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New Members Guide

Hi! So, you're interested in joining Flaming Feathers and want to know how the club works? You've come to the right place! The badminton season runs from September to April, and our club is most active during this period. We typically organise badminton sessions for our members on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and are primarily based in venues in Rathmines. Unlike most badminton clubs, we typically operate in a Pay as you Go manner as opposed to requiring a large upfront payment for membership. Some of our players take part in the Dublin District Badminton Leagues, these typically start around mid to late October, with the finals usually taking place in mid April. 

Our Training Schedule & Locations for 2024/2025

Our full training schedule for the 2024/2025 season kicks off in the first week of September:

  • Tuesday @ 19:30 - 21:30: Beginners, Division 10, and Division 9 training
    Location: Saint Marys College, Rathmines
  • Wednesday @ 19:30 - 21:30: Intermediate training for Division 8+ players
    Location: Saint Marys College, Rathmines

Note: There is ample free parking & bike racks available in Saint Marys College. The hall is located at the rear of the property as shown below:

  • Sunday @ 14:30 - 16:30: Sunday social session for all
    Location: Swan Leisure, Rathmines

Note: Free on-street parking is available on Leinster Road in Rathmines on Sundays. Paid parking is available in the Swan Shopping Centre car-park. Swan Leisure has bike-racks located outside the front entrance.

What kind of Badminton can I expect in Flaming Feathers?

Flaming Feathers typically operate at beginner to intermediate level of play, though we do have some more advanced players who play with us socially and help out with coaching new members. Badminton games usually take one of 4 forms:

  1. Singles (Where 2 players play against each other)
  2. Level Doubles (Where 2 players of the same sporting gender play together against another 2 players of the same sporting gender)
  3. Mixed Doubles (where 2 players of different sporting genders play together against another 2 players of different sporting genders)
  4. Just Doubles (where 2 players play another 2 players regardless of sporting gender)

In Flaming Feathers, we enter teams for both Level Doubles and Mixed Doubles to the Dublin District Leagues. Don't worry, playing competitively is entirely optional and can be a bit of a time commitment - we've put together a list of what to expect if you are planning to play leagues here. 

In our training & social sessions, we tend towards playing some form of Doubles - in many cases we don't distinguish between gender and try to match players together based on skill and temperament rather than gender.

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How does Flaming Feathers Membership work?

If you join the club using our booking platform link you'll be added to the club as a trial member. This enables you to come to up to 3 sessions and get a taste for what the club offers and see if it's a space that you feel comfortable in. Your first session costs €10, but we offer a referral scheme from members and via social media which will reduce this initial cost to €5.  

Beyond these 3 taster sessions, all badminton players in Ireland are required to register with Badminton Ireland (BI) for insurance purposes (you can claim against this insurance if you get injured or need medical attention as a result of playing). If you're moving from a trial member and want to become a full member of the club we can arrange this for you.

How do I book and what are the costs of playing?

For the 2024/2025 season we've adopted a hybrid membership model which is designed to encourage activity in the club and reduce the costs for everyone as our membership grows. We charge a monthly fee of €10 which is not front-loaded like most other badminton clubs in Dublin, and each session costs an additional Pay as you Go fee.

Each session you plan to attend must be booked and paid for online using bSport, our digital scheduling tool. Usually our sessions are limited to 24 players, which ensures ample on-court time for everyone . The cost per session is currently €9.50 per member. As our membership grows, we expect this per-session fee to reduce further. This fee will be revisited in late October 2024 and revised based on active membership at that time.

For non-members who have completed their trial membership period we charge a fee of €15 per session.

If you're coming to your first couple of sessions then we can loan you a spare badminton racket. If you decide that you'd like to play regularly we'd recommend picking up your own racket and investing in some good quality non-marking runners. We don't sell equipment but can help you with choosing these when the time comes! Alternatively, you can find some great advice on choosing a racket and buying other equipment on the Badminton Insight YouTube channel.

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Social Media

We try to be active on social media, but if you are not comfortable with us taking your picture or publicising your involvement it's not a problem. We provide wrist-bands at each session which you can wear to indicate that you want to opt-out of photos & videos and our social media team know to keep a keen eye out for this! We strive to make our club is a safe space and want to ensure that everyone is comfortable playing with us regardless of personal circumstances.

As part of your membership you get

Here's a listing of what you get as a Flaming Feathers Member

  • Access to Badminton Training Sessions

    We have three training sessions a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

  • Membership of the Flaming Feathers community

    We have an active membership base and arrange monthly club socials using our WhatsApp based community.

  • Group Trips to International  Events

    We regularly attend and compete in international events such as the EuroGames, and competitions run by other LGBTQ+ clubs across Europe. 

  • Badminton Coaching

    We provide club-level coaching for beginners and intermediate players, and can arrange access to formal training for players if required.

  • Member Referral Scheme

    Flaming Feathers members can refer friends to the club, granting a €5 discount on your first session. Members get rewarded with a free session pass if their friends join the club. 

  • Play Competitively with us

    We enter teams in the Dublin District Leagues & Cups events which take place between October & April. Our players also enter many tournaments each year.

How do I get involved?

To register as a member please visit our booking platform, bSport, and click "login". We recommend that you sign up using the bSport website before installing any apps on your mobile phone / tablet.

If you'd like to join us for a trial session you can purchase a pass below and book a session using bSport or our Booking page.