Ardrahan Badminton Club was re-established after over 20 years in September 2008.

A few of us enthusiasts decided to send the word around to see if there was sufficient interest locally. We put up a notice in the local schools and in the old reliable church newsletter. Thankfully, the initial response was encouraging and the club was registered (many thanks to Adrian Furey and all at Galway Badminton for all their help in getting us up and running!).

There were a few hiccups at the start - like having to learn the art of line painting after our hall floor was re-varnished and of course using a twenty year old rule book as a guide (and yes the rules have changed!), but thanks to a coaching session from Tommy Hehir we were back on target, and steadily increasing our membership. With a current membership of 21, players attend on both a competitive and non-competitive level.

Our success in as Division 6 Champions this year as well as wins in both Divison 6 mixed doubles and ladies doubles championships competitions this season is a credit to our players and club, and has given us great enthusiasm to strive for more success next season.

Our club night is Thursday 7:30 Pm in the Loughnane-Quinn Memorial Hall, Labane. This is with a view to extending it to 2 nights per week next season.

 

We are currently recruiting players of all standards. We plan to have a Division 5 and a Division 6 (beginners) team this year. We also cater for members who do not wish to play competitively.

Badminton is a wonderful sport – for beginners and experts alike. A few of our members had never held a racket before, but after a few weeks of practice they were smashing and dropping like a pro (and sometimes getting it over the net too!). Setting up most other types of sports clubs can be difficult unless there is a significant number of experienced players – not so with badminton, anyone can join and enjoy playing from day 1 regardless of their level of experience. Not to mention the social aspect – the cups of tea and biscuits and of course catching up on the local gossip.