Hayleigh Whittaker

My love of badminton started at home, inspired by my dad, before I began playing more competitively at university in St Andrews. Since then, the sport has been a constant thread through my life, both on and off the court.

Much of my game was shaped by coaching from Dan Travers, who left me with one permanently lodged phrase in a Scottish accent: “Where am I going?” This is a question I still ask myself to prompt the split step now!

Since moving back home to Leeds, I’ve played across most of the West Yorkshire leagues for a variety of teams and managed to rack up some silverware along the way: Ladies A and Mixed A at the Huddersfield League Handicap Tournament, Ladies and Mixed at the Barnsley League Handicap Tournament, Castleford Division 2/3 Ladies, and Women’s Singles B gold at Bristol Swifts Cup.

Off the court, I’ve been equally involved behind the scenes. I’ve been a secretary at Ossett Badminton Club since 2018 and joined the Huddersfield League Committee in 2019. I was also proud to support the creation of ladies' tournaments in the Barnsley League — something I hope encouraged more women to get involved in competitive play.

I’m now (going to be) making the move to Morpeth and am excited to find a new club and leagues to compete in. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the badminton community up there, both as a player and in whatever way I can contribute off the court.