25 October 2023
Luke Hornsley is leading the way when it comes to getting more adults in Oxfordshire involved in playing badminton through No Strings Badminton.
The Relationship Manager for South Central has helped launch No Strings sessions in Bicester after finding an opportunity for Bicester Badminton Club to bridge a gap in adult participation.
No Strings Badminton is one of Badminton England’s kitemark programmes and more than 100 sessions run across the country. The organised sessions are delivered by a No Strings coordinator who helps organise the sessions, ensuring everyone has a fun and enjoyable on-court experience. With no club membership or booking required, players can simply turn up and play badminton with adults of mixed ability in a relaxed social environment.
Target
Up until now, Oxfordshire have never delivered sessions in the county and Hornsley made it his mission to change that.
Hornsley approached the lack of No Strings Badminton sessions across Oxfordshire by using Badminton England’s mapping programme.
He identified areas of high participation demand and which clubs were located centrally to these areas.
Bicester Badminton Club arose as a club who had a huge opportunity to start a new No Strings session to benefit the local community.
The benefits to the local area were the ‘turn up and play’ style badminton sessions which could support the club in creating an alternative revenue stream.
“We didn’t have any No Strings Badminton sessions in the whole of Oxfordshire,” Luke said.
“I did some targeted work on certain clubs and Bicester were one of the clubs I approached.
“I just supported them in getting trained up and setting up the sessions and then advertising the sessions on our activity finder.”
Badminton England supported the set-up of the sessions with a £250 grant to cover initial court booking costs and risks associated to the club.
Delivery
Badminton England worked with Bicester Badminton Club to launch No Strings Badminton in October 2022, with sessions organised by club coaches on club member nights to act as a feeder into Bicester BC.
The sessions continue to run on a Tuesday evening from 7pm-9.30pm and are open to everyone to give it a try. The club charges £5 for adults and £3 for the unemployed.
The sessions are advertised on Badminton England’s activity finder tool and then locally advertised by Bicester BC.
Results
Bicester BC now have up to 30 regular participants who attend the No Strings sessions each week.
The introduction of the programme has created a brand-new revenue stream as some participants become members of the club.
Due to the success of the initial No Strings sessions, Bicester BC are looking to deliver an extra session on Wednesday evenings for intermediate players, creating another pathway into club sessions.
“No Strings Badminton is such a great product for adults who are new to badminton or returning to the courts,” Luke added.
“With people busier than ever, having the ability to turn up without booking to an organised session for a fun and friendly workout is so important for people’s health and well-being.
“It’s been a real privilege to have supported Bicester Badminton Club on this project and to have made such an impact with 30 players now regularly attending.”
Find your nearest No String Badminton session here Find a session | Badminton England
