Welcome!
Welcome to St Brigid’s Badminton Club! We have produced this short guide in the hope that it will answer some of the questions you may have concerning the rules and regulations of the club. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to approach any of the Committee members listed at the end.
Playing
The club plays at Rathdown School in Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday and Thursday nights commencing at 7 pm and usually finishing at 10.30pm. We have the use of four courts each night except for two weeks in February when the school holds mock exams. Our club year runs from 1st April until 31st March the following year. We finish play at the end of May and usually recommence in September. We do not play during the summer.
Joining the club
Any new member wishing to join the club must complete a New Membership Form and must be proposed and seconded by existing members. The form must then be formally approved by the main committee at the next committee meeting. Once this has been approved you become an official member and we will affiliate you to the Badminton Union of Ireland. A formal membership card will be issued by the BUI to you in due course. All present members are experienced players and beginners may find it difficult to play to the Club standards. If you have some playing experience we offer the opportunity of playing for a limited number of nights for a nominal fee to see if you like the experience and also to give the club an opportunity to see you play. After at least three such nights we would expect you to decide if you wish to join. If your playing experience is not to the clubs expectation, we will inform you at that point.
Fees
Our club year runs from April to the following March. Our standard fee for this year is Euro 230. We offer discounts to students and partners. A deposit of at least euro 60 must be paid by the end of May, a further instalment in September and the fee paid in full by the end of November. Of course you can pay it all in one go!
Teams and club nights
Every year we enter teams in the Leinster leagues. Once you become a member you are eligible to put your name forward for a team depending on your standard. Teams are selected by a Selection Committee of seven members elected at the AGM each year. On club nights we play mens, ladies and mixed games which are timed to last 12 minutes. As the leagues start and our teams start to play matches, a court is allocated to the particular team for the night which can restrict play to three courts on occasion.
Etiquette
On club nights we have a relaxed attitude to what members may wear while on court. However, if you are representing our club on one of the teams we would expect that you would wear proper and appropriate sports attire. You will be expected to demonstrate courtesy towards other club members and opponents on every occasion. You will also be expected to help out the club by participating on board duty but this will only occur once you get to know the other members.
Committee members
Our existing committee is composed of our elected officers including:
| Chairperson | Gary Younger |
| Club Captain | Frank Cullinane |
| Secretary | Helen Shakespeare |
| Hon. Treasurer | Harry Lee |
| Asst. Treasurer | Miriam Edge |
| Match Secretary | Mary Lynch |
| Committee Members | Miriam Ní Chléirigh |
| Kieran McGovern | |
| Joe Mooney | |
| Dermot Forster | |
| Jackie Lambert | |
| Carmel O’Callaghan |
