Friday 18 September 2020
Dear Members
Badminton Ireland welcomes the release of the “Living with COVID” plan by the Government. This plan sets out the various restrictions we might encounter over the next six months and will allow us to plan accordingly. We are working with Sport Ireland to clarify certain aspects of the plan and will issue clarification on those items in the coming days. For now, the country is set at Level 2 of the plan, with Dublin the only exception currently set at Level 3, and a summary of the key requirements under these phases is listed below. Clubs in Northern Ireland will be required to adhere to a different set of guidance. All the guidance we have sent out to date can be found here - https://www.badmintonireland.com/page/37766/Return-to-Badminton
In the coming weeks Badminton Ireland will issue a revised set of protocols for clubs to follow depending on the current level of their county. We will be contacting clubs individually to discuss the challenges they are facing and will hold a series of webinars aimed to address these challenges and provide further insight into how our Sport can continue to operate alongside COVID 19.
We will also release a mobile communication solution for clubs to aid them in managing their contact tracing requirements. Each club will be giving a unique log in which will allow their members to confirm their attendance at a club night in advance. This solution will greatly reduce the administrative burden on club secretaries.
As always, the Badminton Ireland staff remain available to support our members during this difficult time. Given the circumstances, our office hours are greatly reduced but staff continue to work from home. An updated contact page has been set up on the website - https://www.badmintonireland.com/page/37178/Badminton-Ireland-Office-Team - which provides contact details for each staff member. I would encourage any member or club who has questions or concerns to reach out to the relevant member of staff.
These are difficult times for us all and Badminton Ireland remains committed to providing support and resources to all our members to ensure they can continue to enjoy our Sport in a safe and fun manner.
Kind Regards
David McGill
Chief Executive Officer
Living with COVID key requirements for Badminton
The following restrictions are subject to change based on the guidelines of Sports Ireland.
- Masks should be worn by members/spectators when moving around the venue (not on court), particularly in areas where maintaining a social distance of 2 metres is difficult
- People are not allowed to travel in or out Level 3 area
- Members/Supervisor should continue to follow the general health guidance issues by the Government:
- Wash or sanitise your hands regularly, especially before and after play
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Maintain a two-metre distance from other members/spectators
- Avoid congregating in crowds
- For clubs operating in counties currently set at level 2 of the “Living with COVID” plan singles and doubles play can continue. Members should be divided into PODs of 6 individuals and must not mingle with individuals from other PODs. Up to 50 people can be in the venue at any one time but social distancing must be maintained.
- Matches, tournaments, etc can also continue to be held with a maximum of 50 spectators.
- For clubs operating in counties currently set at level 3 of the “Living with COVID” plan, play should be restricted to singles play only. The only exception for doubles is if playing partners are from the same household.
- No matches or tournaments can take place under Level 3 restrictions
- Elite and intercounty training and tournaments are exempt from these restrictions in Level 3.
How does the 'pod' system work?
- Organised Sports training / activity / exercise can do so in multiple pods once sufficient space is available and strict public health protocols are in place.
- The use of multiple pod’s is to assist with minimising the number of people in a group while acknowledging that some outdoor and indoor facilities have the capacity to cater for larger numbers of people in a safe manner and within public health guidelines. People participating in pod training can be from different households.
- The number of pods in a given facility or area will depend on the overall size of space available. At present, the overall numbers within an Indoor facility should not exceed 50.
- The space between pods will depend on the nature, duration and intensity of the session but it should be clearly evident that the pods are independent groups not interacting with one another. At a very minimum Social Distancing of 2m between pods should be implemented.
- Depending on the frequency of activity (i.e. multiple times in a week) it may be helpful for participants to stay within the same pod.
- A coach or instructor may oversee more than one pod and should be counted in the overall numbers.
- The coach should not move freely between pods but rather oversee the activity of the pods.
Read more »
Friday 18 September 2020
It is with regret that the AIG FZ Forza Irish Open 2020 has been cancelled due to ongoing pandemic of COVID-19.
Badminton Ireland would like to thank all those who have been involved in organising the event and those who planned to volunteer at the Irish Open in November. We understand that this news will come as a big disappointment for those who were looking forward to helping out at the showcase event. Badminton Ireland would also like to thank our sponsors AIG and Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown in their continued support of the event over the past three years.
Full refund will be allocated to everyone who has bought a ticket to the Irish Open Finals Day. Further information about Finals Day tickets will be released following this statement.
Monday 14 September 2020
As you might be aware, there will be an announcement tomorrow (15/9/2020) from the Government updating the restrictions. Badminton Ireland will issue a revised set of protocols following this announcement.
Badminton Ireland have taken feedback from clubs on board and propose more workable solutions to the Sport Expert Group. However, the final decision will rest with them.
Tuesday 8 September 2020
Smash Cancer would like to say Congratulations to all Winners!
Here is the list of our Smash Cancer Winners
1st Prize Ravi Jadar
2nd Prize Paul Reynolds
3rd Prize Jack Macbeth
4th Prize Laura Coe 5th
Prize Jimmy and Miriam Butler
6th Prize Sheila Byrne
7th Prize Janet Fletcher
8th Prize Philip Browne
Thank you all for taking part in our fundraising campaign and for your support!
Smash Cancer raised €5265.33 57 t-shirts, 426 tickets sold and 2682.33 in donations
All raised money are now going towards better cancer research in Ireland. You all are making a difference. So celebrate it with us and two charities who were part of this amazing fundraising journey Irish Cancer Society and National Breast Cancer Research Institute
Monday 7 September 2020
Badminton Ireland is exciting to announce Smash Cancer Draw taking place tonight at 19:00 on Badminton Ireland Facebook Page.
Do not forget to tune in as you migh be the lucky person winning our amazing prizes.
All raised money are going towards cancer research in irish laboratories run by Irish Cancer Society and National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
Our Smash Cancer prizes are as followed;
1st Prize is Paid trip for two to Yonex All England 2021 including accommodation, flight tickets and 500euros spending money.
2nd Prize is Box of shuttles (50doz) for your badminton club.
3rd Prize is 2VIP Badminton Ireland Awards Night package including accommodation and 100euros spending money
4th Prize is Coaching session with our National coach
5th Prize is Meet and Greet with our badminton high performance athletes
6th Prize is Club visit from our development officer including 5 tubes of shuttles and a kitbag
7th Prize is 2 VIP tickets to the Irish Open 2020
8th Prize is 2 signed Badminton t-shirts
Good luck to you all!
And thank you each one of you for your donations, support and enthusiasm towards our fundraiser!
Lets Smash Cancer together!