Aiming to get a racket to every child

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Badminton Eastland aims to get a racket in the hand of every child in the district . . . at home, at school or in clubs.

A junior tournament at the Badminton Centre in Gisborne tomorrow is part of the local association’s efforts to boost the number of children playing the sport.

Badminton Eastland has received 37 entries. Play will begin at 9am, with players taking part in singles and doubles in under-11, u13 and u15 age groups.

The number of players in the district has increased through the efforts of schools and the Badminton World Federation’s Shuttle Time programme that introduces children to badminton.

Primary and intermediate one-day interschool competitions held this year proved successful.

Some secondary schools have developed badminton programmes, with a consequent rise in the standard of play.

Tolaga Bay Area School has entered players in the New Zealand AIMS (Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools) Games in Tauranga in September. Gisborne Intermediate students play weekly at the Badminton Centre. Schools on the East Coast are also playing, and a competition was held at Te Kaha recently.

This year, through the efforts of Cynthia Sidney, Eastland had a team at the national u15 teams’ competition in Palmerston North in July. Five players from Tolaga Bay Area School combined with three players from the Wellington association to form the district’s first u15 team in over 10 years.