Events - The Badminton Museum CIO

Behind the Scenes – with the Yonex Stringing Team

Mel Wyatt — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:56:08 +0000

In 1994 the Yonex All-England Championships packed up its bags and moved from its traditional home at Wembley Arena to its new base at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, which had hosted the World Championships the previous year.

As part of the makeover Yonex wanted to promote and develop its range of strings and so invited stringers from some of its UK accounts to come to Birmingham and provide a racket stringing service for the players.

I was fortunate enough to be one of those stringers and I have remained part of the Yonex All-England team ever since.

Initially all the stringers had to bring their own machines which resulted in an interesting array of mainly crank machines, including a table top version which its owner, Dave Stepney, mounted on a Black and Decker workmate!

Back then there was a qualifying event held at Watford Leisure Centre and so on the last day of the qualifying competition we would transport our machines to Birmingham and set up in one corner of the arena floor, next to Geoff Hinder and the shuttlecock control desk.

Being on the arena floor was great from the point of view that we were very visible to all the spectators, but we ran a constant battle with the management committee to get more light into the stringing area – something that is very important when you are spending 10-12 hours a day trying to pass a 0.7mm string through 1.2mm holes!

How the stringing machines have changed!

The process was, and to some extent remains, very simple in that a player brings his or her rackets to the string service desk, fills out a form saying what string and tension they require and then leaves them with us to get the job done.

Having also worked at some tennis events there is an interesting comparison with how the service works for both sports. In tennis most players have a number of rackets strung prior to each match, whereas in badminton players will tend to have their rackets strung at the start of the event, but not necessarily (with one or two exceptions) for each match thereafter, unless of course they break any strings, which, with the tensions they are using, is quite often.

So generally we are very busy at the start of events – we will regularly get two-thirds of the total number rackets we receive, handed to us during the practice days, before the first match has even gone on court.

Minoru Yoneyama visits the stringing zone

The first event we worked at other than the Yonex All-England was the World Championships in Glasgow in 1997.

At the All-England back then we started the week with six stringers, in Glasgow we discovered we only had three, and this was at a time when the World Championships were combined with the Sudirman Cup over a two week period, so there were many more players and very soon we were engulfed with rackets and did not know which way to turn or which rackets to do next.

Somehow (with some help from Denmark) we survived, but it prompted a change in the way we ran the service.

Initially it was just to number each worksheet and to use different coloured sheets each day so that we could see the order in which rackets had arrived and could therefore prioritise which rackets to do next.

As PCs and Windows came into more common usage a fairly basic spreadsheet was developed which over time has evolved into our current database which shows the numbers of rackets strung using each type of string, the number of each racket model we receive, the range of tensions being used and numerous other data fields.

The team in their current location at Arena Birmingham

Back at the Yonex All-England sometime in the teenage years of the twenty-first century, BWF decided to clear the arena floor of everything not directly involved with the matches being played and so the stringing team were moved up onto the concourse.

This meant that the spectators could see up close what we were doing and the tensions the players were using. The downside was that security became more of an issue as spectators, inevitably, wanted to touch and feel their favourite player’s racket, and we did not have the room to store them away from inquisitive hands. This lasted for a few years until we were moved again, this time down by the practice courts underneath the arena which is where we currently hang out each March.

It means we no longer have the exposure to the public, but it is a lot easier for players to drop off and collect rackets without the constant requests for photos or autographs.

Spectators are not the only autograph hunters!

Worldwide and away from the All England, the Yonex stringing team was increasingly being used at major events where Yonex were the sponsors.

In 2001 we were at the World Championships again, this time in Seville, in 2003 at the first stand a lone Sudirman Cup in Eindhoven and then in 2004, the big one, our first Olympic Games in Athens.

Tournaments in Asia became a regular thing – Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia – and along the way we recruited some of the best stringers in these countries into our merry band of brothers.

The International 'Family'

Following on from Athens three of us, Tim Willis, Andy Gudgeon and myself were offered contracts with Head Office in Tokyo, a move that enhanced the image and status of the Stringing Team.

Team shirts and tracksuits were introduced, a Stringing Team page appeared on the Yonex website and we started delivering stringing seminars, disseminating best practice to stringers around the world.

