Apollo Badminton – The perfect all year sport

When Lee relocated from London to our charming Canterbury, she was keen to join a Badminton club; after trying several clubs she firmly settled on Apollo due to its location, the high standard of play and of course the people.

Seven years and plenty of matches later Lee Funnell is now the chairperson, a role which Lee is relishing. Apollo is a competitive club that competes in the North Foreland Regional Badminton Association which sees clubs across northeast Kent do battle on court; it is run with the same competitive spirit today as it was founded upon forty-five years ago. The origin of Apollo Badminton Club dates back to 1975 when 6 people from the BT social badminton club in Canterbury decided to branch out and be a bit more competitive.

CommunityAd had the chance to have a verbal rally with Lee, her love for the sport was apparent from the off. “I love to play badminton because it is great exercise, it is fun and time literally flies, I sometimes cannot believe I have been actively moving for 2-3 hours laughing and playing games. In fact, I find playing badminton highly addictive, but in a good way”.

So, Lee, Apollo is not just a competitive club but a sporting community in itself isn’t it?

It feels like a family, some people join and then move on to try a different club and then they will return and play another season. People come to the club for all sorts of reasons: to meet people, to get fit, to learn new skills, to release the tensions of the day or just to be around friendly people. Recently our club secretary, Dr Abby Armstrong moved to Heidelberg in Germany for a job opportunity…not only is she a highly intelligent fun person, she is a sorely missed badminton partner. Plans are afoot for a club trip to visit her in the Spring! I recently qualified as a Level 2 badminton coach, which enables me to coach those members wishing to improve their skills, something which I find hugely rewarding.

People up and down the country fall in love with tennis for two weeks every year. Why is Badminton the perfect yearlong love?

Badminton is a great sport because you can play it all year round and I just love the fact that the sport holds the record for the fastest hit – over 400 kph (250 mph), well ahead of golf (340 kph), squash and tennis to mention just a few. It is social, competitive if that’s something you enjoy and just a lot of fun!

What makes it such a lovely community to be a part of?

I grew up in South East London, near Orpington. (I was a member of the badminton junior club as a young teen). I used to holiday near to Canterbury as my grandparents had a caravan near to Grove Ferry, so I have always loved visiting and now feel very happy to live here. It is near to the coast and the train connection to London is great for work. As a commercial photographer, I love the architecture and historic aspect of the city but also appreciate the young vibrant student population keeping the city feeling alive. My two sons and I are very happy living here. When we lived in London, we never really knew who our neighbours were, now I know all my neighbours as friends.

If you fancy giving badminton a go then head to the club’s website or give them a call, new members are welcome if you fancy giving it a go; with a pay and play policy as well as plenty of expert coaches to help your game, including Lee herself.

www.apollobadmintoncanterbury.co.uk/

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