The 4 winners of the 2025 Nationwide Volunteer and Coach Awards, together with six English Badminton Award recipients, have been offered with their accolades on Semi-Finals day on the YONEX All England Open Championships in Birmingham on Saturday fifteenth March.
We have been excited to announce a change to the Nationwide Volunteer & Coach Awards for 2025. This yr, there have been 4 Awards which have been open for nominations.
· Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the Yr Award
· Grassroots Coach of the Yr Award
· Committee Member of the Yr Award
· Technical Official of the Yr Award
The Committee Member of the Yr Award and Technical Official of the Yr Award have been model new for 2025 and changed the present Volunteer of the Yr Award to permit us to recognise extra volunteers within the badminton neighborhood for his or her onerous work. We intention to additional have fun extra voluntary roles sooner or later.
The Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the Yr Award changed the present Geoff Rofe Younger Volunteer of the Yr Award. The one change was the title of this Award, the factors remained the identical as earlier years.
These awards are offered yearly to recognise the outstanding work of our voluntary and training workforce. The awards are for many who have stood out in demonstrating ardour, dedication and dedication to badminton within the final twelve months and who’ve had a optimistic affect and affect on others’ expertise throughout the sport.
The winner of the 2025 Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the Yr Award was Oliver Swales.
Oliver was a part of the Badminton England Younger Chief Academy in 2023 and started volunteering at Thornaby Badminton Membership in Yorkshire the place he has been a participant because the age of 9. Oliver now volunteers for 4 hours every week at Thornaby Badminton Membership periods, serving to out with teaching youthful kids and performing as a Supervisor for workforce competitions. He’s a sports activities chief at his college and in addition a superb advocate for the after college badminton membership.
In 2024, Oliver acquired a milestone certificates for logging 100 hours of volunteering and in addition obtained his Basis Teaching Award. He helps out at numerous native tournaments in addition to being a part of the Badminton England Nationwide Youth Voice Discussion board within the function of Communications Officer.
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The 2025 Grassroots Coach of the Yr Award was offered to Abu Siddique.
Abu is the Head Coach at Ocean Badminton Academy in South Shields, County Durham. Within the final 12 months, Abu has volunteered on the membership offering free teaching to six–15-year olds for six hours every week. Abu has gained the center and the belief of the locals as he’s at all times truthful and creates a enjoyable, protected and inclusive surroundings for all gamers attending the periods.
Thus far, Abu’s membership has 73 registered juniors, of which 21 are ladies – usually it’s a problem to interact younger Muslim ladies in sport – and he has just lately launched a ‘No Strings’ session aimed toward over-60s which has a turnout of 12-15 gamers every week.
Abu has helped three juniors and two adults to finish their Basis Teaching Award and they’re now helping him within the weekly periods.
He’s additionally a nationwide board member of two BME badminton organisations, Impartial Badminton Federation UK and Associates Cup Badminton Affiliation UK. Abu has organised, sponsored and volunteered to run six badminton tournaments throughout the North area for these organisations, selling grassroots badminton for all.
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The primary new award for 2025, the Committee Member of the Yr Award, was gained by Felicity Preston.
During the last 12 months, Felicity has taken on the function of Chair of the Badminton England Nationwide Youth Voice Discussion board, main and advocating for the group and being the primary level of contact between the Discussion board and Badminton England.
She has attended the Membership & Coach Convention and the Worldwide Ladies’s Day occasion on the Nationwide Badminton Centre in addition to main on numerous tasks throughout 2024 and serving to with the restructure of the Nationwide Youth Voice in early 2025.
On the age of solely 19, Felicity has approached this function with maturity, confidence and wonderful management expertise. She is pleasant, truthful and at all times prepared to take heed to the opposite members of the Youth Discussion board and balances this function exceptionally properly along with her college research and being an lively badminton participant herself.
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The primary recipient of the opposite model new award, the Technical Official of the Yr Award, was Amanda Balaam.
Amanda is the Honorary Secretary of the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England. In her function as Secretary, Amanda arranges all conferences for the Affiliation, is chargeable for producing and circulating Minutes of those conferences and yearly produces a report detailing all features of the Affiliation’s actions throughout the yr.
Because the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England essential level of contact, Amanda has been concerned in conferences with Badminton England to enhance techniques and processes, repeatedly monitoring any issues with the Umpires Affiliation database.
As an umpire, Amanda has officiated at a complete of 18 occasions in 2024 travelling a complete of three,460 miles to realize this. This yr, she has umpired 95 matches and repair judged 62 matches, a complete of 157 duties and these included officiating in a complete of 18 finals!