Much of the credit for this should go to Toshi Yuza, Yonex promotions manager, who we first met in Eindhoven and who championed the stringing team and was responsible for overseeing much of its development.

Stringing in progress

So what are the current trends? What are the players using? Well in terms of string popularity, the No1 is, and has been for some time, BG80.

More recent introductions into the range – Aerobite and Exbolt 65 are eating into BG80’s superiority, and these are currently the big three amongst the professional players.

Tensions range from the mid twenties, some of the Japanese ladies are as low as 23-25lbs, up to the low to mid thirties. One of the tightest has been the recently retired world no 1, Viktor Axelsen at 32 x 34lbs with a 10% pre-stretch.

Strung and ready to play

A word of warning to lesser mortals, Viktor’s perfect technique combined with his racket head speed enable him to benefit from these tensions. Also, he will have in excess of 250 restrings a year. If your average club player wants to use these tensions they will end up paying more for restrings, quite possibly damage their shoulder and all for no gain in performance.

Over the years there have been many highlights and many anecdotes that can wait for another time. We have strung for almost all of the World’s top players over the last 30 years, often at the most important moments of their careers.

We have received many thanks and compliments (mainly from those that won), but very few complaints. We have, and continue, to demonstrate the importance of good stringing, and good stringing technique, to all badminton players, from Olympic Champions to the most humble of beginners.

PS. Of the three contracted stringers, Andy Gudgeon tragically passed away in 2007. His work and enthusiasm set the seeds for many of the developments that have happened since.

Mark Lawrence, Yonex Stringing Team

The post Behind the Scenes – with the Yonex Stringing Team first appeared on The Badminton Museum CIO.

Behind the Scenes – Field Of Play Entry

Mel Wyatt — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:11:28 +0000

Overview
Field of Play Entry is a combination of the Final Warm Up Area (FWUA) and the walk out tunnel onto the field of play. This team plays a key role communicating between the athletes, technical officials and broadcast to ensure the coordination of all personnel, playing a crucial role in keeping the event to time.

The team coordinate the transition of players from the final warm up area to the field of play on time as smoothly as possible.

The FWUA has 2 courts and only players due on court are allowed access to the area. There is a separate physiotherapy area adjacent to the FWUA so players can have treatment before going onto court.The team have to be aware which players are in the final warm up area/physiotherapy area at any time. This can be 16 or more players at any one time. If a player is not in the final warm up area when the match prior to theirs is progressing to completion the team liaises with the Athlete Services Team to ask the players to come up to the Final Warm Up area from the warm up courts, which are 6 flights of stairs below.

Once the player enters FWUA the team keep track on them so we know where they are at all times to ensure that they are ready to walk onto the court at the appropriate time.

Once players are noted to be in attendance the team check the kit that players will be wearing on court to ensure that they are wearing different coloured clothing and if there is a potential clash issue, the team refer this onto the match Umpire to check.

A changing cubicle is provided in the FWUA so that players can change in private but quickly.

The FWUA is where players get into the zone ready for going onto court for their match and the team have to ensure that they are not disturbed unnecessarily - no press, photographers or members of the public. The team are sensitive to this and do not chat to players or distract them from their preparation.

The team communicate constantly with the athletes, technical officials, broadcast team and practice hall. Prior to a match going onto court the team have to ensure that both the players and technical officials (Umpire, service judge and line judges) are lined up ready and then liaise with the announcer, production team and TV floor manager so that everyone is ready at the same time for the match to go onto court.

The team has to maintain a clean, professional and safe working environment. With 100’s of players moving through the FWUA the team has to ensure that it is kept clean, that there is water available for players and that players are aware of progress on the match courts.

There is a results screen which players in the FWUA can see so they can check when they are likely to be required to go onto match courts.

The team assist in the organisation of the finals day presentation ceremonies, this includes the ceremony presenters, presentation party and medals and trophies to walk onto the field of play.

On finals day there are 6 members of the forces (army, navy and air force) who are part of the presentation party and they carry the medals and trophy onto the stage and escort the ceremony presenters.

Behind the scenes can be quite hectic with so many people lining up to go onto the stage for the presentations but we still need to keep things relaxed for those players yet to go onto court.

