SECTION 14 – COURT EQUIPMENT

A variety of badminton related equipment is required at the event. This includes court mats, nets, net posts, umpire chairs, scoreboards and baskets for players. It is necessary to make sure that all specialised equipment is at an appropriate standard and available when needed.

The arena crew should make sure that all courts and equipment are in good condition during the event and if necessary replace items.

1. Courts and court mats

First, the number of required courts must be established. Number of training courts should be included.

The floor used for the event must be suitable for badminton. All matches must be played on portable mats or floors marked solely for badminton. Wood has proven to be excellent flooring for badminton. However, materials as linoleum or tartan also provide some degree of springiness.

The necessary number of court mats must be arranged either through the local organisers or through cooperation with an equipment manufacturer. If there are budget relevant costs relating to the court mats in terms of transportation or laying out the courts, this must be considered in the budget.

Court mats are heavy and if delivered in a truck a forklift or a small crane is required to handle them. The court mats should arrive no later than 24 hours before they are to be used for either official training or competition.

Normally 6-8 people should be engaged to handle the unloading and loading of the court mats and the lay down and removal of the courts and other equipment.

2. Diagram and planning for setting up the venue

It is an important tool to have an accurate scale diagram of the venue and to insert the exact positions of the following items:

-court mats
-umpire chairs
-service judge chairs
-line judge chairs
-court cleaning equipment
-net measures
-2-minutes interval notice boards
-scoreboards
-player name facilities
-advertising boards
-used shuttle boxes
-baskets for players
-referees’ tables and chairs
-match control tables and chairs
-shuttle control tables and chairs
-umpire control tables and chairs
-line judge control tables and chairs
-doctors table and chairs
-microphone stands
-cables
-TV camera positions
-water dispensers

The diagram should be reviewed by and agreed with the Committee of Management.

3. Other things to consider regarding the set-up

There should be at least 2 metres of clear space from the side-lines of the court. If this is not obtainable this should be clarified with the Committee of Management.

The scale diagram should take into concern any special access to the arena that might be needed, e.g. for lighting or heavy equipment.

Safe storage should be identified to store equipment before and during the event.