Wyvern Dragons Badminton Club

Welcome

Wyvern Dragons is a successful badminton club based in Fair Oak near Eastleigh in Hampshire. We were founded in 1999 and currently have over 70 members.

We try to bring a mix of competition and fun to our badminton. We like to compete and have a team in the local league, but we also like to socialise too. Every year we hold a range of events designed to bring the members together.

We have a good standard of play and we welcome experienced players to join us. However, we are open to all standards as we have an excellent coaching team. Prospective new members can come and play for free for the first week whilst we assess you (and you assess us). We have a wide range of contacts within the local badminton community to help us find the playing solution that works for you.

We are a friendly club so don’t be shy. Chat to one of our team members – details are on the contact page. We look forward to seeing you at club night.

Further Information

The club runs a 3-term system. The terms last 12, 14 and 14 weeks; a total of 40 weeks play during the year. The terms generally coincide with local school holidays but this can vary due to school exams; the club usually shuts for about 6 weeks during the exam period (June/July time). For further details contact the treasurer or secretary via the contacts page.

We run 4 sessions in two separate locations!

Beginners Group (Children)

We run a beginner’s group for youngsters. The age range depends on ability but is usually between 8 to 13. This takes place at the every Friday starting at 18:00. It is held at the Deer Park Secondary School just outside of Hedge End.  Deer Park is a new school opposite Hilliers Garden Centre, situated in Sika Avenue, SO30 2HT.

The session lasts an hour and is delivered by experienced level 2 coaches supported by a level 1 assistant coach. Players progress to our second group based on assessments made by the coaching staff.

The other groups take place at Wyvern Technology College, Botley Road, Fair Oak, Eastleigh SO50 7AN. They are:

Intermediate Group (Children)

We run an intermediate group for youngsters starting at 19:00. The age range depends on ability but is usually between 13 to 18. The session lasts an hour and is delivered by two experienced level 2 coaches supported by a level 1 assistant coach. Players progress to our transition group based on assessments made by the coaching staff.

Transition Group (Young Adults)

This group is a preparatory session to integrate developing players into club badminton. It starts at 19:30 and continues into the first part of the adult session to allow the developing players to play against adult members.

Club Badminton (Adults)

Club night starts at 20:00 and ends at 22:00. We play mixed and level doubles with games selected randomly. The level of play varies but is typically at an intermediate level. We have a current league team and players are encouraged to take part.

Meet the Coaches 

James Knott, Head Youth Coach

I started out as a youth player as a 12 year old, back when the club was founded. I have had some fantastic coaches to learn from along the way including Andy Page, Sunil Bali and Les Willson. I broke into the adult group aged 17 and have gone to to represent the club in local leagues and competitions.

Since then the club has supported me in achieving both my Level 1 and Level 2 Badminton England coaching qualifications and I've been Head Youth Coach since 2010, coaching players to go on and represent Hampshire at various levels.

The whole club culture is focused on developing and progressing youth players to be integrated into the adult session and ultimately represent the club in the local leagues. We also have a clear focus on developing some of our talented players into some of the best coaches in Hampshire, qualified at Level 1 and 2.

Sunil Bali, Head Coach