I'm new to badminton in Galway and I'm looking for a club. Where do I start?

Check out the clubs page to get a list of the registered clubs in Galway for the current season. There should be contact details and hall locations there for most clubs. If there is information missing, send a mail to the County address (gcba@irishbadminton.com) and we'll do our best to help.

When you find your nearest club, just head along to their next training night - most clubs are welcoming towards beginners.

If there is no registered club near to where you live in Galway, make local inquiries around the community. Some clubs choose not to register with the County but there may still be badminton played in the area. If there's a badminton hall nearby, there's a good chance there are players using it.

Why register my club/players with BI?

Registering with Badminton Ireland provides you with insurance cover when playing in any badminton hall in Ireland. In addition, you must be registered to play in any County, Provincial or National competition.

How to register with BI?

Registration with BI is separate to County registration and must be performed by every club wishing to register with the County. Registration forms can be obtained from Badminton Ireland (visit their website for contact details). Clubs can also register online using the FixturesLive functionality on the BI website. This provides management features for player registration on a season-by-season basis.

How much is BI registration?

The club registration fee is €25 in the 2009/2010 season, and €19 for each competitive adult player.

Why register my club/players with the County?

The Galway County Association runs a mixed league and various other tournaments throughout the year. If your club wishes to participate in any of these events the club and players must be registered with the County.

How to register with the County?

The main County registration takes place every year at the start of October. A committee meeting is convened and is attended by representatives from each club. The mixed league starts a week or two afterwards. Typically, all clubs will register at this meeting, stating what league teams they wish to enter and what players they wish to register with the County. Players can be registered at any time throughout the year in order to play in County competitions. However, a player must be on the Badminton Ireland registered list by 31st December or they will not be eligible to play in the Connacht or All-Ireland league finals, should the league team progress that far.

How much is County registration?

Club registration is €30. League teams are €40 each. Adult players are €8 each. These fees are paid at the main registration meeting at the start of October, and should be paid by club cheque. Additional players may be registered at any time throughout the season.

Where does the County registration money go?

County income comes from three main sources: Registration fees; County Championship entry fees; Sponsorship. The fees for the Championships go towards the shuttles, prizes and hall rental, but usually these tournaments just about break even. Any deficit is made up with the registration fees, which make up over half the total yearly income. The rest is spent on:

• Shuttles for league finals.
• Prizes for the league winners and runners-up of each division.
• Hall rental for the league finals.
• County team entry fees, apparel and shuttles.
• Coaching fees (the County covers two coaching visits in the year to each registered club).
• PRO expenses: Website, printed calendar, end of season booklet, signage for league finals.

How are players graded within the County?

The Badminton Ireland development officer, Tommy Hehir, will visit new clubs and provide guidance on the grade at which their players should register. More experienced clubs are expected to register their players at approximately the correct grade. Experienced players that are from outside the County and are of unknown skill level should declare to their County representative in their club of previous playing experience. The County rep should then bring this information to the County board for examination.

In addition, there exists a grading sub-committee that consists of members of the County board. Any grading issues throughout the year are dealt with by this sub-committee and registered players must abide by any decisions made. This committee also handles any re-grading requests, which must be sent in at the start of the season before the main registration meeting takes place. Re-grading applies to players who feel they are playing in too strong a division and wish to be allowed to register at a lower skill level. Re-grading typically applies to players who won a league division with their club - and so are automatically promoted for the next season. If they feel they are not strong enough to play at the higher level, they should apply for re-grading via their County rep. This can also apply to players who were used as a substitute in a higher division team within their club. If they subbed more than three times they are automatically and immediately upgraded to that division and may no longer play with a lower division team. Note also that a player who subbed even once for a team that wins a division is upgraded with the rest of the team at the end of the season.

How can a player apply to be re-graded to a weaker division?

The player should inform their County representative. The rep should fill out a re-grading form that is distributed to clubs before the registration meeting each season. The rep then sends the re-grading form to the County Secretary for processing by the re-grading sub-committee.

Does County grading match exactly with Connacht / BI?

No. Galway County runs a mixed league for six divisions. We call these divisions, "Division 1" through to "Division 6". However, the winners of each Galway division drops a division when playing at a Connacht or All-Ireland level. Galway division 1 plays in Connacht division 2, etc.

Furthermore, Connacht / All-Ireland divisions are from division 1 to 6. Galway division 5 plays in Connacht division 6, and so as a result Galway division 6 does not progress to Connacht / All-Ireland, since there is no division 7 at this level.

What tournaments does the County run throughout the year?

The County runs a mixed league at six skill levels / divisions. In addition, the County Championships are tournaments covering Doubles, Mixed and Singles disciplines. These are held on various nights throughout the year - see the calendar for details.

What format is the mixed league?

A league team for any given match must have 3 or 4 men and 3 or 4 women. A player can play in at most two games, but may not play in two mixed games (with the exception of division 6). Each league game consists of a mens singles, ladies singles, mens doubles, ladies doubles, and three mixed games. Division 6 uses a different format - singles are omitted, and so the games are a mens doubles, ladies doubles, and four mixed games.

What format are the County championships?

In recent years these tournaments are played in a round robin format. For example, if a player enters division 3 mens singles, they will be playing in a group against four or five other players. Each match is one set to 21 with no setting, and the winner of the group is the player with the most points (not necessarily the player with the most wins!). The group stage is completed in one night and the winner and runner-up play against each other in a final that is generally held on one of the following two weekends. All finals across all divisions are held on the same night - this can generate quite an atmosphere when club-mates and friends come to support the finalists!

What facilities do the County provide to help new clubs?

The County will pay for two coaching sessions each season for every registered club, should they wish to avail of it. We can also help clubs with capital expenditure or equipment purchases, but this is on a case-by-case basis. Clubs should contact the County email address at: gcba@irishbadminton.com