Badminton shoes only footwear policy is in force now.

"Badminton shoes only" footwear policy is in force now. As we have been advising all members and public during the last 2 months via website, social media and notice boards at the centre we are now strictly implementing this footwear policy.

Thanks to our friends from Otahuhu badminton club who have assisted in setting up the sign and we are adopting the same policy for NZ Badminton Centre.

We are aware that the new policy may have put off some of the players and some casual players have attempted to give negative feedback in an attempt to allow all types of "Non-Marking shoes" which many have been using in the past. We have also received much positive feedback to enforce the "badminton shoes only" policy from competitive and advanced players in order to maintain the quality of the courts and for player safety.

The primary reason for the change from "Non-Marking shoe" policy to "Badminton shoe only" policy is Player safety and to minimise injuries.
Non-Marking shoe policy is sufficient generally to protect the court mats but insufficient to protect or minimise injuries of players.

Some of the reasons for the change in policy

We have seen numerous ankle injuries at the centre on a regular basis.
We have seen damages to court mats resulting from non-marking shoes from other sports
Many Players & account holders have failed to observe non-Marking shoe policy and attempted to use wide range of shoes compromising health & safety.
The black/white marks from shoes have significantly increased requiring extensive cleaning.
Extensive cleaning has been making the court mats more & more slippery.
Numerous players ended up cleaning or paying for special cleaning, caused by their shoes.
Due to the heavy foot traffic at the centre it has become very difficult to monitor in the event players/account holders failed to self-monitor.

Some of the commonly asked questions and answers

This is seriously affecting casual players and they cannot justify buying professional badminton shoes which are expensive.
There are plenty of sources available to get Badminton shoes from less than $50. In fact we have been sourcing badminton shoes in the range $59-69 and helping all players. From next week our proshop will have good stock of low-priced badminton shoes from $59.

Casual players just play for fun and less chances of injuries. Why can't we allow casual players to wear casual footwear?
Most of the injuries happen to casual players only and during fun games compared to serious competitive players. Casual players do not have proper footwork or skills to move correctly. Badminton specific shoe will help them hugely.

What about children aged 6 - 15? They are only learning to hit and play very softly only. Why don't we allow them to wear shoes they like and they prefer various casual type shoes?
Children generally tend to run very fast and out of control. They do not know or follow any footwork. Their joints and bones and much weaker than adults. They do require more protection than adults. 

As a result of new footwear policy some casual players have not been able play or denied entry to the facility until they secure badminton shoes. This may have been interpreted as rude staff or poor management at the centre. We strongly believe that it's the best approach for the benefit of all players. We kindly ask all players to understand the reasons which are primarily for their own safety.  Invest in some proper badminton shoes which only cost same as the value of 2hrs of casual court fees and enjoy the games. If you are someone choosing to abuse in public or social media about the centre policy or staff we would rather encourage you to find a community centre or facility where any type of footwear is allowed.