Newsletter – July 2009

Introduction

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the summer break and getting themselves ready for a full series of 4 Nations events. The working group has continually tried to develop the series along with the 4 Nations governing bodies and I am pleased to say that much progress has been made. Our intention is to provide competitive opportunities for the various classifications and assist in developing every players performance. With this in mind, there are a number of improvements that have been made to the structure of the events for the coming season. I have outlined these below as well as giving you some additional information on the disability Badminton set up.

New Season

The dates for this seasons events are as follows:

Wales – 11-13 September 2009

Ireland – 20-22 November 2009

Scotland – 19-21 February 2010

England – 16-18 April 2010

Please make a note of these in your diary.

Entry Forms / Flyer

A flyer has been produced and will be circulated as far and wide as possible. Please pass this on to anyone and everyone. Entry forms will be distributed through the data base (see later) as well as the governing bodies and their websites. Please don’t wait for one to arrive with you, be pro-active and go and get one! Entry forms will be available well before the closing dates so please check the websites.

Closing Dates / Charges

One of the many problems event organisers have is LATE ENTRIES. It is the player’s responsibility to get their entries in on time. Late entries cause so many problems with the creation of draws and the general organisation of the event, that we now feel that players should now take responsibility to ensure their entries are received on time. To this effect, there will be no guarantee that late entries will be accepted and there will be a £5 late entry fee at the discretion of the organisers as well as cancellation fees should a player enter and decide not to turn up. These conditions will be made available to all players in due course.

AVOID LATE ENTRIES – SHOULD THERE BE ANY PROBLEMS PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH THE EVENT ORGANISERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Data Base

In order to increase the circulation of the entry forms and other information, the 4 Nations group is to develop an e-mail data base. We already posses a great number of player / coach contacts details. However it would be of great help if everyone could make sure this list is correct and send their current details to myself at the e-mail below.

Scoring Systems

For those who have played the events before, they will know that there is a fairly standard scoring system used across the events. However, we would like to formalise this and as a result the group have decided on the following system.

Physical Disabilities – All group games are best of 3 sets, no extended scoring / Semi & Final best of 3 sets with extended scoring.

Learning Disabilities – All group games and semi-finals are 1 set, no extended scoring / Final best of 3 sets with extended scoring.

Players should be aware that the Referee at anytime may require to change this should certain circumstances arise. This is standard procedure, but where possible this scoring will be adhered to.

‘Plus Points’

The ‘plus points’ system was introduced when classifications were combined last season. It is the hope of the working group that there will be no need to combine classes this coming season, and in order to do this, a minimum of 5 players must be entered in a class. The tournament committee will determine whether classes are combined if the figure is less than 5.

Friday Evenings

Due to the number of entries and time restraints, play on a Friday evening was introduced at the Scottish leg. This helped dramatically with the timing of the event and again this season it will be an option for the tournament organisers. Players should enter the event with the knowledge that they may be required to compete on a Friday evening (suggested time no earlier than 7pm). Players will be notified in advance if this is the case.

Code of Conduct for Everyone

With the series now gaining in strength, it is important that we continue to improve the standard of professionalism from everyone involved. From players and coaches, volunteers and officials to parents and friends, everyone is expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. Each governing body will have a code of conduct and we expect everyone competing to make a point of checking these out, as by entering you are expected to abide by them. By doing this we are showing the wider sporting public that we are a well run and professional sport.

Responsible person

In order to increase communication at events between players and officials, it is important that the Referee knows exactly who is responsible / in charge of each player / group. There will be additional space on the entry form for players to identify who their ‘responsible person’ is, and this will apply to those U18 and also those in the Learning Disability category.

Classification – more helpers required

Classification will continue to take place on the Friday and we urge all LD coaches to ensure they complete the LD form and send in with their entry form. This really does assist with the classification. We are also looking for coaches who would like to become involved with the LD classification. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out and becoming a classifier for the LD’s. We are also looking for PD classifiers, and for this we are looking for doctors, physio’s or people with a medical background.

Licenses

The group is looking closely at introducing a license system. This will mean each players receives a card with all their playing details and classification. This will be developed throughout the season and we will hopefully introduce this ready for the 2010/11 season.

International Badminton Association for the Disabled - update

I know many of you are keen to see Badminton in the Paralympics. The working group is continually communicating with the powers that be to try to assist this process. The IBAD are fully committed to this and have developed a strong link with world badminton federation as well as already sitting down and discussing the future of Badminton in the Paralympics with the IPC – International Paralympics Committee. We shall keep you updated as things progress. (www.parabadminton.org)

Contact

At anytime please contact me at the email below should you require any further details. Thank you for all your support and we hope to see you all very soon.

Regards

Lyndon Williams

Chairperson – 4 Nations Disability Badminton Working Group.

hbandnw@yahoo.co.uk