Jenny Wallwork: “No voice, no choice”

England’s Jenny Wallwork announced her resignation from the GB Badminton Programme in an open letter published this morning on Facebook. She is the second shuttler to do so after Imogen Bankier a few months ago.

By Raphael Sachetat. Photos: Badmintonphoto

“It is with regret that at the age of 26 and entering the prime of my career I feel the necessity to submit my resignation from the GB Badminton Programme.“

This are the first words published by Jenny Wallwork on her Facebook page and Twitter account this morning, February 25th. Jenny Wallwork has been in the programme for some years now and remains as England’s most capped shuttler still in the team.

The 26-year-old says she has no choice than to quit:  “I feel I have no voice or direction in the way my career is going and find myself in an impossible situation other than to remove myself from the World Class Performance Programme.

“It is an athlete’s career and not the Performance Director’s and an athlete should have a say in its direction. Having spoken to a number of our most successful players over recent years, it is clear that they have been strong minded, highly motivated and independent individuals prepared to take ownership of their own development.

“It will certainly not be a tick box exercise and an on going chase to secure funding that will determine success,” she says in her open letter.

“I know my dreams and aspirations were achievable as my results and achievements so far will testify but in my attempt to move forward in my development, my views have been discounted. ‘Continue with the programme given to you or submit your resignation,’ was an ultimatum recently given to me.”

“An unhappy player in the training environment has little or no chance of success,” she added.

Wallwork hints then that she is the second player to decide to quit, a few months after Imogen Bankier, who went back to Scotland to join the Scottish National Team and that others may follow as she feels her fellow colleagues are unhappy with the current management of the program.

A few days ago, England’s head coach Kenneth Jonassen announced that he would be returning to Denmark after the summer for family reasons.

Click here to read Wallwork’s full statement