Introduction
Badminton in Northumberland and around the country exists in the format it does mainly due to a huge amount of volunteer time contributed to the sport. Whatever your skill set and no matter how much time you can offer, we are on the look out for people of all age and experience to get involved and become Northumberland Badminton / Badminton England volunteers to help grow the game. The County/Country is never in a position of having too many badminton volunteers.
If you would like to help out in any way either with one small task or take on a significant role then please contact a member of the Management Committee.
Examples of areas where you could get involved are:
Management Committee Roles
Tournament Organisation/Help/ Become a Tournament Referee
Umpires/Line Judges/Young Officials
Coaching
Junior Team Management
Fundraising
Publicity
Club Committees
Workforce Academy
Please see further information about these under the relevant headings.
Grants and subsidies are often available to subsidise the payment for courses usually in return for some volunteer hours. If you are interested in taking a formal qualification please contact our Treasurer Julie Brown or our Badminton England Relationship Manager Holly Robson for details of any funding currently available.
Management Committee Roles
Many members of the Management Committee have been in their position for a significant number of years. If anyone is willing to help out or would like to take over a role then we would be happy to hear from you.
Tournament Organisers/Helpers/Referees
We run a significant number of junior and senior tournaments throughout the year. These involve a significant contribution of time from individuals ensuring tournaments are set up and run smoothly. Jobs can include recording match scores, handing out and collecting in shuttles, finding players to go on court, chasing unpaid debts, ensuring the referee is fed and watered etc.
When there is a large event on or county matches we like to provide a catering service, anyone who is willing to help out in the kitchen is appreciated.
For anyone interested in running a tournament it is also possible to progress through the tournament referees pathway. Training usually takes place in Milton Keynes. Contact Badminton England’s Relationship Manager, Holly Robson, for more detailed information.
Umpires/Line Judges/Young Officials
Becoming an umpire or line judge is a way to put something back into the game once you have finished playing or if you have never played you can still learn the rules and become an official. Click here to access more information.
There are opportunities to officiate on a local level within the County, but if you enjoy it and have time you can also take qualifications to move up to national/ international level and travel around the country/ world umpiring and line judging at tournaments and matches.
There is also the Young Officials Award aimed at Young People aged 14-19 who would like to become involved in officiating. Contact Badminton England’s Relationship Manager, Holly Robson, for more detailed information.
Both the Badminton Umpires Association and the Badminton Line Judges Association have their own very informative websites which explain how you can gain qualifications.
Coaching
The County needs coaches to run courses for players of all standards from beginners through to Performance players, from primary school to over 50s sessions all over the County of Northumberland. Badminton England run a series of courses over the year to qualify as Level 1, level 2 and Level 3 coaches. For information about coach education and training on the Badminton England Website click here.
Junior Team Management
Juniors have several matches over the year. We are always looking for willing parents to travel away to team events, or manage teams for home matches. If you are willing to help out please contact Richard Taylor our junior county co-ordinator.
Fundraising
Northumberland County is a non-profit making organisation as are most of the clubs in the area. We are always looking for volunteers to organise bag-packs, organise raffles at tournaments or even trying to find sponsorship for our teams. If you are willing to help out in organising any fundraising activities please contact Richard Taylor our Junior County Co-ordinator or Julie Brown our County Treasurer.
Publicity
In order to grow the profile of badminton in the County we look to get as much publicity as possible. We receive fairly significant coverage in the grassroots section of the Evening Chronicle on tournaments and events that have happened. However we do need people to write up the events. We also need help in publicising upcoming activities and raising awareness of what’s on in Northumberland relating to badminton. Please let us know if you are interested in helping out.
Club Committees
Many people seem to be under the impression that clubs magically run themselves. However the main burden often lies on the shoulders of a minority of people in the club to ensure that halls are booked, nets and shuttles are available, fees are collected, affiliations are paid, matches are sorted etc. Most clubs would welcome anyone who wants to take ownership of a task within a club. In general each club needs at a minimum a Secretary, Treasurer, Welfare Officer, Match Secretary (one person can have more than one role). If you would like to take on some responsibility within your club please speak to a member of your Club Committee.
Workforce Academy
The Northumberland Badminton Association Workforce Academy programme was launched in January 2019 and is designed to bring committed coaches, officials and volunteers together to increase the number of badminton opportunities locally, and help towards retaining and increasing Badminton England members.
The Workforce Academy will provide support, training, mentoring and CPD, in return for delivering more badminton activity, creating an accessible and sustainable workforce across the county. Longer term, we hope the Academy will drive the recruitment of future workforce and become responsible for determining workforce education needs.
The Academy is open to individuals from all experience levels and members will benefit from:
1. A Workforce Academy Induction session
2. Free Academy membership
3. CPD training opportunities
4. Deployment & volunteering opportunities
5. Mentoring with an experienced coach or volunteer
6. Coaching Bursaries (for Level 1 & 2 coaching qualifications)
7. Access to the Workforce Academy forum via Facebook
8. Academy T-shirt
9. On-going support
Expectations of Academy Members:
1. All coaches must be registered with Badminton England
2. Attend related training, development and CPD sessions organised
3. Engage with mentoring support available
4. Carry out a minimum of 10 voluntary hours over the first 6 month period
If you would like to find out more or are interested in joining the workforce Academy, please contact our Badminton England Relationship Manager Holly Robson.
Volunteer Recognition
See the menu item AWARDS for more information on our own awards and awards made by others.