We regret to inform our clubs and our members that we have taken the decision to cancel the league for the 2020/21 season. While we have continued to remain optimistic about a potential return to competitive play this season, the current trend of the pandemic makes this very unlikely until the beginning of next year at the earliest. We are keen to give our clubs and members the clarity to allow them to plan their club nights without the added complication of scheduling potential matches.
The health and wellbeing of players in our clubs are, and will always be, our number one priority. We strive to provide a safe and welcoming environment for anyone who wishes to take part in competitive and social badminton.
There are a number of reasons as to why we came to our decision, mainly:
- The uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and what it means for all of us in our day-to-day lives and the health, safety and wellbeing of our players.
- The inability to host doubles matches and the number of people required from each team to play in a match — ensuring we follow guidelines from our governing body, Badminton Scotland.
- The lack of availability of club halls and facilities, and lack of leisure centres with badminton courts available as most have been taken over for exercise classes and gym equipment.
We would encourage our clubs to continue to keep in touch with their members and, when able to do so, continue their club nights by following the guidance from Badminton Scotland. We would also encourage club members to reach out to one another across our clubs, book a court for a couple of games, follow the guidance, all in an effort to keep the social elements of our league alive during our pandemic pause.
This has not been an easy decision to make. We had been hoping for a positive outcome particularly following a large number of new individuals who have been in touch looking to join a competitive league since lockdown began. We would encourage any new interested members to contact our clubs and ask about their return.
We hope as the pandemic and restrictions begin to ease, that we can introduce some friendly matches between our clubs and potentially a few competitive and just for fun tournaments (one currently codenamed “The Battle of Langside”… watch this space!). We are looking in to plans for all of these activities, and also considering starting up an “open club night” for Langside members every Sunday afternoon between 3pm and 5pm. We don’t expect any of these activities to be possible until the beginning of 2021 at the earliest.
We’ll continue to follow the guidance from Badminton Scotland and keep you updated with news, including when our clubs begin to restart.
We’d like to thank you for your continued support, and wish you all the very best in good health and good spirits.
Claire, Stephen and Keegan.