The winning player/s receive a medal each, the relevant trophy and a glass case with the winning shuttle in.

Players return to the FWUA after the match has completed and they have been to the media zone. It is one of the most rewarding things to see these young players having photographs, taken by their team mates, of them with their trophies..

Gaye Jackson, Field Of Play Entry Team Leader

The post Behind the Scenes – Field Of Play Entry first appeared on The Badminton Museum CIO.

Behind the Scenes – Athlete Services

Mel Wyatt — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:49:01 +0000

Athletes Services provides all the support to make the athletes’ and team officials’ time at the All England as easy and as comfortable as possible.

In recent years, the Sport & Leisure Centre has become much more than 7 or 8 practice courts. Yes, of course, practice is the key service but there is also a gym area, stringing service, space for team physios to work, prayer areas and a café/relaxation area supplied with food and drink and access to TVs and Score Boards to keep up to date with all the action going on upstairs. The action upstairs can sometimes feel a world away from our own contained world which provides the teams with much needed privacy to train and prepare/warm down and relax away from the fans.

As with other areas, work begins some time before the spectators are taking their seats in the Arena Bowl. Before even heading to Birmingham, the practice sessions for the first few days when the teams arrive are scheduled. Courts are available usually 2 – 3 days before the event actually starts. Once the event starts teams submit their requests on a daily basis for the following day. Teams can submit their requests for the number of courts they require and their preferred time & we try and match as best we can the request to the availability. However, we often end up with requests that add up to 17 courts required for 10am – 12 noon when in reality there are only 7! Thus, we have to divvy up the allocation ensuring that it is fair across the week. On the whole teams are very supportive and accept they will not always get their first choice slot. The day before the event starts, teams get access for a short hit in the main arena to familiarise themselves with the courts and lighting etc which also has to be scheduled pre event. Times allocated depend on the number of players in the main draw with everyone getting the same opportunity. Athletes’ Services volunteers ensure that the changeovers go smoothly and the courts are tidy and mopped and teams have their shuttle allocation.

Athletes’ Services volunteers are also responsible for ensuring that the gym is running smoothly and kept tidy as well as manning the café and keeping it stocked with the popular items. Bananas disappear at an incredible rate and other fruit is popular as may be expected but perhaps more surprising is the rate at which pot noodles disappear. We are also the key information centre for the teams, helping with and distributing information about the tournament, messages from the referee and tournament officials and answering wide ranging questions about the event and Birmingham. On one occasion we were asked to source kit for an entire team within 24 hours and there have been some even more bizarre & unpublishable requests!

On arrival at the event, teams collect their accreditation from the Athletes’ Services desk. We ensure that all the players have their accreditation and that team officials are correctly tagged and charged where appropriate. It is amazing how many team officials change between applying for the event and arriving at the venue and so there is usually a large number of new passes to be made or exchanged.

With the athlete's area being some distance from the main hall, we have to liaise with the entrance tunnel (to event courts) team to ensure that players are moving from the practice courts to the warm up courts behind the main arena in good time for their match – allowing for the time it takes the lift to make its way to the dungeon that is the sport & leisure centre. You can constantly hear radio traffic demanding the whereabouts of players & also asking what coloured kit they are wearing as opponents need to be in different colours.

As the players for the last of the Finals depart the area on Sunday it isn’t quite the end for the Athletes’ Services Team as some teams are still practicing ahead of their departure to the next tournament & the finalists are still wanting to warm down & debrief after the event. But soon the Field of Play team arrive to break down the area and Athletes Services can clear the area of people and leave the deriggers to it.

Lesley Owens, Athlete Services Team Leader

The post Behind the Scenes – Athlete Services first appeared on The Badminton Museum CIO.

Behind the Scenes – Field of Play Team

Mel Wyatt — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:26:30 +0000

It’s early March and you are walking into the arena bowl in Birmingham for the first day’s play of the Yonex All England.

Spread out in front of you are the 4 grey courts, the scoring systems, the advertising boards and all the court equipment.

It may well be day one for you and thousands of other fans, but for all the volunteers in the Field of Play team (FOP) it is already day 4 of our tournament. For us it starts on the previous Saturday when we join the Badminton England team in Milton Keynes to start loading the equipment needed for the biggest and best tournament in the world, and we are not talking about a few boxes; a typical load means 2 Luton box vans, probably a private car and a 40ft articulated wagon, everything to help the tournament run effectively.

