The Scottish International Masters Championships

The Event

First held in 2000, the Scottish International Masters took place at Inverclyde NTC, Largs until 2016 before moving to the Sir Craig Reedie Badminton Centre, Glasgow. The 2026 edition will be held 16 – 18 January, again in Glasgow.

In 2026 Scotland will play Ireland on 16 January (0930-1430) prior to the start of the Scottish International Masters. Scotland will play England the following year for the The Robert McCoig MBE Trophy.

The Robert McCoig Match

Everything about the historic match match between England and Scotland.

Your Content Goes Here

This match was inaugurated in January 2000 to celebrate the memory of the greatest badminton player Scotland had produced. Robert McCoig was born in 1937 and began playing badminton in the early fifties at his local church club in Greenock. He was encouraged by his parents, and his Uncle Robert, a former internationalist.

In 1956, at the age of eighteen, he made his debut for Scotland and went on to represent his country some sixty-seven times before his retirement from International play in 1976. Robert dominated Scottish badminton for a period of twenty years. He won fifteen National singles titles and a host of doubles and mixed titles with a variety of partners. He won the Scottish Open singles title four times, as well as many other international events.

In 1976 he won Scotland’s first badminton medal at a Commonwealth Games in partnership with Muriel Woodcock. On court, he was a tough competitor as it is possible to meet, but he was always courteous and scrupulously fair. Off court he was charming, friendly, and the best possible ambassador for Scottish Badminton. His name, as a player and as a person, is remembered around the world with respect and affection.

In 1974 he was honoured with the award of MBE for his services to Scottish Badminton. Robert had a great interest in the history of the game, and was punctilious about accuracy, as Mac Henderson recalls. “The Herald, one of Scotland’s premier daily newspapers, recently ran a series of articles on the whereabouts of erstwhile famous Scottish Sportspersons, and Robert was included in the series. After reading the article on Robert, I phoned him to say what a good article it was. He agreed, but quickly asked if I had picked up the mistake made by the writer. I had to admit that I had not. The article stated that Robert had been Captain of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team – a great honour for Scottish Badminton – in 1970 rather than 1974. Robert went on to explain that, as well as abhorring the inaccuracy, he was concerned that the wife and family of Crawford Fairbrother, who had actually been the Captain in 1970 and who was now dead, might have read the article and been upset by the mistake.”

Many people here today will have their own memories of Robert McCoig. Right up until the time of his death he was a regular attraction at Masters tournaments, constantly adding to his list of titles and his circle of friends. One of his great ambitions was to be in a Scottish Team which defeated England. He never quite managed that but this match ensures that his name remains linked to the contest between the two countries, and so the hope lives on.

The initial match was held at Inverclyde NTC, Largs on Friday 21st January 2000. England sealed the victory by 18 matches to 6. The Robert McCoig International truly started the strong competition between both countries and has attracted some of the very best of British players over the years.

The event celebrated the 25th Anniversary in 2025.

You can view results from the 2025 event at the link below.

Badminton Scotland – Robert McCoig Match 2025 – Organization

Information For Competitors

Here you will find details of transportation, practice courts and entry information.

Information For Competitors

Here you will find details of the invitation, hotel, venue and Saturday evening Ceilidh Social.

Find Out More

All information for the Scottish International Masters 2026 can be viewed below (when available).

Click here for the official invitation (when available)

Click here to enter online and view the draws (when available)

Click here for the official hotel and accomodation (when available)

Click here for the Saturday Evening Social – Ceilidh

Click here for visa support request form

The seeding and the draw will be done by the organisation team.

Draw: To be published on 7 January 2026.

Practice Courts: There will be no practice courts available.

Transport: Players are responsible for their own transport arrangements.

Competition organiser: Peter Dean (Head of Events) peter@badmintonscotland.org.uk 

Officials & Volunteers

We are always looking to welcome volunteers and officials into our team.

 

We rely on volunteers to help us make the event happen and we offer opportunities in a variety of roles including transportation, hospitality and stewarding.

If you have a passion for delivering sporting events, we’d love to hear from you. Email volunteer@badmintonscotland.org.uk to contact us

Accommodation

Here you will find details of accommodation.

To be confirmed