About Pan Badminton
Pan Badminton is a branch of Pan Idræt Copenhagen and Pan Idræt Frederiksberg and is open to members of the LGBTI+ family of all ages and their friends. Since we started up in 1998, our membership has grown to include more than 100 members.
Anyone can join
In terms of both level and age, the range is quite broad. We have members who have played for many years, members who have only recently swapped their “yard racket” for the real deal, and everything in between those two. It’s important for us to have such range in the club because we want everyone to feel included. We’re not aiming to achieve an elite level across the board and as such we do not run intense sessions where members are pushed through exhausting drills and routines. We are primarily a social club in which all members just happen to be crazy about badminton. And most importantly, you should always be able to find someone around your own level to play matches with.
If you want to find out more about Pan Badminton or want to drop by for a free training session or two, free to contact us directly at badminton@panidraet.dk or just use the contact form below.
More than just badminton
One of our main focus points is to foster a good social environment in our club. It’s important to us that our members feel welcome and included, not just for the first few weeks but for their entire membership period. We have an informal, warm, jovial and friendly atmosphere in Pan Badminton, and we’ll always do our utmost to make new members feel welcome and comfortable among us. It is a tradition that some of our more experienced players help and guide beginners during matches by offering tips and tricks along the way so new players can adjust and hone their skills gradually without it seeming like a formal coaching session.
Playing badminton in Pan is a great way to meet other LGBTI+ people. We have a great sense of social cohesion in Pan Badminton and there’s a vast social network to be found, not only in Pan Badminton but also across all of Pan’s sports clubs. Therefore, members of Pan Badminton have ample opportunity to meet new potential friends from other Pan clubs since Pan Idræt often arranges communal events for all members under the Pan umbrella.
Several times a year, Pan Badminton arranges fun, themed mini tournaments for Halloween, Christmas, etc. These events are not competitive and are purely meant as a bit of fun and are a way to shake up the player constellation a bit so we can all meet and play with someone we’ve never had the pleasure of playing with before. In Pan Badminton, we also arrange a club championship every year and finish up with a dinner and/or party in the evening. Any member can participate in all these events, regardless of level.
Apart from that, many members also travel abroad to participate in LGBTI+ tournaments in different (primarily) European cities throughout the year. In August 2015, 40 of Pan Badminton’s members went to Stockholm to participate in Eurogames. In May 2016, we went to Berlin to participate in the biggest international tournament in Europe, and in the Summer of 2016, we went to Eurogames in Helsinki.
For Copenhagen Pride Week in August 2016, Pan Badminton hosted The Copenhagen Cup in which 50 players from 8 different countries traveled to Copenhagen to join our tournament.
In August 2019, we once again hosted Copenhagen Cup, this time with 132 participants from 17 different countries.
In 2021, we will be hosting the badminton tournament in Eurogames which will be a part of Copenhagen2021: the biggest LGBTI+ event of the year.
Although there is a competitive element to these tournaments, many members participate in them just to have some fun and to meet new people and make new friends from our great big rainbow badminton family. All tournaments allow players from all levels, and the atmosphere is always warm and inviting, so anyone can join the fun.
Apart from the vast array of court-related activities above, Pan Badminton also arranges communal dinners, café trips, training bootcamps, bowling nights, BBQs, picnics, etc. outside of training hours throughout the year, so there’s ample opportunity to get acquainted with other members off court as well.
So, if you’re new in Copenhagen, new to the LGBTI+ community, or if you just want to make some new LGBTI+ friends, Pan Badminton offers a vast array of opportunities to forge new friendships with badminton as a focal point and to become part of the bigger community.
Want a free trial session?
You can always get in touch to arrange a trial session. If you don’t have a racket or shuttlecocks, we’ll arrange for you to borrow some for the trial. All trial sessions are completely free, so don’t hold back if you want to come and check out the club before signing up. We play badminton three days a week and the constellation of members attending will always be different from one training day to the next. So, for a period of two weeks, you may join all the training sessions you want in order to get a better understanding of what the training sessions are like. The two week trial period will start the day of your first trial session.
Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll get back to you to work out a day that suits you best.
See you on the courts 😊
Where and when? Training times in the regular season (September-May)
Pan Badminton has different times and venues in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. We generally don’t play with one specific partner but mix and match with whoever has turned up to training, so we end up playing with someone who is on the same level. So, everyone who attends the training session will be able to play, even if they don’t know anyone in the club. You don’t need to bring a partner in order play.
