Badminton England today announced that its Chief Executive, Adrian Christy, is stepping down from the role he has held since 2006.
Christy said: “I would firstly like to say a huge thank you to the Badminton England Board at the time who gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I came into this amazing organisation 15 years ago and immediately fell in love with badminton and everything we stand for.
“Working alongside an incredible group of club and county volunteers across the country, seeing the development of some great coaches and officials, witnessing first-hand many outstanding achievements from our players who have given me memories that I’ll never forget and being part of an extraordinary team of the most talented and committed staff, has been an honour and a privilege. Together, we have achieved so much and grown badminton into one of the most participated in sports in this country and a National Governing Body that has enormous respect in the UK and around the world.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many partners, without whom, we could not have achieved what we have. Our Government, Sport England and UK Sport have provided great leadership and investment, our amazing friends at YONEX, in the UK and Japan; together, we have built the YONEX All England Championships into the greatest Open badminton tournament in the world, the NEC Group and Birmingham City Council who have hosted the Championships for almost 30 years, and other partners including the Youth Sport Trust, the Sport and Recreation Alliance, the BBC, BT Sport, Sky Sports, 12BET, CenterParcs, AJ Bell, Sheffield City Council, Wembley Arena, the teams that formed the National Badminton League. Never underestimate your contribution to badminton; I will never forget it.
“Stepping down from a role I have loved for so long, is something I have been dreading, but as time went on I knew it was becoming more inevitable, and now having protected Badminton England during the pandemic and successfully steered it through the most significant challenges caused by it, seen the World Class Programmes through the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the tremendous medal success, secured investment from UK Sport for Paris 2024 and submitted our funding application to Sport England for the next five years, the time has arrived to step aside.
“As Badminton England looks to the future, I have decided it is best for the organisation to step aside immediately.
“It has been a pleasure to serve our members and Badminton England will always have a very special place in my heart. I wish the organisation, the volunteers, coaches, players and staff, every future success.”
Mike Robinson, Chairman of the Board of Badminton England, said: “Adrian has made a significant contribution to the growth of badminton in England during his time as our Chief Executive and most recently, his tireless work during the pandemic has meant that Badminton England can now support a return to play with confidence and a high degree of financial security. The Board would like to place on record its thanks to Adrian and wishes him every success in the next stage of his career.
“Details of interim arrangements and the process for recruiting a permanent Chief Executive will be
announced shortly.”