🏳️🌈 Manchester LGBTQ+ Badminton’s 🏳️⚧️ biggest day of the year is fast approaching! The Northern Cocks Christmas Tournament, followed by the club Christmas Meal, and finally the club Christmas Party, hosted by BarPop! We will also be announcing the eagerly anticipated End of Year Awards! Let’s break it down…
Christmas Tournament 🎅🏻🏸
Our Christmas tournament is always the biggest of the year and last year we hit capacity of 64 in under 24 hours. So sign up soon to secure your spot! https://ncbadminton.co.uk/tournament/
> 22nd November 2025
> Velodrome | National Cycling Centre
> 10am-4pm
• £30 for non-members (full price)
• £25 for members (coupon code)
• Coupon code will be in your membership confirmation email. 📧
By HUGE popular demand, the Christmas Tournament will take the same format as the Summer Tournament. ☀️❄️
Each member will be handicapped before the day, ranging from -8 to +8. These handicaps are a combined reflection of the committee’s opinion of your current skill level, along with each member’s self grading on Monday night badminton sessions. 📊
As a reminder, those in the –
- A/B+ grade will be ranked -8, -6, or -4.
- B-/C+ grade will be ranked -2, 0, or +2.
- C-/D grade will be ranked +4, +6, or +8.
Following the handicap allocation, all players will be split into grades A, B+, B-, C+, C-/D. On the day, for each grading the tournament will be split into a round robin stage, group stage, semi finals, and finals. 🏅 The round robin will consist of 8 games each, mixed with random pairings from across the grades. The results will dictate your pairing for the remainder of the tournament.
The group stage will group pairings within their grading. With handicaps still in place, the group stage should all be very close, competitive matches! Each group will have 4 pairs. The top two pairs from each group will go forward into the semi-finals. The winners of each semi-final will move forward into the final! The handicaps will remain throughout, and EVERY POINT COUNTS! A win is great, but the total combined points from your games will be key throughout.
It wouldn’t be queer badminton without some extra fun… there will be a raffle throughout the day with some great prizes! There will also be a break for lunch, which will be provided by the club… let a committee member know if you have dietary requirements! 🍌
Christmas Meal
We are heading back to Abel Heywood for guaranteed delicious food and amazing value for money for all members! Should you wish to join us for the meal, but you’re not a member, message me for details as the discounted rates are members only and space is limited. 🍽️
>Where? Abel Heywood M4 1DZ
>When? 22nd November 2025
>Time? Meal 7pm
>Book here: https://ncbadminton.co.uk/xmas/
The meal will be directly followed by a party into the early hours, upstairs at our sponsor bar, BarPop! Expect cocktails, dancing, and maybe a few surprises! 🍹🍸
The voting for the eagerly anticipated end of year awards are NOW OPEN! Vote now so that we can close the voting and tally the results in advance of the day. 🗳️Vote now: https://ncbadminton.co.uk/eoy-awards
The awards are free text entry so try to include surnames or at least descriptions for those with the more common names especially *cough James, Jay, Jimmy, Jamie, cough* 👯 Any vague votes will be either discounted or allocated to who I think is most deserving, so please be clear who you are voting for 😛
FAQs:
Do I need to play in the tournament to come to the meal?
Absolutely not! Each part of the day is completely independent, so you can choose to join for the tournament, meal, and party independently. You don’t need to partake at all to submit end of year award votes.
Am I good enough for the tournament?
Without a doubt! The tournament is designed specifically to cater for ALL abilities. If you are unsure, ask around. Anyone who took part in the summer tournament will be able to vouch for how much fun it was!
Can my partner come to the meal and party?
For the meal – possibly. The meal is meant for members and space is limited. Should non-members wish to join, message me and I will see if there is space. Non-members would pay full price for the meal. For the after party – all are welcome!