BADMINTON is set to get a major boost in the district -- if a lottery grant application is successful.

Keighley Badminton Club has drawn up a scheme to take the sport to a new generation of young people with a new junior section. Senior players will provide specialist coaching as they give time back to the sport.

"It is a great game and provided a huge number of people throughout the district with a lot of fun and built friendships as well as helping the to keep fit over the years. However, the number of young people coming into the sport has dropped in recent years," said club match secretary Tim Shipman who is working to develop the new scheme.

He will be working alongside club secretary Ashley Reed and the two men are taking coaching courses to prepare for a hectic winter.

In the 1980's the Keighley Club turned out a total of 16 teams with five in the Craven League, eight playing in the Bradford League and three in the Yorkshire League. A constant drain of playing talent meant that last season they had just six teams, all playing in the Bradford League.

The club didn't have a junior policy and there were few young players moving up to take the place of those who were retiring from the sport.

"We decided that something had to be done. We have enjoyed the sport since we were at school and want to give other young people the chance to take part," Tim said.

The club is set to apply for £5,000 from the Awards For All Fund, which provides small grants to local groups. The money will be used to hire courts at Greenhead School and buy all the equipment needed for the coaching sessions.

A new junior section called the Keighley Cobras is to be formed and it is planned to offer places to a total of 60 young people in the age groups 6-10 years and 11-16 with coaching sessions at Greenhead on Sunday mornings

"We want to provide everything free of charge so that no children are excluded from the sport. They won't even need to buy a racket to get started," he said.