Father-to-be Sean Vendy is heading to his second Olympics with a fresh sense of perspective as he bids for glory with long-standing men’s doubles partner Ben Lane. Vendy, 28, found out in March that his partner Shannon was expecting their first child. He told Lane on the day they flew to the Swiss Open and they went on to win the competition, the highest-profile trophy the duo have lifted. That triumph has reinforced their belief they can mix it with the world’s best in Paris but Vendy will cross the Channel knowing the outcome is not the be-all and end-all. “It (fatherhood) definitely sit ..read more

It’s All The Intensity. It’s All The Glory. It’s All of Badminton.  It’s the YONEX All England 2025! The dates are now confirmed for next year’s tournament and tickets are due to go on sale very, very soon! Right now, save the date in your diaries. The first shuttle is struck on Tuesday 11th March 2025 with the final trophy awarded to the victors when the tournament reaches its climax and crowns its champions on Sunday 16th March 2025. Remember, the All England is the most prestigious badminton tournament in our sport’s calendar. And this is your chance to be part of a festiv ..read more

July 16, 2024 There are now just 43 days until the 2024 Paralympics get underway in Paris. The ParalympicsGB badminton squad has been selected, including three returning Paralympians and one debutant, and in the coming weeks we will hear from each of them in a blog on the Badminton England website. First up, Krysten Coombs, who won bronze when badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo… I know how it feels to podium at a Paralympic Games. Now I can’t wait to experience a proper Paralympic atmosphere at Paris 2024. Winning para-badminton bronze in Tokyo was a dream come true, acting as th ..read more

July 12 2024 Team GB’s Kirsty Gilmour has discovered her opponents for the group stages of the women’s singles at Paris 2024. Gilmour was placed in Group N as the draw was carried out at the Badminton World Federation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The men’s doubles draw, which will feature Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, was postponed following a Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) hearing and will take place at a later date. The last name to be drawn out, Gilmour will face the sixth seed He Bing Jiao of China and Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatimah Azzahra in the women’s singles group stages. Gilmour ha ..read more

11 July, 2024 Five new directors have been elected by the Badminton England membership to the Badminton England board following an AGM on June 22. Three were previously co-opted and two are new to the board. Presented by the Chair of the Board of Directors Peter Emptage, each Elected Director has now been presented, voted on and approved, and we are delighted to welcome such a wealth of talent and experience to the board of directors.  Kate Aldridge and Chris Clements began their tenure when co-opted. Gene Joyner and Harley Towler are beginning three-year terms of office, in addition ..read more

9 July, 2024 In the words of one of the bands he used to tour with, William Brown’s achievements in badminton have been ‘Going Underground’ for too long. The 72-year-old has been volunteering in the sport for more than 30 years and has just retired from his role as chairman of the East Sussex Junior Badminton Association, which he co-founded 20 years ago. During his 14 years as chairman, he took on many roles within the club, dedicating his time and effort to developing the juniors. “When you’re volunteering and helping out, you feel like you’re contributing and doing something really good ..read more

July 8 2024 Ben Lane and Sean Vendy made a stirring run to the final of the Canada Open in Calgary.   The men’s doubles pair were England’s only representatives in the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament but flew the flag proudly as they claimed a silver medal, losing to top seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in a decider. It ends their pre-Olympic campaign on a high as attention now turns to final preparations for Paris 2024 in only a few weeks’ time. Lane and Vendy faced home pairings in each of the first two rounds, beating Kevin Barkman and Victor Ho of Canada in s ..read more

6 July, 2024 Oliver Butler and Sam Jones secured a historic silver medal at the VICTOR Future Series Nouvelle-Aquitaine 2024 following an impressive display to get to the final. The men’s doubles pair were denied gold and the title by Aymeric Tores and Dyon Van Wijlick after battling through three rounds to make the final two in the south of France. But, following an encouraging performance at the tournament in only its third year, the pairing won England’s first-ever men’s doubles medal at the event. In a three-game thriller, Butler and Jones stormed to take the first game before their op ..read more

This week saw the launch of Badminton England’s Safeguarding and Wellbeing Week, where we have celebrated great practice, supporting the badminton community with new resources and delivered free webinars to help create safe and inclusive environments for everyone involved in our sport. Commenting on Safeguarding and Wellbeing Week, Badminton England Safeguarding Manager, Victoria Brown said: “It is our intention to continue to build on the commitments that we made when we published our Safeguarding Strategy for badminton in England in June 2023. “We’ve already made some great progress and I ..read more

Badminton England are delighted to announce the latest updates to the England Junior Performance Programme, which were implemented from July 1. The changes are the next step in Badminton England’s exciting revamp of the Junior Programme, designed to foster and nurture the next generation of budding badminton talent.  The latest changes build on the outlined changes announced in February 2023, which include increasing inclusivity and opportunities for more players to attend EJPP camps and international tournaments and more focused support to a small, identified group of junior players ..read more