Thousands of local school children and young members of junior badminton clubs across the country have been given the opportunity to attend the YONEX All England Open Championships at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena in March for just £1 as part of a hugely successful ‘Kids for a Quid’ campaign.
The scheme represents a renewed commitment to engaging young people in all things badminton, a core strand of Badminton England’s new ten-year strategy – and a unique opportunity for the next generation of badminton to celebrate the most prestigious date in the badminton calendar in the Championships’ 125th anniversary year.
This year’s YONEX All England Championships are again being hosted at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, with the first shuttle smashed on Tuesday 12th March at the start of six days of world class badminton which will culminate in the final on Sunday 17th March.
Schools local to the Birmingham-based event are invited to apply for these exclusive £1 tickets and so far, over 80 schools have signed up since the scheme was launched.
Nearly 3,000 tickets have been applied for as part of the campaign and the offer has now been extended to a Badminton England affiliated junior badminton clubs which could see up to 5,000 young people attend during the first three days of the showpiece event, which is now less than three months away.
“This is a wonderful chance to inspire the next generation of badminton player and build on our existing engagement with the local community in Birmingham and the West Midlands,” explained Championships Director, Chris Miller.
“We want this year’s event to be a festival of badminton and, with so many young fans and aspiring badminton players being given the opportunity to watch the very best in the world come from all over the globe to compete on their doorstep, we believe this young audience will help bring the buzz to badminton in Birmingham.”
A combination of home favourites and global badminton superstars will be locking horns at the Utilita Arena in March, with reigning champions Li Shifeng (Men’s Singles) and An Se-young (Women’s Singles) among those set to be defend their crowns in the competition’s 125th anniversary year.
And it won’t just be the fastest racket sport in the world showcased by all the action on court that engages the young audience – as part of Badminton England’s aim to stage a festival of badminton during the week in the West Midlands, there will be fun, interactive activities in the arena and on the concourses tailored to a young, vibrant badminton audience in 2024.
And in watching the world’s best players in action, Badminton England hope to inspire potential stars of the future to pick up a racket and begin their badminton journey in school, at their local leisure centre or with their nearest junior club.
If your school or affiliated junior badminton club isn’t involved, there is still an opportunity to sign up for our Kids for a Quid campaign.
Simply ask your teacher or club contact to register their interest by clicking here.
