October Hey Fever

Hello from Darwin. Many thanks to Badminton NT for hosting me over the last week and organising meetings with their members, stakeholders, and possibly new partners. They have been busy with coaching courses, radio talk shows and garnering support through their local government, sport institutes, media, businesses, schools for a whole range of activities. In case you missed it, here are some highlights and news from my desk:

1) Need help on the information highway? Here's a useful social media toolkit for your Members/Clubs thanks to Play By The Rules. Learn about how social media helps, its issues, and implement policies/guidelines for use.

2) Aside from CPI changes, did you know that regardless of your State/Territory Membership numbers, your BA Affiliation fee remains fixed? Do you have multiple types of Membership Affiliation tiers that could attract people to the sport, support various structures and yet capture them all as Members (eg. Competitive, Social, University, School, Commercial, Community)? Food for thought to differentiate ourselves and provide attractive offers to the market as we go into the new year and new season of badminton - ie. look for new and diverse participants in the sport, rather than tire out our existing ones...

3) Coaching Insurance is a hot topic and a common misconception within the badminton community. Accredited and qualified coaches engaged by Badminton Australia, its State/Territory Members Associations and their member Associations & Clubs, are covered under the National insurance policy for public liability and professional indemnity insurance as stated in the certificate of currency. Any Member coaches who undertake private/professional coaching outside of State/Territory Member appointed activities should apply to Marsh Advantage Insurance for group-discounted individual cover. Application form here.

4) Upcoming participation programs and events: Badminton ACT hosts a Shuttle Time workshop on 24 Oct. Badminton QLD hosts a Level 1 Coaching course on 19 Oct. Please inform BA of upcoming participation programs and events in your States/Territories.

5) In other news: Aim For The Stars Parents say what? Stay Young

Regards,

Marianne Loh

Participation Manager

Badminton Australia