Claire will develop badminton stars

Ireland's first badminton academy has been set up in a Kilcullen base by Claire Flood, writes Brian Byrne.

Claire is the country's foremost badminton international and was the first Irish woman to qualify for the World Singles Championship, held in the USA in 2005, as a Top 80 singles player.



Claire, pictured above with Pamela Kelly, Gareth Hogan, Norah Hogan, Sheila Smyth and Rose McMahon, hopes that her own player development venture will further move Ireland into the top ranks of international competitive badminton.

Her Uno Badminto Academy is located initially in Kilcullen Community Centre, the home of Kilcullen Badminton Club, but she has long-term plans for a dedicated campus.

Claire retired from her own very successful international career and headed off the Cyprus about five months ago. But while she was away she was constantly getting phone calls from various clubs which she had been involved with, asking her when she would be back to help them again.

"Basically they were saying there was no structure in Ireland to coach anyone who wanted to go beyond the leisure game," she recalls. "So I looked into how it was in other countries, like Denmark and Wales, to see how they operated academies."

Claire isn't the kind of person to hang around. From the time she made the decision to set up her own independent academy, it was a mere ten weeks to get it in place. "This is the main centre, and from it I plan to operate in Dublin, Wexford, Connaught and Munster."

The Uno Academy will provide development programmes for players aged 7-60. They are underpinned by the basic elements which every athlete needs: fitness, skills programmes, nutrition, and psychology.

"I developed my own programmes based on the knowledge and experience I have acquired myself, and what I have found out over the years from talking with and competing with other athletes."

Setting up any commercial venture doesn't come without cost, but Claire has attracted sponsorship from global badminton equipment supplier Yonex, Peugeot Ireland, and IT company Data Solutions.

"These days you don't get sponsorship unless you have a serious venture, with proper structures," Claire says. "They saw that I was serious, and was putting in the necessary level of structure."

Claire is convinced that there is plenty of scope for bringing badminton on in Ireland as a world level competitive sport.

"There are many youngsters out there who want to get on in the game. They want to be like Chloe Magee, who is an Olympian. They have the aspirations, but there haven't been any structures in the Republic of Ireland for them to take that ambition further. We do have Badminton Ireland, funded by the Sports Council, and they have their own strategic plan. But I'm coming as an independent structure within which a player who has the raw talent can climb up the ladder."

As Director of the academy, Claire is taking responsibility for the business of the venture. She already has four coaches on board to kick off the initial stage.

"By the end of year one I plan to have an International Coach resident in my academy. By three years I will have added foreign players of international standard for the academy students to 'spar' against. In five years I hope to be able to begin work on getting my own purpose-designed building, which I plan to have in place by year ten."

Already a successful competitive player, Claire was a co-founder of Kilcullen Badminton Club in 2003. From the club she has worked with hundreds of youngsters throughout the province, most of whom initially get into the game for fun.

"But when they see competitive players in matches, and in exhibition games we organise at club level, they get interested in serious competition. The more they see it, the more of them want it, and there are enough who want to take it really seriously to warrant a national academic structure."

Claire says there's nothing special about it, once a sport gains exposure, people want to play, and compete. "It's just like rugby, GAA, soccer, any sport."

Among the top players who entertained with exhibition matches at the recent Uno Badminton Academy launch were Daniel Magee (Donegal-Raphoe), Fiona Glennon from Leixlip, Josh Magee, Rachel Daragh the u/13 Irish champion from Athlone, Sam McKay, UBA Junior player in the academy and Leinster champion in his grade, and Brendan Hennessy.

The Kilcullen club's Special Olympian, Cathal Timoney, played a singles match against Daniel Magee. Cathal won a silver medal in the national Special Olympics this past summer.