The Edo Sports Commission and the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) recently (27 and 28 February 2025) held a two-day badminton training for games masters/mistresses in Uzarue, in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The event, which was held at the premises of St Angelas Girls Grammar School Uzarue, was attended by 21 teachers and 84 students from 21 secondary schools in Etsako land, as well as secondary schools from Igarra, Afuze and Ikpeshi.
The unique thing about this grassroots badminton training is that it provides teachers and students the opportunity to learn the basics of a sport together at the same time.
The training involved the theoretical aspect of the game and, more importantly, the practical area of badminton.
The training was conducted by three qualified “Shuttle Time” trainers, Godswill Afejika, Olalekan, Fajimiyo, and Blessing Osayomwanbo. The trainees were taught shaped grip and the thumb grip. There was also court work with balloons.
Balloons were used for services and smashing drills. On the second day of the training event, the three trainers held a session with the game masters/mistresses. This was followed by a session with the students.
The game masters/mistresses were taught the technical aspect of badminton, which involves officiating, rules of the game, safeguarding, and the roles of the game masters/mistress in developing the game in their various schools.
The students had their practical session on basic badminton grips, strokes, footwork and the rules of the games with the use of balloons.
The training event, which was bankrolled by the Edo State Sports Commission with the technical support of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), was powered by the CSED (Community Sport and Educational Development) Initiative.
The event is a reflection of what can be achieved at the grassroots level if government agencies (education, sport and health), sporting federations/associations and the third sector (NGOs and private individuals) collaborate to share knowledge and resources to use access to sports to build the capacity of teachers and students.
At the end of the training event, free basic badminton equipment (nets, rackets and shuttlecocks) was distributed to the 21 schools to support the learning and practising of the students and their teachers in their various schools.
Since the current Board Members of the BFN assumed office, they have worked hard to attract the support of different organisations and sponsors in their attempt to attract new and young players to the game of badminton.
This they have done by organizing “Shuttle Time” training as well as “badminton outreach training in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, through the BFN partnership with CSED Initiative.
It is hoped that other sports federations would emulate the grassroots developmental effort of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, which has also taken the game to at-risk groups (IDPs and asylum seekers) in Nigeria.