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Badminton in Hull has a long history in the city going back to 1912 and is believed to be the oldest 'pure' badminton club in England. In the early years, the club's base changed a number of times before settling on its present site at Chanterlands Avenue in the city in 1937.

Although the building was serviceable, after nearly seventy years of continuous use it was felt players would benefit greatly from some improvements and increase their standing on the world stage. An ambitious plan was put in place to secure funding from Sport England to refurbish the centre.

Paul Pratt is the Badminton Centre Committee Chairman and was charged with overseeing the project. A keen player himself since his early school days, he moved to the city in the late 1980's and became an integral part of the club's administration structure. In his interview Paul explains how the refurbishment came about and the support the club has received from Badminton England and Sport England to bring the project to fruition. He says it was a difficult balancing act. The criteria set by Sport England public funding of Β£456,000 was exacting and yet he had to ensure the expectations of the players would be met.

The refurbishment began in April and was undertaken by a local firm, who were responsible for the construction of the original facilities many years ago. The centre was officially opened 6th September and Paul is looking forward to seeing more people come through the doors to use the facilities.

The club is home to the Great Britain Deaf Squad and people travel from all over the country to use the facilities and take part in tournaments. The club is home to some local notable players including Carl Sadler who started with the Great Britain Squad in 1996. Janet Thompson who narrowly missed the Bulgaria Games of 1993 came late to the game but has embraced the world of the Deaf Games since finding out about them and she now plays a leading role in the running of the club too.

Paul says that the 2012 London Olympic Games are something that coaches and players at the club are already thinking about. He says its important they identify talent now which will reach its peak in 2012. They want to encourage as many young newcomers as possible to come along and learn skills in the best environment possible to become the badminton stars of the future. Something which he sincerely believes the 'new' Hull Badminton centre will help provide.