BADMINTON chiefs hope a move to Bromsgrove will see the town become the heart of junior coaching in the county.

Worcestershire Schools Badminton Association are moving from their base near Worcester to Bromsgrove School’s sports facility, which boasts eight indoor courts.

From September there will be Monday training sessions for under-16s and 18s between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, while on Thursday between 7pm and 9pm there will be under-18s development sessions.

Head coach Lorraine Cole thinks the move will open up the sport to more youngsters.

She said: “We’re really excited about moving to Bromsgrove School’s eight indoor courts, it’s going to open up new possibilities.

“Redditch is untapped area for us and Bromsgrove has lots of kids who play the sport but have never really took part at a county level.

“This move puts us right in the centre of Worcestershire and will allow us to open up the sport to more boys and girls across the county.”

The association will continue to hold U-14 sessions at Tudor Grange Worcester and Dodderhill School, Droitwich.

Cole is head coach at University of Birmingham, where the men’s first and seconds teams won national leagues.

She is also in charge of Birmingham Lions, who are AJ Bell NBL Champions.

National singles champion and Lions star Fontaine Chapman is going to help with Thursday sessions.

“Badminton does go a little under the radar and we need to do more to tell people about our achievements,” added Cole.

“We’re delighted to announce that national singles champion Fontaine Chapman, who is someone I have worked with since she was a junior, will be helping out on Thursday nights for the under-18s development sessions.”

Anyone who wants more information on badminton sessions can send a message to Cole by emailing L.M.Cole@bham.ac.uk