General

Thrilling badminton on historic opening night
Date: 9/26/2014 1:52 PM
Published by : Manuel Røsler
With two weeks to go until the National Badminton League (NBL) begins, tickets are now on general sale for the historic opening night. The NBL starts on 6 October and will be the UK's first ever national badminton league featuring six franchise teams.

They will play each other once before a one-day knockout competition sees the top four teams battle for the inaugural title in June 2015. The NBL will make live, elite badminton more accessible than ever with ticket prices starting at £5 for children and £8 for adults. Matches last for two-and-a-half hours and are a great value night out for all the family.

A family ticket is available for 13 of the 15 regular season fixtures starting at £28, giving fans of all ages the chance to get behind their favourite players and brand new teams.

Former England star and Olympic Silver medallist Nathan Robertson has described the historic league as “a game changer for our sport” while the modifications to the rules mean games will be faster than ever.

The monthly evening matches offer five thrilling events which will see new rules exclusive to the NBL:
• A brand new scoring system - best of five games and first to nine points
• In-play features include a 'PowerPlay' point
• Time-outs and substitutions to add to the match-night entertainment
• No interruption to games, meaning non-stop badminton for 2½ hours

The NBL will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
It will also be shown live to over 10 million homes in 16 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia through an exclusive deal with Eurosport Asia-Pacific.

The six founding NBL badminton teams competing to be the first ever NBL champions include Olympians, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games stars and world championship medallists.

The six teams and venues are:

Birmingham Lions – The National Indoor Arena (NIA) and The Great Hall, University of Birmingham
Team Derby – The Derby Arena
Loughborough Sport – Sir David Wallace Arena, Loughborough University
MK Badminton – The Centre:MK
University of Nottingham – Albert Hall Conference Centre
Surrey Smashers – Surrey Sports Park, Surrey University

Chris Adcock (pictured), the Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold medallist champion, will lead University of Nottingham after the midlands’ outfit won a tight bidding war for the Englishman during the inaugural auction in June.
“It is such a privilege to be a part of this great new league which I am hoping really changes the way people see our sport,” said Adcock.

“The league will be fresh and innovative and it has been a long time coming. As players, we can't wait for the new challenge.

“Competing for my hometown of Nottingham is an honour for me and I am hoping the matches attract a lot of interest from around the area.”
 
About the National Badminton League:

The National Badminton League is a brand new, game changing and exciting opportunity for badminton - the first ever national league in the UK. Created and run by BADMINTON England, the inaugural season sees six franchise teams competing for the NBL title.

The NBL gives fans a chance to get behind their favourite players and brand new teams. The NBL is changing perceptions of badminton with new rules and formats making the game faster than ever, increasing its appeal to new fans. NBL games will be shown live on Sky Sports and broadcast around the world via digital streaming.

As the National Badminton League grows, we carry a set of fundamental beliefs – who we are and what we stand for. They are at the heart of the NBL.

Growing badminton. Changing perceptions of the game forever. Backing new and exciting teams. Supporting outstanding national players. Bringing the thrill of the sport to new fans.

badmintonengland.co.uk/NBL or @NBL_Official on Twitter.

Press Release by BADMINTON England. Photo by BadmintonPhoto.
©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

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