Bradford College Reaches National Badminton Championship

Bradford College is celebrating after winning the Yorkshire Colleges Badminton Championships held at Hull University. 

The badminton team fought off fierce competition after gruelling matches against reigning champions in the quarter-finals and Greenhead College in the semi-final. After a close contest, Saqib Ali took Bradford College to victory in the final against Wyke College, Hull.

Colleges from Yorkshire compete, hoping for the chance to represent the county in the National Championships to be held at Nottingham University in April. In 2019, Bradford qualified for the first time, only for the pandemic to halt events.

Farook Khan, Bradford College Sport Lecturer and Racket Sports Coach, said:
“Having the national competition cancelled in 2020 was a bitter blow, but qualifying again, I am really proud of the players who turned up for the badminton enrichment sessions at College to improve their skills. The real hard work starts now as we work towards competing against other counties in April.”

Nick Scaife, Student Services Manager and lead on the Enrichment Initiative at Bradford College, said:

“The commitment and dedication shown by the students who attend and complete racket sports enrichment has been fantastic. Students have completed 40 hours of enrichment sessions prior to the regional championships which provided an opportunity to develop their skills under the guidance of our racket sports enrichment tutor Farook Khan. 

“Winning the regional championship was an outstanding achievement and reinforces the importance of our enrichment programme and the opportunities it provides students from every area at Bradford College. “ Racket sports is a key focus for enrichment activities this term. Students will be able to experience Padel Tennis and Pickleball at various venues around West Yorkshire.