KUALA LUMPUR – The Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) has launched four district training centres within the territory in an effort to further increase the state’s talent pool.
KLBA president Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said this initiative will help increase the number of grassroots players the BA can train at one time.
The training centres are located at SMK Kepong Baru for the Sentul zone, SMK Wangsa Melati for the Keramat zone, SMK Seri Bintang Selatan for Pudu, and SMK Seri Pantai for Bangsar.
“Before this, we could only accommodate and train about 80 players at KLBA. But with four training centres located in schools, we can now train around 3,000 to 5,000 players.
“The players for the centres will be selected from the 292 schools in KL, giving us the opportunity to train more grassroots players that can one day play at the national and international stage,” he said today at the launch of the KL Closed Badminton Championship Jejak Juara at SMK Seri Bintang Selatan.
An initiative together with the Kuala Lumpur Education Department, Jahaberdeen said the training centres will also give school teachers the chance to obtain their coaching certification.
“Because we have a large number of players, we are also using this chance to give school teachers the opportunity to increase their value.
“Besides developing students into future badminton players, the education department also wants to add value for its teachers.
“Each school in KL will have a sports education teacher that also has a badminton training certification from the Badminton Association of Malaysia,” he said.
Jahaberdeen added that the four schools were selected to become district training centres due to their locations.
“The main reason we chose these schools is due to their accessibility. We also wanted to make sure that the schools have the proper facilities that can accommodate the large number of players.
“We tried to find large school halls that did not need much upgrading work, that way we could also save money,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KL Closed Badminton Championship will see students from all 292 schools in KL compete in boys’ and girls’ individual categories for under eight, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 age groups.
Together with the KL Education Department, Jahaberdeen hopes the championship will enter the Malaysian Book of Records for the Largest Badminton Tournament, granted if the tournament surpasses 3,500 participants. – The Vibes, April 13, 2023.
