Last week we posted a news item summarising the exec meeting held on 9^th October. One of the items discussed was the welcome presence of Leanne Brown from Badminton England who outlined opportunities that we could all take advantage of. Leanne has provided some more detail which is presented to you here:

1.       Schools that we are associated with either as Parents or Governors

The Racket Pack programme is our Primary Age focused initiative designed to deliver fun and engaging skill based sessions, ensuring a positive first experience of badminton. The programme is designed to teach children the correct badminton skills regardless of whether that are in a school, club or leisure centre environment, meaning the Racket Pack can be delivered within curriculum time, meeting national curriculum requirements, as well as in extracurricular time or within a community environment. The programme is broken down in to three age groups: KS1 (Years 1&2), KS2 (Years 3&4) and KS2 (Years 5&6).

Schools may register for free access to The Racket Pack Resources via this Google form: https://goo.gl/forms/GgZsli2mlClUbX283

The Online Resource for The Racket Pack provides Teachers with access to:

•  Lesson plans: 6 lessons per module and 6 modules in total covering both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

•  Technical videos: We have developed videos for both Teachers and Coaches development as well as videos that can be shown in lesson to help children learn the skill

•  Ability to build your own sessions by choosing between the various warm ups, skills and games.

To ensure consistency and effective progression through the age groups each module within The Racket Pack will cover the following key skills:

•  Grips

•  Movement

•  Forehand and Backhand Serving (Key Stage 1 = Backhand only)

•  Underarm

•  Overhead

if a school you are associated with is interested and would like to deliver the Racket Pack please let Leanne know so she can send through more information. Leanne offers support to schools engaging in this.

2.       Coaching Opportunities

If anyone is interested  in doing a  Level 1 Coaching Course we can arrange this through Badminton England. The course is run over three days – Day 1 and 2 are tutoring days and Day 3 is the Assessment day . Day 1 and 2 are ideally run over the same weekend but if not, one week apart. The Assessment day is then two weeks following Day 2. Level 2 courses can also be accommodated if there are any level 1 out there who wish to progress. There is a Level 2 Course running in Cheshire early next year. As a league we will concentrate on trying to get level 1 available to you so a direct application to Badminton England is best for now. We may look at a bespoke level 2 for the league sometime next year. We are looking at February 2019 as a timescale to do the level 1.

Day 1 – 2 badminton courts from 9.30am – 4.30pm

Day 2 (Ideally consecutive days at a weekend or 1 week later) – 2 badminton courts from 9.30am – 4.30pm 

Day 3 (2 weeks later) – 2 badminton courts from 9.30am – 4.30pm

Once an appropriate facility has been identified, dates need to be agreed. Once dates have been agreed, Badminton England send in  a booking form and their Coaching Team  organise the tutor and assessor to deliver the course.

We look for a minimum of 10 learners and maximum 12 learners to run the course. If a course is made available for the league we can reserve places for Crewe and District, and numbers could be made up from the general public.

Please note, all learners must be 16 years or over on the first day of the course. Unfortunately there is no negotiation on this, as this is a requirement set by the awarding body 1stSport; we are unable to register learners with them who fall under this age.

Anyone in Crewe and District is encouraged to do this course. If you are interested in coaching contact Hon Sec in the first place. We would need to gather interest and then speak to Leanne.

Do please note that a Coach Bursary may be possible. There is a 50% Coaching Bursary (Please click on the link for the application form) available for Coaches to gain their Level 1 or Level 2 Coaching qualification. Please note, there are stipulations on this and the Coach must complete volunteer hours in return (Level 1 qualification – 6 hours, Level 2 qualification – 10 hours). This is subject to an application form and it will be reviewed by the Coaching & Education Team. Coaching hours are abundantly available within our Junior Clubs so it would be easy to complete the qualification. Senior Clubs can also be contacted to see if they want some coaching experience for their members. Don’t forget that Crewe League may also seek to assist with costs. Again – Hon Sec can be a focal point for any such enquiries.

3.       Club Support Grant

There is a Club Support Grant available for all affiliated Clubs that play within Crewe and District League. This is being sent out to all affiliated Clubs within Cheshire to make you aware of this funding opportunity. If you don’t hear anything directly from Leanne get back to Hon Sec. This link may also be useful

https://www.badmintonengland.co.uk/news/badminton-england-make-new-grants-available-for-forward-thinking-clubs/