Graham Henderson appointed President of Alpha Badminton Club

Appointed at the club’s AGM last week, Henderson, who joined the Lisburn club as a 19 year old went on win quite a haul of Ulster and Irish titles during the 1980s and 1990s, which were something of a halcyon era at the club, and he was also a member of three Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games sides in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Graham said: “It is a real honour to be invited to succeed Bill as President of the club and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bob Colhoun who continues in his role of Chairman after over fifty-odd years as honorary secretary.

“Here at Alpha we now have facilities to be proud of with the recent upgrade and investment which was long overdue, but like all sports and clubs today we must ensure we are offering members a quality experience and product

“It is a very competitive environment we find ourselves in and we must be offering a first-class and structured coaching system for the hosts of youngsters who are choosing badminton over other sports.

“The youth policy at Alpha is legendary and has kept the club at the top over the years and we will be providing parents with some feedback as to how the young players are progressing and how they can reach their full potential.

“Of late there has been a drop in the numbers participating and we will be encouraging more to enter events at both Ulster and Irish levels.”