A New Era of Club Team Badminton: Introducing the National Badminton League
Get ready for a brand-new way to compete! Badminton Scotland is launching a pilot National Badminton League for the 2026/27 season, bringing teams from across Scotland together for three weekends of competitive badminton, team spirit and the chance to test yourself against players from across the country.
The league will feature three divisions – Gold, Silver and Bronze – giving teams the opportunity to compete at a level that matches their standard and experience. With promotion and relegation built into the competition, every fixture will count and there will always be something to play for!
NBL League specifications – pilot season.pdf
What are the different divisions in the NBL?
- There are three divisions: Gold, Silver and Bronze. These should be viewed the same as Gold, Silver and Bronze events on the Tournament Calendar.
- Please follow new Senior Tournament Level Guidelines.
How many teams are there in each division?
- 6 teams in each division.
Can I enter more than one team for my club?
- Yes. Clubs can enter teams in more than one division, but may not have more than one team in the same division.
What are the competition dates?
- Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th October 2026
- Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th January 2027
- Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May 2027
All teams must be available to compete on all 6 of these dates.
What is the entry fee?
- £400 per team paid in three instalments. £100 deposit paid by the 14th September; £100 paid by 9th October (ahead of the first weekend); £200 paid by the 4th January (ahead of the second weekend)
- This will allow us to run the event at a break-even position, allowing us to cover our costs (including venue hire, venue operations, shuttles, volunteer expenses, prizes).
- The total entry fee works out at the equivalent of £22 per player per weekend for a team fielding the minimum of 6 players. Each player can expect to play between 8-12 matches per weekend.
- Clubs entering more than one team will receive a 10% discount per team entered.
Where will the competition be held?
- TBC. However, likely at least one, maybe two weekends will take place at the Sir Craig Reedie Centre in Glasgow, and at least one weekend will be at another central location.
What are the player eligibility requirements?
- Must be a Badminton Scotland member
- Must have been born in 2010 or earlier
- Must have your club registered on their JustGo profile
How many players per team?
- Minimum of 6 players. At least 4 male and 2 female players
- Players are allowed play a maximum of 3 matches per tie
Can the team composition change?
- Yes. Team composition can change for each weekend, as long as all players are genuine members of your club and this corresponds to the information on their JustGo profile.
What is the event and scoring format?
- Scoring is best of 3×15
- 7 rubbers: 3x men’s doubles, 1x women’s doubles, 3x mixed doubles
- Each team will play each other twice throughout the course of the season
- Players may not play more than 2 men’s or 2 mixed doubles per tie
- Teams may not field the same pairing more than once per tie
Other requirements:
- Each team must provide a squad list in advance of the first NBL weekend, by 9 October 2026. If a player is not included on that squad list, they may not play in the NBL at any point in Season 2026/27
- Players can only represent one team each season in the NBL. Please note, if you represent one team in the NBL, you cannot represent a different team in the same season in other Badminton Scotland competitions such as the Scottish Cup and Tartan Cup