Category: News

Historically, finals of Leagues & Cups would be reffed by willing volunteers there on the night while Championships finals would be umpired by Badminton Ireland Court Officials who kindly gave their time to travel to South West.

At the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the South West Leinster Badminton League, it was proposed that a group of SWLBL umpires be put together. It was felt by League organisers that having SWLBL umpires would not only make their own lives a little easier, but also give an air of professionalism & occasion to finals of Leagues & Cups.

Since 2015, the initiative has gone from strength to strength with approx. 15 SWLBL umpires now in regular rotation. SWLBL umpires learn through a mixture of theory and practice. Many who are players have commented on how learning the rules of the game has contributed to their game & knowledge of rights & wrongs on the court.

If you think you would be interested in participating and your club is part of SWLBL – email swlbl1947@gmail.com to find out more. We have had a number of people participate in the initiative and find it was not for them so there is no obligation to continue if you find it is not for you!

“The highlight of the initiative for me was having the SWLBL umpires ref. at the Championships Finals which were held in Whitehall Rd. to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the League in early 2017.” 

Lesley Cobbe, SWLBL President 2017 & 2018

Entries are now open for the Shuttlefest on 15th & 16th September 2018 in Kilcullen Community Centre, Co. Kildare.

The Shuttlefest is a “kick-start” tournament held by SWLBL in Kilcullen in early September each season. All are graded competitions from Grade 1 to Grade 6 with ladies, mens & mixed doubles competitions in each grade. All events are played as a round robin up to Semi-Final or Final stage depending on number of entries.

Thanks to Yonex Ireland, each year we have genuine Yonex mats & court gear to make the venue extra special. Rackets Central set up shop for the weekend selling apparel & rackets as well as offering an on-site stringing service.

Entry fees are €15 for one event or €25 for two events and entry is open to all BI affiliated players. Last year we had a total entry of 182 players over 18 events from Grades 1-6.

Closing date for entries is 10th September 2018 and early entry is essential as the number of entries per event is capped.

Click here to enter online. For any queries, email southwestshuttlefest@gmail.com.

#Shuttlefest2018

Now that the weather has broken, it’s time to start thinking about dusting off those badminton rackets and getting ready for the season ahead.

Our first competition of the 2018/2019 Season is the South West September Shuttlefest which will be held in Kilcullen Community Centre on Saturday 15^th & Sunday 16^th September. It is now in its 4th year running and each year it just gets better and better. As usual, Yonex Ireland will be there on both days to cater for all your badminton needs. Chelsey Cox (Shuttlefest Organiser) will be in contact shortly with further information on this event.

Following the Shuttlefest, we have our Men’s & Ladies Leagues. The closing date for entries for the Men’s & Ladies Leagues is Friday 21^st September. Entry forms will be sent to clubs at the beginning of September. As agreed at the AGM, this year we will be having a fixtures meeting for both Men’s and Ladies Leagues and for the Mixed League. The Men’s & Ladies Leagues Fixtures Meeting will be held in Athy RFC on Monday 24^th September at 7.30pm. Please ensure your Match Secretary is aware of this date and  will be present on the night. Further information on the fixtures meeting will be sent to all clubs along with the entry forms at the beginning of September.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our President, Lesley Cobbe who has worked tirelessly over the past few weeks developing our new website which is very user friendly. All important documents for the coming season can be downloaded from here. You can also subscribe to our Newsletter for regular updates relating to South West Badminton.

Click here to access key dates for the upcoming season.

Sinead Kelly, Hon. Secretary/Treasurer

On Saturday 7th April 2018 we rounded off not only what had been a great season but also what had been a great 70 years of badminton in south-west Leinster.

The South West Leinster Badminton League was formed in 1947 to provide competitive badminton across county lines for the first time in the region. From a single mixed league competition with only two grades (Junior & Senior), the League has grown.

Now there are; men’s & ladies leagues, mixed leagues & cups, individual championships (grades 1-7) and a one-day start of the season tournament (grades 1-6). In addition, we try to support juveniles in the region by having an U17 category in the individual championships and running an annual team competition – the Declan Casey Perpetual Trophy.

Finally, we award the Bob Jones Memorial Cup to one club each season that is seen to best represent the values of the league by promoting badminton & contributing to the running of the League.

If you are an individual looking to start badminton, please contact us and we will put you in touch with your nearest SWLBL club. Or, if your club would like to get involved in SWLBL – let us know!