Revival tournament a success but badminton needs more exposure, says coach
“We are trying to get many social players to expose them to competitive games."
Badminton coach and former Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) chairperson Jeanie Dienaar believes there is not enough exposure for badminton in the country and this has led the youth to show little interest in the sport.
Dienaar and Shane Chetty hosted a social tournament on July 13 at John Barrable Hall to try to revive the badminton in the area.
The tournament attracted players from as far afield as Kimberly and Harrismith. They were divided into two sections for the beginners and the advanced players.
“This tournament is for the development of badminton. In the A section, we played in national, veterans and masters tournaments but in the B section, we had lots of players who have never played in tournaments. We want to expose them to the sports and hopefully, the bug will bite and they keep on playing,” Dienaar said.
Dying sport
“We don’t have enough facilities. Even if we have halls, there’s always a shortage of equipment like nets. It’s also an expensive sport, unfortunately. In SA, we only focus on codes like football, rugby, cricket and a little bit of tennis. We don’t give enough exposure to badminton,” said Dienaar.
She said she hoped the tournament would help increase the numbers and get more young people interested in the sport.
“We are trying to get many social players. I run my club every Tuesday and Thursday at John Barrable Hall. I have around 40 development players. To expose them to competitive games, we play social tournaments, which we hope will increase the numbers.”
Revival
Over the years, the EGBA has seen an increase in the sport, especially in townships like Duduza and Kwa-Thema.
But Dienaar would like to get badminton into schools. She is adamant this would help fast-track the development of the sport and increase the pool of players in the country.
“When I was the chairperson of EGBA 20 years ago, I did lots of development at schools. I visited schools and coached players. But when I left, the new chairperson didn’t have enough time to do it and my job also doesn’t allow me to do it either,” she said.
“If we don’t go to schools and try to introduce the sport, no one would think about badminton because they only focus on soccer, cricket and others. We are also trying to make it a family-orientated sport.”
If you are interested in badminton, you are welcome to join Dienaar and her players at John Barrable Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19:30.
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