Badminton User Survey Results 2023 – a summary.

Many thanks to everyone who completed the Badminton User Survey in October and November.  Approximately 60% of members replied alongside invaluable feedback from non-members. We received just under 50 replies which gives us a good flavour of the matters which are of interest to our users.

Availability

90% of respondents played at least once a week with 56% playing twice or more.  57% found that court availability was not sufficient for their needs and a feeling that our winter opening makes it more difficult to access courts as required.

Sessions

We are pleased that the satisfaction with organised sessions was generally positive and felt to be good value for money albeit we note that club nights and organised sessions were felt to be oversubscribed at times.  Helpful suggestions were made about our booking systems, how best demand could be managed and there was general support for a modest shuttle charge to cover costs on club nights.

For those who play in the league, the autumn training session was well received with further suggestions on possible improvements next year.

We noted the need to ensure that all of our sessions are welcoming and friendly and that the behaviours of all participants are appropriate.

Facilities

The overriding perception of our facilities and staff/volunteers was good and we have noted the comments made about occasional car parking problems, desired improvements to the mats, the nets, the shuttles, the lighting and seating.

Other

Some great suggestions for future improvements were made about completion of our bar/café, expanded junior sessions, expanded coaching options (for beginners, intermediate and advanced players) a possible internal ladder/competition system for players and equipment improvements.

Our Next Steps

We are keen to continue the exciting growth of badminton.  Long term and 12 month plans of action are being finalised as we speak which will be informed by the feedback received.  Whilst we are always likely to be constrained by financial considerations, we are reviewing the court availability and hope to increase availability next year.  We are developing our workforce (including our invaluable volunteers) to ensure we have greater coaching capacity in the future to implement our plans which will include expanding our junior sessions, developing a coherent coaching pathway and instigating additional No Strings sessions.  We will be liaising with volunteers and players on the best club play formats. We are about to place an order for two new court mats following a successful bid for funds to Sports England and will be investing in new nets and equipment.  Overall, we aim to communicate effectively with everyone on what ARC is about and how badminton can continue to develop as part of a thriving community centre. We welcome your feedback at any time.