At Northern Cocks LGBTQ+ Badminton Club we play three times a week. 🗓️
🕕-🕗Mondays 6-8pm at Moss Side Leisure Centre
🕕-🕗Thursdays 6-8pm at the Velodrome (aka National Cycling Centre)
🕒-🕔Saturdays 3-5pm at Moss Side Leisure Centre
Each Session runs slightly differently, but every session is open to all levels from complete novice to A grade players. EVERYONE is welcome. None of our sessions require you to sign up before hand, you can turn up on the day. 🕰️ Here is how each session works:
Thursday
We have 8 courts available, and for this reason, it is a free play session. Each player self regulates and joins courts as they wish. It is still important to allow other players the opportunity to play, so it is important that once you complete a game, you leave the court and allow time for others to play.
Saturday
We have 5 courts on a Saturday. These sessions vary significantly in turn out, and for that reason we run a ‘rally tally.’ Upon arrival, ensure you write your name on the board. Then, after each of your games, mark a tally dash next to your name. You should take note of how you compare with other players each time you do this. If you are ahead of most, take a break and allow them to catch up. If you are behind, be a little keener and get yourself on for another game. 📈📉 Saturday sessions are also self-regulated, but committee members may ask you to take a prolonged break if they notice you have played more than your fair share. 🫸
Monday
Monday sessions are usually our busiest sessions and we have 5 courts. For this reason, we use a peg board on system. The peg board regulates games and ensures a fair amount of games for every player. Here’s how it works…
At the beginning of the session, put your name on the board, choosing between A/B+, B-/C+, C-/D. Then, at each 8 minute interval, you will be notified to check the board to see if a number is next to your name. That number correlates to the court numbers. If it’s a blank space, take an 8 minute break ☺️ Within 8 minutes you may not get to 21, or you may get to play a little past 21. In either case, play for the full 8 minutes and then exit the court.
We have 5 courts which means 20 players on court at any given time. We VERY rarely have fewer than 40 players on Monday sessions. This means you will likely have two games off in a row at times. There may even be times where you have three games off in a row to facilitate better mixing up of games. By the end of the session, each player will have had the same number of games +/-1. The math will not allow for everyone to have the exact same number of games, but the committee always try to ensure the rotations are fair and balanced. ⚖️
8 minutes is not a long time to create the next set of games, and not all committee members are as fluent with the board system as others. To ensure a smooth session, when a committee member is preparing the following games, please do not interrupt them by requesting games or striking up a conversation. If you need to speak to someone, find a different committee member or wait until the games have been set. 👩💻📊
It is important to note that Northern Cocks has always been a social club and each player should expect to play a couple of very well balanced games, a couple of games with stronger players, and a couple of games with weaker players. This is non-negotiable and an important part of the club ethos. It is imperative that you enter the appropriate section of the peg board. This ensures balanced games are created. It does not mean you won’t get competitive games. Should weaker players be in the A/B+ category, it will result in unbalanced games which is unfair to all players. For clarity, we often mix abilities on court by assigning two A players with two B players. Or two B players with two C players. Northern Cocks runs three tournaments per year and the committee use the peg board and where you have placed yourself to help decide on your grading and/or handicap. For this reason, it is beneficial to yourself to ensure you are in the appropriate grouping.
In summary, Northern Cocks is a social club with a strong club ethos. The above information is a strong part of that ethos. We are a very strong, friendly community of players and we all want everyone to enjoy the sessions and get a good number of games. The committee appreciate how much support we get during the busier sessions and look forward to facilitating those sessions going forward.
Thanks all and see you on the courts! ☺️🏸❤️