setting) to allow for a swifter movement of players around the courts and more games - that way if you have more than 24 players, then atleast they won't wait long for a game.

Or, perhaps use one court - I suggest at the end of the hall, to have drills/shot practice to keep people warm if they have to wait. You get a few on each side doing shuttle runs etc..this will give up your 6th court though...but you'd get more than 4 players on there (depending on the excercise)

I don't think the sports centre will budge for you..You could book another time slot, but that would mean your volunteers would have to attend the new slot to maintain the levels of support you'll need to keep the momentum going.

Your junior club sounds fantastic!

[johng]

Tanks for your response Rachel (I note you are another midnight surfer).

Part of our problem is that whilst the Centre staff are really helpful, the management seem to think we are a 'secondary' sport. I am sure they would deny this but unfortunately our experience backs this up. For instance on a couple of occasions our junior session has been 'bumped' in favour of the footballers, once without notice forcing the 24 kids to use a one and a half court hall !!!!. Any suggestion that perhaps for one week the footballers take an earlier spot or move outside is rejected out of hand.

Not sure I did actually say 'achieve more' although that ultimately is of course our intention. Although our booking is for an hour that does notmean that we get an hour to work with. We you total up the time it takes the kids, sorry children, to get into the hall, do their warm ups (stretching and hitting) and to be briefed on that days plan (plus watch a demo) they probably only have 50 mins left.

In this time slot we usually get them to perform one or two routines, based on their ability or age. These do include shuttle runs and other movement routines, plus of course stroke play.

However one can only do this for a certain time before they start wanting to play games, nine to thirteen year olds just do not want to do booring things like routines, they want to play...... GAMES.! Consequently we usually allow ten minutes or so at the end of the session for just that.

That means that we often only get around 40 mins, usually less, to give coaching. Booking another hour on another date is not a viable option for a variety of reasons so we are desperate to get our present slot extended

[rachyuk]

Hi!

Yes, I'm afraid I have to have a quick 'browse' before bed!

Okay, it does sound as if you are already packing loads into your 50 mins...Unfortunately, football does seem to take priority in these places. As for being 'bumped off' the courts - Outragious!

There must be hundreds of badminton clubs who have these and similar problems. I wonder if the BAofE could put pressure on these places to provide Badminton with a better service, especially where coaching junior players is concerned!

Do you think that is a niaive notion or worth persuing?

[johng]

Hi

It would be nice to think that the BA of E had some way of 'putting pressure' on Sports Centres, but what can they do, what do they have to bargain with?

As you say there must be many clubs who have these problems, and many thousands of players in those clubs, unfortunately apart from you and me none of them read this forum.

[rachyuk]

Take Heart John....I sense an uprising!!!
;0)

Seriously, the BAofE have a project running at the moment that involves improving the standard of junior coaching, school play and generally trying to increase the number of young players in Badminton in the UK.

I am sure there's something they could 'do' - in conjunction with this 'youth' policy. They are working with ESBA arent they?