Now shuttle centre is ready for lift-off; Accolade boosts badminton academy

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), June 17, 2009

BUDDING badminton stars have been given a huge boost after one of Tyneside's leading colleges gained national recognition from the sport's governing body.

The North East Sports Academy's (NESA) badminton development centre, based at Tyne Met College in North Tyneside, is already home to rising stars from across the region.

And now Badminton England has granted NESA prestigious Premier College status - the first award of its kind in the country.

Badminton England will make an official presentation at Tyne Met's Coach Lane site tomorrow before watching students in action.

"It's evidence of the unique programme we offer our students and will really benefit the college in terms of future development and recruitment," explained badminton development coach Ian Lambert.

"I had to submit an application to Badminton England outlining the benefits of the NESA programme and the links we have to schools, community badminton networks, local performance centres and local clubs.

"I also had to identify the pathways which are available to students - for example assistant coaching awards, young official awards and young leaders awards.

"Because of the structure of the badminton development centre at NESA and the fact that all of the above criteria was in place, the application was passed straight away and we were the first in the country to gain Premier College status." Now Lambert will press ahead with ambitious plans to make NESA the first port of call for badminton players from across the North East.

And he believes Tyne Met's Premier College status will reinforce North Tyneside's reputation as one of the UK's new hotspots for a growing sport.

"The success of the centre this year has provided a good marketing tool for next year and application numbers are already strong for September," he added.

"I have also had an opportunity to target specific players who I would like to come to the development centre which will improve the standard for next year.

"This, in turn, will attract players of a good standard in years to come and have a knock-on effect.

"I think the future is quite bright for badminton in this part of the country. Its popularity continues to grow, especially in the North Tyneside's schools." Lambert took on the role of NESA's badminton development officer in December and has been bowled over by the enthusiasm for his chosen sport at Tyne Met.

"My first impressions were that

NESA offers a fantastic opportunity for young people who are into sport to really excel at both sport and their education.

"That view hasn't changed, and it offers a win-win situation for the students who take advantage of it.

"The badminton programme itself is quite flexible as it accommodates the beginner right up to players who perform at junior county level. I see this as a major plus." Having gained Premier College status, NESA's badminton development centre will benefit from extra support from Badminton England.

In return, Ian and his colleagues have pledged to extend an already successful programme into local schools and create a network for badminton across the borough and beyond.

"We must also provide the best practice in nurturing young badminton talent, including identification and development of talented performers, coaches and volunteers and officials," he added.

"And we aim to raise the profile of the game through enjoyment and opportunity." For more information of NESA's badminton development centre contact coach Lambert direct at ian.lambert@tynemet.ac.uk or call (0191) 229 5247..