Badminton Australia is proud to announce the official launch of the Melbourne Performance Hub, marking a major step forward in strengthening high-performance badminton development across the country.
The Performance Hub at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is set to become a cornerstone in advancing elite badminton in Australia and was a natural progression from the excellent work Badminton Victoria has been doing over the past five years in establishing a performance program for their junior and senior high performance athletes.With training sessions already delivered by Badminton Victoria as part of their performance program twice a week, the formalisation of the Hub will provide an even more structured environment to support the ongoing development of athletes.
The coaching team will be led by Badminton Victoria High-Performance Manager Ross Smith, who will work closely with Badminton Australia’s Head Coach, Leanne Choo, to ensure full alignment with the national high-performance strategy.
“The launch of the Melbourne Performance Hub marks an important step forward for badminton in Australia,” said National Head Coach Leanne Choo.
“The Hubs will offer athletes access to elite coaching, strong sparring opportunities, and the high-performance environment needed to excel on the badminton court.”
Badminton Victoria CEO Clint Proctor said the Melbourne Performance Hub was a key element in building a strong, long-term high-performance culture and a clear development pathway for athletes.
“We’re excited to be a part of Badminton Australia’s new decentralised high-performance system, which marks a significant milestone for our sport,” he said.
“This partnership gives us the ability to better identify and develop talent within Victoria, and to provide our state players with direct access to elite-level training and support.
“With Ross Smith stepping into the role of High-Performance Manager, we’re confident this program will create a clear pathway for our athletes to succeed at the highest level.”
Badminton Victoria High-Performance Manager Ross Smith added the new Hub would provide a consistent space for development, where athletes can build the skills, mindset, and resilience required to perform at the highest level.
“This environment allows us to tailor training programs that truly push players to reach their full potential,” he said.
“The Hub provides a professional and consistent setting for development, and I’m looking forward to helping athletes build the skills, mindset, and resilience needed to compete at the highest levels.”
The Performance Hub model aims to establish mini-centralised training environments in each state, with the goal of having a dedicated Hub in every region to raise the collective standard of badminton across the country. This vision brings together the best players within each state to train and spar regularly, creating a more competitive and high-performance environment.
With BA’s new structural change from a hybrid to a decentralised model, creating Performance Hubs is a strategic initiative to build a more sustainable and effective high-performance system across Australia.
This collaborative approach ensures that each Hub operates with a consistent standard of excellence, bridging the gap between national and international performance levels.
One of the key performance gaps identified in our What It Takes to Win (WITTW) framework is the lack of sparring opportunities. Establishing these Hubs addresses this gap by strengthening daily performance environments and creating surroundings where athletes can consistently push and challenge each other.
Badminton Australia remains committed to strengthening its national network of Performance Hubs to build a sustainable pipeline of talent for international competition.
To learn more about Badminton Australia’s High-Performance Program, head to: https://badmintona.ndweb.dev/high-performance-pathway/
