Badminton England’s Shuttle Stars Festival brought energy, excitement and plenty of smiles to Birmingham, as 350 primary school pupils were given a fantastic opportunity to experience badminton in a unique setting alongside the prestigious Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships taking place at the Utilita Arena.
The festival formed part of the tournament’s legacy programme, designed to introduce more young people to badminton and inspire the next generation of players. After spending the morning at the Utilita Arena watching the championship action, schools travelled to the Nechells Wellbeing Centre where the Shuttle Stars Festival took place. The afternoon session was packed with fun, skill-based activities designed to develop coordination, reactions and racket skills, giving many children their first taste of badminton.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the schools that took part and supported the event. Your enthusiasm, encouragement and commitment to providing new sporting opportunities for young people made the festival a real success.
A special thank you must also go to the incredible Young Leaders, from secondary schools and local colleges, who helped deliver the activities on the day. Their energy, organisation and support ensured every child felt welcome and confident to get involved, while also demonstrating the positive role young volunteers play in inspiring others.
Our sincere thanks go to Badminton England for hosting schools events such as this. Connecting community participation with one of the sport’s most iconic events, they created a truly memorable experience for everyone involved and helped spark a love of badminton. To find out more information about how your school could be involved in Shuttle Stars, click here.