This doesn’t include the court mats themselves which will be delivered from London by Yonex.

On arriving in the arena our first task is to sweep the sprung wooden floors that have been laid beforehand (to ensure no stray items remain, often finding nails and screws). Then it’s a matter of positioning the 4 competition mats ensuring they are central to the lighting rig and the TV camera locations, then zipping them together (3 long zips per court).

This is followed by placing out all the rest of the equipment, nets, posts, umpire chairs etc. When that is completed, we move into the back of house area to position and lay the 2 final warm up courts and security fencing before moving into the practice hall to check on the 7 mats there.The afternoon before competition starts is put aside for player practice so not a great deal for us to do, however the following morning (day 1 of the event) we need to get into the arena early to ensure that the court equipment is still in its correct place, and that the nets and service height measures are correct.

So, it may be day one for you as a spectator but for us we have had 3 days of quite physical work even before the actual competition starts.

Before play each day we sweep the court mats to get rid of accumulated dust from the court surface. This generally means we must be in the arena about 90 minutes before play. Once play starts our role is to ensure that everything on the arena floor is in the correct position, basically ensuring that the court mats are safe to play on. We are also tasked with making sure that players are escorted on and off court and be on hand should a court mat need to be re-zipped. Another role is to keep the courts supplied with sufficient shuttles.

As you are aware we start the event with 4 competition courts, then go down to 2 for the semi-final rounds and then down to one for the finals. This means quite possibly a late finish at the end of play the courts are unzipped, rolled, then removed into storage, plus any other equipment from those courts. We are all pleased that due to the new scoring system the days of 1:30am finishes, which were quite common, have ended.

In recent years, off site events have also been arranged by BE and BWF. Last year a court had to be laid at the University of Birmingham, this and similar events need to have FOP presence.

Finals day brings more of the same plus we are tasked with escorting the finalists from court to the medal podium and the winners back down through the arena after the presentation (a real highlight of the event).

Then as you all head your way home we begin the de-rig, rolling up the finals court plus the 2 warm up courts, removing all the court equipment and assist with clearing the event offices and concourse areas, not an easy process when you consider the size of the arena building, then load it all back into the 2 vans and the 40ft artic.

Finally it’s back to the NBC at Milton Keynes arriving around midnight and then home, thankfully we no longer have to unload the vehicles on arrival so the days of leaving the NBC at 2:30am are long gone.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the work that goes on behind the scenes at this wonderful event.

John Gurling, Field of Play Team Leader

The post Behind the Scenes – Field of Play Team first appeared on The Badminton Museum CIO.

The History of the All-England Badminton Championships

Geoff Hinder — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 16:15:41 +0000

The History of the All England Badminton Championships

The first Championships were played at the London Scottish Drill Hall in 1899 with only doubles played, singles being introduced the following year. The Championships would use three venues in London before settling at the Royal Horticultural Hall for 25 years. It was mainly dominated by English and Irish players for the first 35 Championships then gradually more players from overseas participated.

In 1947 when the tournament resumed after the Second World War it would be mainly Danish and Malaysian players winning the titles. Eventually the Championships settled at the Wembley Arena for its longest period of 37 years in one venue. The Championships now being sponsored by Yonex, would make its last move to the National Indoor Arena, now called Arena Birmingham.

In 1898 the Guildford Badminton Club organised the first ever open badminton tournament at Guildford, England, it was a one-day event with men's, ladies and mixed doubles being played. The first tournament at Guildford was such a success that the Badminton Association (England) decided to hold their own event and the following year, after much consideration it was decided to hold the first Championships on 4 April 1899 at the London Scottish Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, Westminster, London.

Again, the tournament was played on a single day with only doubles being played. The Drill Hall was conveniently close to the main railway stations, and was well lit, lofty with four courts, although the two end courts had balconies hanging over them.

The tournament was played on hourglass courts which are the normal size as we know them today but the width of the net was only 4.88m wide. The barrelled shuttle was used and the lines on the courts were chalked out on the morning of the tournament before play commenced and needed remarking during the day.

