13 May 2014
World class coach appointed to National Badminton League team
A former international head coach, who has worked with players that have won Olympic and World Championship medals, has been appointed to the Loughborough Badminton programme.
Andy Wood has been actively coaching badminton, from grass-roots to the elite level, for over 30 years. He has previously worked at Loughborough initially as Head Coach, and also as Director of Badminton.
He will be working with current Head Coach Mike Adams in the Loughborough set-up, on a part time basis, with the remit to build a team that will compete in the new National Badminton League, as well as strengthen relationships and player pathways within the sport.
Andy’s successes include coaching Simon Archer and Jo Goode, who won Team GB’s first ever badminton Olympic medal, a bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games. He followed this up by supporting Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms, to win a silver medal at Athens 2004.
The 2006 World Badminton Championships was also a unique occasion for Andy, after previously nurturing and developing all four of the mixed doubles’ players who competed in the all-English final.
Speaking of his appointment Andy Wood said:
“I am delighted to be welcomed back into the Loughborough Badminton performance team and to be playing a part in such an inspirational environment that produces champions in sport and winners in life.
“I hope to work closely with our next generation of talented players to maximise their capabilities and equipping them to withstand the inevitable challenges of a high achieving sporting life.”
Loughborough will be one of six teams who will compete in the new National Badminton League (NBL) that was launched last month and will be televised on Sky Sports.
Alan Buzza, Franchise Director of the Loughborough Sport Badminton team said:
“At Loughborough we pride ourselves in having the best players, the best facilities and the best coaches. To have attracted somebody of Andy’s calibre into our programme reinforces this message and shows how competitive we aim to be in the National Badminton League.”
The league starts on 6 October 2014 with monthly match nights through to April 2015. This will be followed by a one day knockout competition featuring the top four teams in June 2015.
Further details about the NBL can be found on the Badminton England website.