In our club, no one should sit around on the bench waiting to play while others just mix and match on court and keep playing. We want everyone to have the opportunity to play and have a great training session.
We play Singles, Doubles and Mix. For most training sessions, the concept is open/free training, but on Wednesdays we have a coaching session for beginners and early intermediates. We’re now beginning to introduce a training session on some Fridays for upper intermediates and advanced players.
Monday: 21.00-23.00 Open training.
Free play without coaching for all members. Shuttlecocks on sale in the sports hall’s reception.
Venue: Mariendals-Hallen Hall B, Mariendalsvej 21C, 2000 Frederiksberg (see map)
Number of courts: 4
Wednesday:
Training with coach open to all members 20.00 - 21.00
Open training without coach on all courts: 21.00-23.00
Coaching session for beginners and lower intermediates 20.00-21.00. Coaching level can be adjusted according to participants levels. These sessions are optional, but we recommend that new players start off here. Courts that are not reserved for coaching can be used for free play. Usually, we reserve 6 courts for coaching and 3 for open training.
Venue: DGI-Byen Idrætshallen (the large hall), Tietgensgade 65, 1704 Copenhagen V (see map)
Number of courts: 9
Friday: 19.00-22.00: Open training for all members.
Free play without coaching for all members on all courts. On some Fridays, there will be coaching events for one hour on half of the courts. These coaching sessions are for upper intermediate and advanced level players.
Shuttlecocks can be purchased at a discounted member price from the steering committee members.
Venue: Grøndal MultiCenter Halls J and K, Hvidkildevej 64, 2400 Copenhagen NV (see map)
Number of courts: 10
Sunday: 18.00-21.00
Frit spil uden instruktør på alle baner 18.00-21.00
Summer training
Pan Badminton we cannot go on summer breaks, so we’re not closed during the summer. There’ll be fewer training days than usual, but we usually still have two weekly sessions, so there’ll be ample opportunity to get our badminton fix even when the rest of the country is in vacation mode. We’re not guaranteed fixed summer venues, but feel free to contact us badminton@panidraet.dk if you want to find out where we’re playing this summer.
Teams and the team tournament 2021/22
Pan Badminton currently has one mix team playing in Copenhagen’s team tournament in series 30.
There’s an amazing social atmosphere on the team, and our club is well-known to give it our best and fight for every point during team games.
Of course, our main focus is to have fun, but when we bring our A game to the matches, those other clubs better watch out on them courts.
New members are always welcome in Pan Badminton, so if you’ve got a smashing badminton career (see what we did there?) under your belt, that’s been hibernating for a while, why not dust off the old racket and come play with us? Of course, alle levels are welcome, so even if you’re more in the middle of the level spectrum or just starting out, we’ll be happy to welcome you to our ranks.
Pan Badminton's 1st team
Holdleder: Benjamin Hansen.
The club's first team plays in series 2 in the Copenhagen tournament.
Our 1st team of course counts our best players in the club, who are both former youth elite players and adult starters, who over the years have trained themselves to be among the best in the club.
Pan Badminton’s 2nd team
Team leader: Gitte Rynning.
Our 2nd team play in series 30 of the Copenhagen tournament.
The team is comprised of the best of our amazing “hobby players” most of whom only started playing badminton in their adult years. Pan Badminton is also considering entering a men’s team in the Copenhagen tournament in the 2022/23 season.
Fees
The membership fee for Pan Badminton is 400 DKK per six months. First installment is paid at registration and after that payment is due every January and July.
Members are required to join Pan Idræt first (390 DKK annually).
Shuttlecock sale
Shuttlecocks are not included in the membership fee but can be purchased at a discounted price through the club on Wednesdays and Fridays. Contact a steering committee member if you need to buy shuttlecocks.
Mariendalshallen - Monday
Shuttlecocks available for sale at the information desk. Payment can be made by card.
DGI-Byen - Wednesday
We have a small supply of shuttlecocks for sale. Payment exclusively by MobilePay.
Grøndal Multicenter - Friday
Shuttlecocks on sale all Fridays (when in stock). Payment exclusively by MobilePay.
Pictures
Steering Committee for Badminton
We work to ensure that our members have good sporting and social experiences.
Ümit Roman Öztürk
Chairman
Rikko Steengaard
Treasurer
Benjamin Hansen
PR- og Eventansvarlig
Henrik Skibsted Als
Turneringsansvarlig
Jakob Guldbæk Mikkelsen
Halansvarlig