The Waist or Hour Glass court was used for the first three years of the All England.

In the second year of the All-England Championships they introduced men's and women’s singles and it was increased to a two-day event.

Ethel Thomson was the first All-England women’s singles champion, who like many top badminton players of the time was a good standard tennis player eventually becoming a Wimbledon tennis champion.

The first men's singles champion was Sidney Smith again a good standard tennis player and a Wimbledon tennis champion.

For the first two years, the Championships was called the Badminton Association Tournament. It was the 1901 tournament that it was renamed the All-England Badminton Championships.

The Championships was played for a third year at the London Scottish Drill Hall before moving to the Crystal Palace for the fourth Championships.

The Crystal Palace was a vast construction of glass, six courts were used over the three days of the tournament but the light was poor and there was a distinct drift, due to strong air currents that altered the shuttle’s true flight.

This would be the first year that the Championships was played on rectangular courts as we know them today, thus doing away with the waste or hourglass court where the width of the net was only 16 feet (4.9m) on a 20 feet (6.1m) x 44 feet (13.4m) court.

1902 saw Scottish and Irish players competing in the Championships for the first time. The Crystal Palace was not considered central enough in London and was only used for the one-year.

The next venue for the Championships would be the London Rifle Brigade's City Headquarters, Bunhill Row, London.

he conditions at this venue were so cramped that incoming players and spectators held up the games as they walked behind and across the courts.

Play on occasions had to be delayed to allow early morning fog to disperse and on other days, snow on the roof cast gloom over the proceedings that the gas burners did little to dispel.

In 1907 the men's doubles final was postponed at 7-2 because of the failing light and was completed four days later.

As the event grew the London Rifle Brigade's venue became too small and in 1910 the Championships moved to the Royal Horticultural Hall in Westminster, London.

They also changed the shuttlecocks they used to the straight type similar to the ones they use today. After initial problems with lighting and the floor the venue became very popular with players and spectators.

The Championships was suspended from 1915 to 1920 owing to the First World War.

Frank Devlin would dominate men’s badminton in the 1920s and early 1930s, he would be the first Irishman to win an All-England title when he won the men’s doubles with Guy Sautter (England) in 1922.

The next year he would team up with his Irish colleague Gordon ‘Curly’ Mack to take the first of their six men’s doubles titles together. Frank would win 6 men's singles and five mixed doubles titles with various partners.

Devlin is the only player in All England history to complete the ‘triple’ three times – he won the three titles in the same year, men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles in 1926, 1927 and 1929.

He lies second in the most All-England titles league table with a total of 18.

Frank’s daughters Sue and Judy inherited his badminton genes to win 6 All-England woman’s doubles together in the 1950s and 1960s, Judy would win a record-breaking 10 woman’s singles titles.

The Royal Horticultural Hall in the 1920s. The venue would be used for the Championships from 1910 to 1939.
On Friday of the Championships, England would play International Matches.

1930s All-England Champions who dominated women’s badminton and won a total of 26 All-England titles.
From left to right: Betty Uber, Diana Doveton, Marjorie Henderson and Thelma Kingsbury.

Raymond (Bill) White wearing his All-England blazer, he was the first top player to wear shorts, preceding Bunny Austin in tennis.

Bill would win four consecutive men’s doubles All-England titles with Donald Hume from 1932, also 2 men’s singles in 1933 and 1935 and one mixed doubles with Betty Uber in 1938.

Ralph Nichols in his England International blazer, Ralph in 1938 was the last Englishman to win the men’s singles title.

Also in 1938 with his brother Lesley, they would be the last Englishmen to win the All-England men’s doubles title.

In the 1930s more and more overseas players entered the Championships and in 1938 when a large contingent of Danish players entered the Championships this would be the last year that English and Irish players would dominate the event.

1939 saw the first Danish winners with Tage Madsen taking the men's singles title and Ruth Dalsgaard and Tonny Olsen the woman's doubles.

Also, Dorothy Walton would win the women's singles for Canada.

With this influx of high-class international entry, the Badminton Association of England boldly decided for the 1940 event a larger venue was needed, so the 12000-seater Harringay Arena in North London where seven courts could be laid was chosen.

