Badminton tournament kicks off in Gauteng
The league consists of four teams who play a round of six matches each. The league will then conclude in November.
The Shuttle Stars Badminton Power League (SSBPL) got off to a thrilling start with the first round of matches at John Barrable Hall on May 10.
Top senior and junior shuttlers from Gauteng led the way with top-tier badminton action.
The competition featured four teams divided into three leagues, with teams of three boys and three. girls playing in singles, doubles and mixed doubles competition, as well as a triple (three vs three) match.
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Each team plays each other twice for a total of six matches over the course of the season, which ends in November, when the winners of each league will be crowned.
At the end of day one, the Royal Falcons and Lion Legends sit on four points in the A-League. The Lion Legends B side tops the standings in the B-League with four points, while the Viper Smashes B team is second on three points.
It was a good day for the Lion Legends as its reserve team ended the fixtures top of the log in the reserves league with eight points. The Royal Falcons are two points adrift of the log leaders.
The SSBPL convenor, Dillan Schaap, said the competition seeks to build and prepare players for their regional and national tournaments and also offers youngsters an opportunity to compete against elite national team players.
“We want to build a more dynamic experience for the public and add something that people can come watch and support on weekends.
“We also want to build stronger ties to the community and development structures for grassroots players to start competing earlier and help them transition to the national circuit tournaments as well,” he said.
The national team coach first thought of a badminton league after the launch of his Shuttle Stars Badminton Academy in 2022, but it was delayed by several logistical challenges.
Rather than launching a fully-fledged league targeting the top players around the country, which would have been a logistical nightmare, Schaap figured it would be best to start small with a group of competitive players from Gauteng.
“I just needed to find four managers to manage each team and then create an A/B/C breakdown.
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“It was much easier to manage the logistics. Now players just had to enter, and would be placed in the four franchise clubs.
“We have built this around competitive juniors and seniors and have brought in some retired high-profile players. This is to help guide and build the younger players.”
Schaap added that the league will help with the development of the sport in the country and is looking for sponsorship and media partners to help with exposure and live streaming of matches.
To help, contact Schaap on 076 624 0614 for more info.
