Yeovil Badminton Membership are making large strides to beat the gender disparity in age group badminton of their space with a brand new initiative.
The membership have arrange a brand new ‘Ladies Solely’ badminton session for ladies underneath 13 to offer a extra snug area to study the game.
Whereas there had beforehand been a scarcity of women taking on badminton in Yeovil, the membership’s part-funded classes have given them a recent impetus to take up the game in a secure area.
It has allowed younger women to seek out their very own enjoyment from the game away from the efficiency of gender roles that may typically be the case in combined classes.
“We get a whole lot of women coming in however they don’t really feel snug taking part in with boys. They get overawed and you’ll see they wish to do it however they don’t really feel they’ll compete,” mentioned head coach Jane Lipton.
“I used to be studying about Sport England and the way women solely classes assist promote self-confidence, so I simply determined that I’ll give it a go.
“Final 12 months we put in for the funding and we’ve been working it for a 12 months. It’s been actually good. The women take pleasure in it, they’ve blossomed and you’ll see they’re extra assured in what they do.
“It’s now getting them to the purpose the place they exit and compete if that’s what they wish to do. They don’t all the time wish to however that’s what we’re attempting to get them to do, giving them abilities after which attempting to see if they’ll use them.”
Whereas the classes have been set-up to allow participation in a much less aggressive ambiance with a extra co-operative ethos, as the ladies’ confidence has grown their very own aggressive streaks have additionally been allowed to flourish.
The women, together with their new discovered confidence, have been taken to an exterior session in the summertime the place they have been taking part in with boys aged 10 to 16.
They quickly realised they have been capable of hit the shuttle higher than among the boys and took to the courts able to problem for a win.
It was right here their competitiveness shone by way of, as whereas each side have been vulnerable to errors in scoring, it was the ladies who proved the most important sticklers for correcting their opposition.
Lipton added: “The women classes began off as under-13s however there was a gaggle of older youngsters who mentioned they wished to have an area as nicely.
“The instances now we have after we do the junior golf equipment is dominated by boys so the older women determined to come back and take part and that’s made it a bit extra fascinating for them and a bit extra aggressive for them as nicely as a result of the older women can hit it a bit extra.
“Ladies wish to study the talents. Boys will simply hit issues and run round. They only wish to do it and hit it however the women truly wish to know hit it and hit it higher so that they’re extra skill-oriented.
“The women simply want that little bit extra time they usually don’t wish to be rushed in the identical manner.
“When boys play video games, they like aggressive video games and the ladies love to do a little bit of studying after which attempt to get to make use of it in a match or a rally as a result of they’re extra concerned with creating abilities than simply working round.”
The classes present that discovering the proper surroundings is the important thing to permitting any participant to seek out their confidence on courtroom, and Yeovil’s dedication to making sure everybody can entry this has allowed women within the space to fall in love with sport.
Yeovil Badminton Membership are actually hoping to run a Ladies’ Badminton Pageant to recruit extra youngsters to their classes and provide an opportunity for present members to point out off their new discovered abilities and confidence.