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Together with the 4 Nationwide Volunteer & Coach Awards, seven English Badminton Awards for lengthy standing distinctive service to badminton in England, have been additionally offered in 2025.
The English Badminton Awards for 2025 have been offered to:
Liz Bateman
Liz has been a beacon within the improvement of grassroots badminton in Hertfordshire during the last three many years. Liz coached at Gadebridge Badminton Membership the place she inspired different volunteers to undertake their teaching {qualifications} and properly as serving to quite a few coaches and starter golf equipment apply for funding.
Liz additionally takes care of the Junior Aylesbury League which is rising in power and numbers every season and he or she is an integral a part of the South West Herts Badminton League the place she has just lately taken over as Chair.
Simon Gilhooly
Simon has been a member of Stanway Badminton Membership in Essex since 2007, taking over numerous admin roles similar to Treasurer, Workforce Captain and Secretary. In 2009, Simon took over the operating of the junior part of the membership which has now grown to over 80 juniors and has a ready checklist.
In 2010, Simon joined the committee of the Colchester & East Essex Federation and was key to influencing the Federation to turn into affiliated. He’s Chair and Treasurer of Essex County Badminton Affiliation and has additionally held the roles of League Secretary, Match Secretary and a daily Event Volunteer during the last 10 years.
Jane Humphreys
Jane joined the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England in November 1988, and by 1996, she had turn into a Badminton World Federation Accredited Umpire and reached the very best worldwide stage, BWF Certificated Umpire, in 2005. Jane has officiated at so many occasions together with Commonwealth Video games, World Championships and the Olympics and has additionally discovered time to turn into certified as a assessor and tutor, passing her expertise on to others.
Jane has been a member of the Nationwide Committee of the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England 30 years and held various roles together with Coaching Secretary, Honorary Secretary, Vice President and President.
Along with her involvement in umpiring, Jane has been a member of the Board of Badminton England and has been a member of Badminton England disciplinary panels.
Dave Martin
Dave joined the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England in 1994, rising by means of the ranks and reaching the very best stage inside English umpiring and was awarded Badminton Europe Certificated umpire standing in 2009.
Dave joined the Nationwide Committee of the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England in 2002, and fulfilled various roles similar to Regional Secretary and Chair.
Dave is each a regional and nationwide assessor and, in addition to umpiring, Dave has been a Badminton England Referee for a few years.
Christine Rickwood
Christine and her late husband arrange Cambridgeshire Colleges Badminton and Cambridgeshire County Juniors in 1975. Christine was the Chair of Cambridgeshire Badminton for various yr, took a workforce to ICT yearly throughout the Nineteen Eighties & Nineties and in addition ran many after college golf equipment all through the county which fed into the CSBA and County Groups.
Christine was nonetheless actively teaching till a few years in the past, and nonetheless attends the three yearly Enjoyable Tournaments that are delivered within the county.
With out Christine, Cambridgeshire Badminton can be trying very totally different at this time.
Penny Shears
For over 35 years, Penny has remodeled the panorama of junior badminton in Bristol and Avon.
Penny has run Yate Racketeers for 35 years, she has managed the Avon Junior League for 22 years and he or she established Beaufort Junior Badminton Membership 14 years in the past, which bridges the hole between junior and grownup badminton and now has over 160 members.
She additionally ran an annual event for non-county gamers for 15 years, guaranteeing everybody has the chance expertise aggressive badminton, and spent six months campaigning to save lots of Kingsdown Sports activities Centre from closure, preserving a essential neighborhood facility.
Alison Thompson
Alison has been a member of Elmfield Badminton Membership in Northumberland for 40 years, taking over the function of Secretary within the early Nineties, a task she nonetheless holds to at the present time. Alison has overseen three adjustments of venue throughout her time as Secretary in addition to finding out facility bookings, shuttles & the organisation of eight groups every year.
Alison has additionally been a part of the Northumberland Badminton Affiliation Administration Committee since 1993, her essential function being League Secretary, however she can be a Senior County selector, helps to organise the top of season Presentation Night, helps out at numerous tournaments and in addition takes time without work work every year to assist out with the Below 18 ICT workforce.
Congratulations to all of the award winners, in addition to all of the nominees and runners-up.
Badminton England are so happy with each single particular person who makes badminton occur and these awards are supposed to applaud those that have gone above and past of their roles.
Study extra concerning the Nationwide Volunteer & Coach Awards here & discover out concerning the English Badminton Award here.
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