Summer Tournament 2026
> Location: National Cycling Centre M11 4DQ
> Cost: £30 non-members | £25 members
> Capacity: 80 players (16 per grade)
> Massage: Book a 10-minute slot with an on-site sports physiotherapist
> Restringing: Racquet restringing available on a pay-as-you-go basis
Registration Form
So how does it work?
We run three tournaments per year, which each have a different format, as follows:
Spring - Open tournament
For our spring tournament, we open our doors to welcome all LGBTQ+ clubs across the UK and beyond! The format for this tournament is a standard format using a graded system.
A | B+ | B- | C+ | C-
There will be a round robin within your grading, which will lead to quarter finals, semi-finals, and finals. Every pair will be guaranteed a minimum of 8 games.
Summer - Pot luck tournament
Our summer tournament varies year on year, led largely by the preferences of the current membership and committee.
This year, 2026, we will be running a Swiss-style tournament. This means that every pair will play the same number of games throughout the day. There will be no knockout stage, no finals. At the end of the day, EVERY point scored throughout the day will count toward final scoring and will ultimately dictate which pairs win the medals! Head to the News page to read more about it here.
Winter - Handicap tournament
Our winter tournament is our traditional tournament combined with our end of year awards and Christmas party!
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!
Events
Our events vary throughout the year and you will find upcoming event information here. We also have a WhatsApp community group, which you will be able to join upon attending your first session, or via the link in your membership confirmation email. Regular events throughout the year include:
Read more
> Monday food and drinks @ BarPop from 8pm
> Thursday cinema club @ Cineworld from 8pm
> Spring, Summer, and Winter tournaments
> Manchester Pride parade and after party
> Summer BBQ to celebrate the club’s birthday
> Board game socials
> Bowling social
> Bingo socials
> Hiking socials
> Sports-swap events with other LGBTQ+ sports clubs across Manchester
> Other ad-hoc events