Sian Kelly followed her love for badminton all the way to the High School having moved from Leeds so that she could train at Loughborough University. So when we found out Sian Kelly (LHS 2019) had made her full international debut as part of the England Badminton team at the European Mixed Team Championships in December, we reached out to find out more about her journey and where her love for badminton came from.
How long have you been playing badminton and where did your passion for the sport come from?
I started playing when I was 6 years old! I went along to one of my brother’s badminton sessions to try the sport for the first time, and loved it. Ever since then, I gradually started playing and training more and more, and as I got older, I stopped playing other sports like netball, tennis, and football to focus on my badminton training.
How did the High School support your badminton training/schedule when you were at school?
They were super lenient with things like registration and free periods, allowing me to come in later than others so that I could train early in the morning before school and whenever I had free time during the day. They allowed me to travel to competitions and would help me by giving me material to take away with me to study, or would help me to catch up quickly after I returned. This helped me massively to manage my time and not lose out on too much education time whilst being busy with my badminton schedule. I’m still super grateful for this help.
What has your badminton journey looked like? Have you been to lots of competitions? Have you had any setbacks such as injuries along the way but overcome them?
I’ve been fortunate to travel all around Europe to play in competitions so far. In the near future, I hope to travel further afield to places like Asia, the US and Canada. I’m often going to at least two tournaments a month, so it’s a very busy schedule! I played in all the age groups through the England Junior Performance Programme on their national junior pathway, travelling with the team to lots of events and camps. At the age of 13, I had the biggest injury of my career so far, tearing my ACL. This led to reconstructive surgery and around 10 months out of the sport, which was very mentally challenging at such a young age. But it helped me to be resilient and allowed me to enjoy doing other things more. Thankfully since then, I’ve only had the small injuries and niggles that naturally come from training so much. At age 15, and midway through my GCSEs, I made the big decision to move cities, leaving my family and friends in Leeds to move to Loughborough to train in their elite training squad. I completed my GCSEs and A Levels whilst training every day, so had to be very on it with my time management! A decision I’m proud of, but it was, of course, challenging. When I finished school, I became a scholar at the University of Nottingham and studied there for four years whilst training four hours a day. When I graduated, I then made the decision to train full-time, achieving my place in the national team in January 2024 and moving down to Milton Keynes.
What was the process for representing England and how did you feel when you found out?
The selection is made based on tournament results and world ranking. Having had some good results this season so far, I was made aware that I’d been selected for the European Mixed Team Championships. I had a big sense of pride, having had ‘achieving my first cap’ as a big career goal for so long. I immediately rang my family to give them the good news! There was also a sense of relief, seeing that my hard work was paying off.
How did the Championships go?
It went really well! The team won against Austria, Poland, and Israel. I played in the match against Israel, winning my women’s doubles match with my doubles partner Annie. We have now qualified as a team for the European Mixed Team Championships Finals in Azerbaijan in February.
What’s next for you?
I have the English National Championships this weekend (1-2 Feb) in Nottingham, then three tournaments in March spread across different countries in Europe! So a very busy schedule for sure.
Are you a full-time athlete or do you juggle work too?
As badminton is a pretty low-income sport, I still work. I coach at a badminton academy 2-3 nights a week, and I also play for a badminton club in France, going over there 1-2 weekends a month. I’m also fortunate to have an equipment sponsor, Ashaway, who provides me with my kit and rackets to play with. This is massively helpful as badminton equipment can be super expensive, especially when you need a lot as a full-time athlete! The travel costs are expensive to fund, and I’m always looking for sponsors and help with this so I can continue to pursue my dream and travel to competitions around Europe and hopefully the world!
Can you tell us about your memories of your time at Loughborough High School? Are there any that really stand out to you?
I really enjoyed my time at the High School. Whilst I didn’t spend as much time there as most, I still have many fond memories. I think the highlight of my time there was definitely the sports tour to South Africa. The whole trip was amazing to be part of, seeing and exploring somewhere new in the world with my mates and playing some fun netball and hockey matches too!
Do you have any advice for current pupils juggling school and sports?
Be proactive. If you know you are going to be away, let everyone who needs to know, know! They’re more likely to want to help you this way. And enjoy the process of your sport and managing everything. Don’t get too wrapped up in missing out on occasions, you’ll still have plenty of time with your friends if you juggle your time right!
