The 4 winners of the 2025 Nationwide Volunteer and Coach Awards, together with six English Badminton Award recipients, had been offered with their accolades on Semi-Finals day on the YONEX All England Open Championships in Birmingham on Saturday fifteenth March.
We had been excited to announce a change to the Nationwide Volunteer & Coach Awards for 2025. This 12 months, there have been 4 Awards which had been open for nominations.
· Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the 12 months Award
· Grassroots Coach of the 12 months Award
· Committee Member of the 12 months Award
· Technical Official of the 12 months Award
The Committee Member of the 12 months Award and Technical Official of the 12 months Award had been model new for 2025 and changed the present Volunteer of the 12 months Award to permit us to recognise extra volunteers within the badminton neighborhood for his or her laborious work. We intention to additional have fun extra voluntary roles sooner or later.
The Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the 12 months Award changed the present Geoff Rofe Younger Volunteer of the 12 months Award. The one change was the title of this Award, the standards 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 individuals who have stood out in demonstrating ardour, dedication and dedication to badminton within the final twelve months and who’ve had a constructive influence and affect on others’ expertise inside the sport.
The winner of the 2025 Geoff Rofe Younger Chief of the 12 months 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 for the reason that age of 9. Oliver now volunteers for 4 hours every week at Thornaby Badminton Membership periods, serving to out with teaching youthful youngsters and appearing as a Supervisor for staff competitions. He’s a sports activities chief at his faculty and likewise a wonderful advocate for the after faculty badminton membership.
In 2024, Oliver acquired a milestone certificates for logging 100 hours of volunteering and likewise obtained his Basis Teaching Award. He helps out at varied native tournaments in addition to being a part of the Badminton England Nationwide Youth Voice Discussion board within the position of Communications Officer.
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The 2025 Grassroots Coach of the 12 months 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 guts and the belief of the locals as he’s all the time honest and creates a enjoyable, protected and inclusive setting for all gamers attending the periods.
To this point, Abu’s membership has 73 registered juniors, of which 21 are women – usually it’s a problem to have interaction younger Muslim women in sport – and he has 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 aiding 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 12 months Award, was gained by Felicity Preston.
During the last 12 months, Felicity has taken on the position 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 Girls’s Day occasion on the Nationwide Badminton Centre in addition to main on varied initiatives 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 position with maturity, confidence and wonderful management expertise. She is pleasant, honest and all the time prepared to hearken to the opposite members of the Youth Discussion board and balances this position exceptionally nicely along with her college research and being an energetic badminton participant herself.
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The primary recipient of the opposite model new award, the Technical Official of the 12 months Award, was Amanda Balaam.
Amanda is the Honorary Secretary of the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England. In her position 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 elements of the Affiliation’s actions throughout the 12 months.
Because the Badminton Umpires Affiliation of England important level of contact, Amanda has been concerned in conferences with Badminton England to enhance programs and processes, constantly 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 12 months, 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, had been additionally offered in 2025.
The English Badminton Awards for 2025 had been offered to:
Liz Bateman
Liz has been a beacon within the improvement of grassroots badminton in Hertfordshire during the last three a long time. Liz coached at Gadebridge Badminton Membership the place she inspired different volunteers to undertake their teaching {qualifications} and nicely 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 she or he is an integral a part of the South West Herts Badminton League the place she has lately taken over as Chair.
Simon Gilhooly
Simon has been a member of Stanway Badminton Membership in Essex since 2007, taking up varied admin roles akin to Treasurer, Staff Captain and Secretary. In 2009, Simon took over the working of the junior part of the membership which has now grown to over 80 juniors and has a ready record.
In 2010, Simon joined the committee of the Colchester & East Essex Federation and was key to influencing the Federation to grow to be affiliated. He’s Chair and Treasurer of Essex County Badminton Affiliation and has additionally held the roles of League Secretary, Match Secretary and an everyday 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 grow to be a Badminton World Federation Accredited Umpire and reached the best worldwide degree, 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 grow to be 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 quite a few 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 the ranks and reaching the best degree 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 quite a few roles akin 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 quite a few 12 months, took a staff to ICT yearly throughout the Eighties & Nineteen Nineties and likewise ran many after faculty 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 could be trying very totally different right this moment.
Penny Shears
For over 35 years, Penny has reworked 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 she or he 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 avoid wasting Kingsdown Sports activities Centre from closure, preserving a crucial neighborhood facility.
Alison Thompson
Alison has been a member of Elmfield Badminton Membership in Northumberland for 40 years, taking up the position of Secretary within the early Nineteen Nineties, a task she nonetheless holds to today. 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 important position being League Secretary, however she can also be a Senior County selector, helps to organise the tip of season Presentation Night, helps out at varied tournaments and likewise takes day off work every year to assist out with the Beneath 18 ICT staff.
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.
Be taught extra in regards to the Nationwide Volunteer & Coach Awards here & discover out in regards to the English Badminton Award here.
