JOIN US

Thank you for your interest in joining CUBaC! If you have the talent and motivation to be in the team, then we want to see you play!

In 2023, CUBaC will be holding trials on Saturday the 7th of October; 10:00-12:00 for women and 12:00-14:00 for men. Some players will be selected to return for trials on Sunday the 8th of October.

From those second trials, players will be selected as members of the main squad, or, for those who are of a high standard but may benefit from further training before representing the main squad, the development squad.

If you wish to trial for CUBaC, please click here to fill in the registration form.

CUBaC encourages those who are not selected for either team to represent their college in league games and competitions; this is a great opportunity to gain more court experience and play competitively.

For more information about college badminton, please visit this link.

We also recommend you take the time to read through our FAQs below.

FAQ

How will COVID-19 affect the club's activities?

We have been given permission by the University Sports Service to return to play under the latest Badminton England and government guidance. This allows full-format badminton (singles and doubles) with no restrictions in place regarding mixing within a training group. Therefore our training can take place as usual, and we expect league competitions (BUCS and South Cambs League) to run as normal this year. We also look forward to a return to our full social calendar.

Whilst it is no longer mandatory, we expect many players may still choose to wear masks off court and practice social distancing.

Our COVID-19 risk assessment and safety policy are on our documentation page.

Am I eligible to join CUBaC?

Club membership is open to all students of the University of Cambridge. We base our requirements on the BUCS eligibility requirements, upon which eligibility for the Varsity Match is also based. Unfortunately we do not have the training space to accept university members who are not eligible for BUCS. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, please don't hesitate to get in touch and we can read the small print together.

What's the standard like?

The Main Squad is a competitive standard - we have teams in both the BUCS league and the local South Cambridgeshire league (see competition). Most of these players have played badminton regularly for several years, at county level or similar. The Development Squad is aimed at those with potential to progress to the Main Squad - these players tend to be strong College league players who have previously lacked formal coaching.

How often do you train?

The Main Squad's weekly training programme includes 2 coached sessions as well as off-peak sessions for individual training and development.

The Development Squad is for those who are almost at the standard of the Main Squad. This group trains on-court once per week on Saturday mornings. See training.

What competitions does CUBaC compete in?

The Main Squad has a men's and a women's team in BUCS, which both compete in Midlands 2B. We also have a men's team and mixed team in the South Cambs League, both in the Premiership. However, the most important fixture of the year is the Varsity Match against Oxford! See competition.

The Development Squad does not compete for CUBaC, however many members compete regularly in the College League.

What does club membership include?

Club membership is almost all-inclusive. The yearly Main Squad subscription fee of approx. £180-200 includes all court, shuttle, coaching, transport and match expenses for 2.5 terms of badminton. While this may seem high, remember that many badminton clubs do not include shuttles, matches or transport in their membership subs. This fee is subsidised significantly by the University and it would be impossible to play as much badminton as cheaply elsewhere in Cambridge.

The yearly Dev Squad subscription fee is approx. £80, and includes all court, shuttle and coaching expenses. This is less than £5 per 2-hour training session.

Subs fees do not include personal equipment, playing kit, restringings, or socials, although we make every effort to keep the cost of these down.

Note that many Colleges offer further bursaries to their students towards their university sport expenses.

What about more casual badminton in Cambridge?

If you are a beginner or casual player, we recommend getting involved in college-level badminton instead. Colleges often have open club nights for casual play. There is also the College League and the Cuppers tournament, administered by CUBaC. To find out more, get in contact with your College captain.

Alternatively, you could play in a local club, names of which could be found on the BE Club Finder or the South Cambs League website.