2nd November, 2023
Faversham Badminton Club Secretary Jordan Dadd used Badminton England’s Big Hit campaign to his club’s advantage, and membership levels have reached new heights.
Dadd has been with Faversham BC since 2006 and has used the Big Hit initiative over the past two years to attract new members who come from a range of backgrounds.
This year, Badminton England’s Big Hit campaign in September resulted in the club acquiring 10 new members and Dadd has plans to expand the programme even further.
Target
The Big Hit is a nationwide festival celebrating badminton over one week in September.
Working with club members, Badminton England encouraged clubs to deliver new sessions in their existing programme during the week to appeal to new players (juniors and adults) and encourage them to become regular players.
Sessions included, junior coaching, social sessions/No Strings Badminton and an open day.
These could be integrated into existing sessions or set up as something new. It was up to each club/venue to decide what they want to run and when.
Delivery
Dadd advertised Big Hit badminton as a free evening event with Faversham BC and promoted the campaign across social media and within local media in the Faversham area.
Badminton England issued the Big Hit tool kit and resource to offer direction on how to offer sessions.
Around 18 members attended the session, which was run in conjunction with a club night as attendees took part in games put on for a range of badminton abilities.
Off the back of its success, Faversham BC welcomed 10 members into the club who continue to enjoy sessions more than a month on from Faversham’s Big Hit.
“It ties in and it’s a good time of year for us to promote the club, get new members in and get to join Badminton England at the same time,” Dadd said.
“It’s gone really well. This time we’ve got 10 additional members that we didn’t have a month ago.
“I advertised it as a free night and sent it all around local papers and social media.
“We had some older and younger people who had just left sixth form. It was people who hadn’t played before who wanted to try and have a go, they liked it and they wanted to stay.
“It’s really good for the club and it’s great for those people who come along.”
Results
After welcoming 10 new members into the club through Big Hit, Dadd and the club’s attention has turned to how club membership can grow further through similar initiatives.
A large incentive for budding badminton players to try out the new sport was its accessibility, which provided an avenue for potential members to get a taste for playing on court without cost.
“We spoke about how we want to grow the club after we took part in the Big Hit initiative,” added Dadd.
“We’re going to try out our own Big Hit halfway through the year and see where we are members wise.
“We piggybacked Badminton England’s idea to get as many people playing as possible in that particular week which was great.
“If someone were to tell you that you’ve got to go out and buy a racquet and it’s going to cost you £7 to have a go, 10% of that number might come and have a go.
“When people were enquiring, it was a big relief to people and no risk for them to come because they don’t have to pay any money to try it out.”
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