The Second World War would put paid to these plans and the All-England Championships would not restart until 1947.

The first day of the 37th All-England Championships in 1947 was a disaster with only six matches being played.

The night before a blizzard hit London, the wind forced snow down the ventilators in the roof and froze hard on the wooden floor laid over the ice rink. A fuel shortage meant that there was no heating in the arena and the temperature remained low.

This would be the first year of Herbert Scheele’s 24-year reign as tournament referee, also the first of 36 years that RSL shuttles would be used at the Championships.

The Championships would remain at Harringay for another two years before moving to the Empress Hall, Earls Court, London.

This would be the start of Malaysian player’s dominance in the men's events during the 1950s.

In 1957 the Championships would move to the Wembley Arena where it stayed for the next 37 years, currently the longest home for the Championships of any of the venues.

Wembley was renowned for its air drift but also tremendous crowd atmosphere particularly on semi-final nights.

Prior to 1977 the All-England was considered to be the unofficial World Championships.

There were many great players that played at Wembley. Two of the legends were Judy Hashman from the USA who won a total of 10 ladies singles titles, a record that has never been surpassed and the other legend was Indonesian Rudy Hartono who won a total of eight men's singles titles, again this record has not been surpassed.

Wembley Arena, London. The home of the Championships for 37 years.

Photo by Peter Richardson

Kirsten Thorndahl and Finn Kobbero

Kirsten Thorndahl was one of the most successful Danish players in badminton history.

In 1948, she became the first non-British female to triple crown at the All England.

Finn Kobbero was one of the most successful players in the history of the All-England Badminton Championships with 15 titles between 1955 and 1966.

Erland Kops and 'Eddy' Choong

'Eddy' Choong (Malaya) came to England to study law at University, he would win 4 men’s singles All England titles and 3 doubles titles with his brother David.

Eddy spent nine years based in England which allowed him to travel easily across Europe.

The next year Erland Kops would take the singles and doubles titles to start his incredible career with a total of 11 titles to become a Danish All-England legend.

Rudy Hartono is one of the truly great All-England champions.

In 1976 Rudy Hartono from Indonesia broke the record for eight men’s singles titles. Erland Kops of Denmark had previously held the record of seven.

Rudy started playing at the All-England Championships in 1968 and would dominate world men's singles badminton for the next 10 years.

Even in his first championship, he broke an All-England record by becoming the youngest men's singles champion at the age of 18 years and 7 months. From 1968, he would win the men's singles title for 7 consecutive years.

Rudy Hartono at the height of his dominance in men’s singles in 1971, playing six matches to win the All-England singles he only had 39 points scored against him.

In Rudy’s 10-year All-England career he only ever lost two matches. It was in 1975 making his first attempt at breaking the record of eight titles Rudy would lose his first-ever match at the All England.

Playing tentatively in one of the most exciting and memorable finals he lost to the Dane Svend Pri in straight sets.

Finally, in 1976 playing against his fellow countryman, Liem Swie King, Rudy would achieve his record-breaking eighth All-England crown.

Some people say that Hartono is the greatest men's singles All-England champion; he was certainly the youngest men's singles champion and there never has been a player that dominated the event for so many years.

The Japanese who dominated women's singles and doubles in the 1970s

Photos by Graham Habbin

In 1976 Gillian Gilks MBE won all three All-England titles – women’s singles, doubles (with Sue Whetnall) and mixed (with Derek Talbot) in the same year,

Gillian remains the last player in the world ever to have achieved this.

Gillian in 1978 is also the last English woman to win the women’s singles title at the All-England. Over a period of 15 years, she won a total of 11 All-England titles, 2 women’s singles, 3 woman’s doubles and 6 mixed doubles.

Gillian Gilks MBE
A triple All England Champion in 1976

Photo by Louis Ross

Celebrities Cliff Richards and Sue Barker watching the 1982 Championships with All-England Champion Gillian Gilks MBE

Photo by Peter Richardson

Shortly after the unification of the two-world badminton governing bodies the Chinese participated in the Championships for the first time.

In 1982 a 27 strong squad of Chinese players entered the All-England Badminton Championships. In the woman's singles there would be nine Chinese players starting their challenge to be the All-England champion, with the 24-year-old Chinese Zhang Ailing being the top seed.

