Badminton Ireland today announced the creation of a new High Performance system to strengthen the development of Irish elite badminton.

Badminton Ireland currently has 5 full-time professional players assigned to the Centre

1. Scott Evans (21) - National Rank 1 Singles
2. Chloe Magee (19) - National Rank 1 Singles and Doubles
3. Alexander Sim  (21)- National Rank 2 Singles
4. Matthew Gleave (22) - National Rank 1 Doubles
5. Sam Magee (18) - National Rank 2 Doubles

The National High Performance Centre will be supported by satellite High Performance Centres in Ireland.

Players within the High Performance centre are subject to rigorous training, development and competitive regime designed to progress them to the highest international standard. Badminton Ireland expects the highest standards of commitment and dedication from the players all of whom are subject to continual review and direction from the High Performance Panel.

High Performance Coach Jim Laugesen

" The High Performance Centre at Gentofte demands the highest possible level of input by the players and neither I or Badminton Ireland will accept anything less than 100% effort in our firm commitment to increase the standard of Irish elite badminton"

HPP member Gordon Sim

"Badminton Ireland have recognised that they owe it to their players to offer them the best opportunities that we can within our means and ability. This has demanded and will continue to demand a quantum leap in our thinking.

If we expect our youngsters to continue to build upon the performance example of Scott Evans and Chloe Magee we have to put in place systems and structures to enable this to happen.

We have recognised that it takes 10,000 hrs of badminton to create player capable of competing at the top level and that it will take over 6 years to produce a competent European senior player from the start point of a competent European junior level. We will only see the best of our players in their mid to late twenties and therefore we need to have a structure in place that recognises this.

For Ireland to be competitive and win medals at top-level competition will require years of dedication and a change in mindset regarding the training and preparation of our young athletes.

Our first step has been the establishment of the HPC at Gentofte following on from the model set by other countries intent on sporting excellence whereby you place your top performing athletes in the best environment to build success. Denmark is without peer as base within Europe and our players have access to the highest levels of coaching and support on a daily basis plus they are all contracted to play Danish elite team badminton ensuring the highest standard of competition.

Unlike our neighbours in Scotland and England we do not currently have the millions of euro required to build and fund our own National Academy therefore this must currently remain an aspiration rather than a reality.

We are looking at the best we can do now within current financial and resource constraints.

This brings me onto the system back home in Ireland and the legitimate question of how we support those players who due to employment, academic or personal circumstances are not able to avail of the facilities in Denmark or who are developing themselves to challenge for places at the HPC.

The High Performance panel has decided to follow the example set by the Ulster Branch of Badminton Ireland and facilitate the establishment of Satellite High Performance Centres in Ireland.

The current High Performance Centre in Lisburn provides daily training before and after school for a selected group of players under the control and direction of Leslie Dewart. It is no accident that the first batch of BI World Class Potential Players has come from this background.

The challenge now is to replicate this system in other parts of Ireland.

The first objective is to set up a satellite High Performance Centre in Dublin and the HPP will be meeting shortly with Leinster Branch in order to establish this centre, which will work under the daily direction of Dan Magee supported and assisted by the National High Performance Coach and the HPP.

The need to establish additional HPCs will be addressed along with the relevant branches as the reality is that we have highly talented and potential World Class candidates training under their own steam in Sligo, Donegal and other locations remote from the main population centres. Badminton Ireland and the HPP firmly recognises their obligations to provide the best possible support to these players and will work assiduously to ensure that disadvantages are minimised.

Likewise it is important that the HPP communicate the message that there are no favourite or special players and everyone will be encouraged to be the best they can be. It is not in the national interest that potential is unrealized.

For those players who for a variety of reasons are based at home the HPP will provide the best quality of High Performance training that it can within it's capabilities and with the support of the branches and all people of goodwill.

It is worth emphasising that the National Centre in Denmark is a HPP resource and that home based players will be rotated through the facility for assessment and development purposes.

During the summer months selected HP players will be seconded to the national centre for developmental and training purposes.

The training structure for players has been reviewed and substantial changes will be brought into place to bring home-based players in line with the full-time professional players.

Players selected for HP training will become members of Team Ireland and will be required to sign the BWF and Team Ireland player contract.

Specific undertakings will be required in respect of training commitments and full disciplinary authority will lie with High Performance panel and the national coaching staff.

There will be progressive fitness testing with benchmark standards and players will be expected to show commitment and progression or they will be removed from the programme.

The HPP has developed a transparent selection criterion for teams (including an appeals process) and will work along with the branches to refine and develop the tournament programme. It is the expectation of the HPP that all our HP players (including the Danish based players) will compete in Irish tournaments subject to specific criteria. If any HP player is not competing in a designated tournament then it will be evident to all why this is the case.

The HPP will act as a funding centre for elite badminton development and will work hand in hand with the Irish Sports Council and Sport Northern Ireland in order to ensure that funding opportunities are maximized.

We have just bought into place a World Class Performance Programme for our most gifted young athletes. We are currently working in conjunction with our new talent identification criteria in order to develop the programme to include U13 players and we have already identified children with strong potential for future World Class performance.

We are also working with third-level academic institutions to enable our young athletes to complete degree studies in a modular form while operating within a full-time training environment abroad.

The HPP has also taken on the remit for elite coach development and we must endeavour to develop and produce the very best coaches we can in-country. To this end we will be embarking on a structured programme of coaching development with the objective of achieving the highest possible level of  ability.

Badminton Ireland has set out their stall regarding performance badminton and its future development and we now seek the support and encouragement of the entire badminton community, as our players and coaches deserve nothing less!"