Badminton England announce new National Training Centre

England’s badminton association has announced on Wednesday a huge plan for the relocation and extension of its National Training Centre.

Located today in Bradewell Road, in central Milton Keynes (a large city to the northwest of London), since 2000, the headquarters and national training centre of Badminton England might be moved to the National Bowl, another venue in the same city of Milton Keynes. In the move, the British badminton complex will gain in space, as explained by Badminton England Chief Executive Adrian Christy: “As a minimum, the National Badminton Centre will double in size.“

According to the BBC, the initial plans include a 3,000-seat arena, a fitness club, athletes’ accommodation, the Badminton England administration headquarters and a 16-court training hall. Such a complex is the result of the need to recreate “competition conditions in a training environment“.

Apart from the Milton Keynes Council, Badminton England can count on partners such as the land owners of The National Bowl and Sport England. The British badminton governing body has submitted a £20 million project to the Milton Keynes Council. Further information about this plan may come by next January, and the opening is set for spring 2015. No doubt that in case this schedule is respected, the new venue could help in preparing the British elite players for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.