By the time the event had reached the quarter-finals there would be seven Chinese players occupying the last eight places. Only Lene Koppen from Denmark, the previous year’s runner-up surviving to this stage, a probable all Chinese final was almost inevitable.

In the final it would be the 18-year-old Li Lingwei versus the established star, Zhang Ailing, a badminton instructor from Shanghai.

Seven times previously they had joined battle in other tournaments, seven times Zhang Ailing had triumphed, and yet again the “teacher” beat the “pupil” this time without any great effort, 11-4 11-6.

Photo by Peter Richardson

The first time a Chinese pair would win the men's doubles title at the Yonex All England Badminton Championships would be 1987 with the famous pair of Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi taking the title.

For the mixed doubles title, it would be the next year 1988 when Wang Pengren and Shi Fangjing would lift their Yonex All-England trophies.

The Move to Birmingham

Photo by Badminton Photo

In 1993 after a successful Badminton World Federation World Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, the Badminton Association of England decided the next year to move the Yonex All-England Championships to the NIA.

2007 saw the Championships joining the BWF’s Super Series.

Spectator numbers continue to grow at the Arena Birmingham, as the NIA is now known.

With many good hotels and restaurants in close proximity, the arena has become one of the finest badminton venues in the world.

Photo by Alan Spink - Action Photography

1999 saw the hundred year anniversary of the first All England

1999 was the Centenary All England Championships and to put the icing on the birthday cake the English pair of Joanne Goode and Simon Archer won the mixed doubles title.

Simon Archer and Joanne Goode (England) v Ha Tae-Kwon and Chung Jae-Hee (Korea). Simon Archer and Joanne Goode won 15-2, 15-13.

Photo by Peter Richardson

England had to wait six years for their next and last gold medals, brought to them by Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms, who beat Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl from Denmark in the 2005 final.

Photo by Alan Spink - Action Photography

2010 celebrated the staging of the 100th All England

In 2013 Tine Baun playing in her last tournament of her magnificent badminton career, made it a hat-trick of Yonex All-England titles by winning the woman’s singles.

Tine, the 33-year-old Danish former world number 1, became the oldest All-England champion in the Open era when she defeated an opponent who would have been the youngest champion as she outplayed the 18-year-old Intanon Ratchanok of Thailand.

Photo by Alan Spink - Action Photo

2021 the year of facemasks and no spectators

Photo by Alan Spink - Action Photography

Due to COVID restrictions, the 2021 tournament took place behind closed doors with no spectators present.

Players were limited to one coach courtside and during the early rounds the coach and teams had to watch from the concourse on specially set up monitors. During the later rounds the second coach was permitted to watch from inside the arena, observing safe distancing.

The exciting finals on the Sunday took six hours to complete, without the noise from the thousands of enthusiastic spectators that normally attend the Championships you could hear every shuttle being struck and the players landing on the sprung floor.

All this enhanced the atmosphere for the millions of worldwide fans watching on television, it felt like your armchair was by the side of the court.

Japan would have all six pairs in the doubles finals, guaranteeing them three titles, Nozomi Okuhara winning the woman’s singles gave them their fourth title.

Yuta Watanabe would win the men’s and mixed doubles making him the first male player in two decades to win two titles in the same year.

In the men’s singles, sixth seed Malaysian Lee Zii Jia reach the final without losing a game. On the other side of the draw, reigning champion Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen did not have such an easy passage as three out of his four matches were hard-fought three-setters.

In the final the first game went the full 59 points with Lee winning the deciding point.

The second game was an equally tough match with Axelsen winning it 22-20.

All was set for a third and final marathon game, but the Dane faded in the second half allowing the 22-year-old Lee Zii Jia to lift the famous Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Men’s Singles Trophy.

2024, the 125th All England

2024 marked the 125th staging of the All England Badminton Championships, with very special guests.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited the event, watched some games and visited the museum display where they learned about the history of the All England Badminton Championships.

Geoff Hinder and Jim Mann from the Badminton Museum showing the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh the history of the All England Badminton Championships

Post written by Geoff Hinder

The post The History of the All-England Badminton Championships first appeared on The Badminton Museum CIO.