About Us

Kerry Badminton Association was founded in KPH Hall, Nelson Street, (Now Ashe Street) on November 4th 1936 with eight clubs joiing that night – Kerry Protestant Hall, Kenmare, Tralee, Dingle, TCLS, Killarney, Listowel and Caherciveen clubs. The first officers that were elected on that night were: Chairman, Mr Archie Waterstone; Hon Secretary, Mrs Bessie Waterstone, and Hon Treasurer, Mrs J Counihan, all of Tralee.

The first juvenile and adult competitions were held that weekend, Saturday & Sunday, November 5th & 6th 1936 in Tralee.

Currently there are eight Senior (Adult) clubs in Kerry – Annascaul Badminton Club, Ballybunion Badminton Club, Ballyheigue Badminton Club, Iveragh Badminton Club, Killarney Badminton Club, Kingdom (Castleisland) Badminton Club, Listowel Badminton Club and Moyvane Badminton Club. Tralee was once home to four Senior clubs and it is hopeful that a Senior club will be established over the next while. Badminton among kids is popular and as a result there are ten juvenile clubs in Kerry which include all of the above (with exception of Ballybunion) along with Abbeydorney Badminton Club, Milltown Badminton Club and Tralee Badminton Club. There are currently over 350+ Senior Members and 470+ Juvenile’s members affiliated with Kerry Badminton Association.

During the badminton calendar year which generally runs from September to May, Kerry Badminton Association has over 18 individual competitions for both juveniles and seniors/ adults. During the season also, ladies, men and mixed leagues take place. Munster and All Irelands also take place.

Badminton Ireland (formally the Badminton Union of Ireland) is the National Governing Body for Badminton clubs and leagues in Ireland and Northern Ireland. As of January 2019, there are more than 16,000 registered players. One of the oldest badminton tournaments in Ireland is the Irish Open which started in 1902 and continues to this day where recent years of the competition have been televised.

Did you know?

  • A badminton court should be 6.1m wide by 13.4m long
  • A badminton court’s lines are typically 38mm thick
  • The net should be 1.55m high at the poles, but it should be lower in the middle – 1.52m
  • The laws of badminton don’t specify a minimum ceiling height for a court. Ideally the ceiling should be high enough so that clears and high serves won’t be restricted
  • Most badminton racquets weigh between 70 and 95 grams before strings or grips are added
  • Shuttlecocks were traditionally made from feathers that are gathered from the left wing of a goose. It takes about 16 feathers to make the shuttlecock
  • Before badminton was called “badminton”, it was referred to as shuttlecock and battledore. The badminton name came from an estate called Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England
  • The international badminton federation was founded in 1934. There were nine initial members: Canada, Wales, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, England, New Zealand, France and Netherlands. Today there are 197 members.
  • Badminton made its Olympic debut at the 1992 games, and it was seen on television by over 1.1 billion people
  • Badminton ranks number two in the most popular participation sports In the world, behind soccer/ football.
  • The record for the worlds shortest badminton match is six minutes, between players Ra Kyung-min of South Korea and Julia Mann of England at the 1996 Uber Cup
  • The record for the longest badminton match is 124 minutes, between Peter Rasmussen of Denmark and Sun Jun of China, at the 1977 World Championships
  • Badminton is the fastest racquet sport in the world—shuttles can reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour
  • Badminton involves a lot of physical activity. Just by playing it for an hour, you’ll burn around 400-550 calories which are marked as the highest among all sports.
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