Irelands Tom Reidy prepares players for the Irish Open

Olympic badminton player Tom Reidy was in Dublin this week coaching at Badminton Ireland's High Performance Centre in Marino College, Dublin.

"I'm impressed. We had the senior squad players here such as Scott Evans and Chloe Magee, plus up and coming players,, training twice a day. The set-up is absolutely fantastic."

Reidy comes from Adare, the Co Limerick town that also produced Pat Marron and a number of other top ranked players in the 1970s, thanks to the hard work of Brother Dwane, a local Christian brother and an inspired coach both of football and badminton.

By the age of 14, Reidy was reckoned the best U-18 player in Munster and although equally good at football, opted to concentrate on his badminton.

Ireland in the 1980s was not the place for a young lad wanting to make his way in the world and when he left school, Reidy went to England with the aim of winning a European Junior title. He got close, taking silver.

Next stop was the USA. "There was no work here in the 1980s. I went to the USA not for my sport but to get a job and a future. I found myself playing badminton over there and I was lucky - the association funded my degree, so I would study and play part time. When I hear the kids telling me they can't train because they're studying for the leaving Cert that's what I tell them. I studied for my degree and qualified for the Olympics.

Reidy was soon established as one of the top players in the USA and was something of a doubles specialist. For the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where badminton was part of he programme for the first time, he teamed up with Benny Lee on the US team. They swept aside a Portuguese pair in the opening round and then went out to a pair from Indonesia.

"Then in 1994, I got the chance to play in Sweden in a professional league. Sweden was producing lots of good players and it was the place to go to. I played as a pro for two years, then met my wife and decided to stay."

At that time, he wasn't planning to start coaching. "I kind of fell into coaching really. The English player Steven Butler was appointed as head coach in the USA and he asked me to join him. I was his assistant for a year before coming back to Sweden where I was involved in club coaching with Gِteborgs BK and also with the national squad, including the U-17 and U19 players."

A stint at the Swedish national badminton centre in Malmo followed, during which time, Irish squad players, including Chloe Magee and later, her brother Sam, trained with Reidy. "Chloe came to me when she was only 17 in 2006 and we had two brilliant years when she qualified for the 2008 Olympics." There was also success for Sam, who teamed up with French player Sylvain Grosjean to win a European junior doubles title in 2009.

While he enjoyed his time in Malmo, Reidy found the commute from his home and young family in Goteborg a strain. Last year, he quit.
"I'm working for the prison service now - my degree was in criminology. I still do a bit of coaching part time and coach a few players privately , as well as a few other bits and pieces."

He was delighted to get the call from Richard Vaughan, an old buddy from their days as young players and now CEO of Badminton Ireland.

"I think the set-up here is very good and will help both players and coaches get what they need to improve. I'm seeing lots of talented players - the challenge for them is to keep going."

Top priority is a long-term plan. "I didn't do a lot of planning in my career, but it is vital. Too many promising players think they'll give it a year or two. That's not how it works -it can take seven or eight years of hard training before you get anywhere. It takes commitment."

In strong badminton nations such as England and Sweden, promising young players get the chance to combine training and education. "It's important to have something for when you stop playing. A lot of the players from my time are now doctors, physios, teachers - they're in good jobs. That's why it's vital to sit down with your parents, your teachers and your coaches and plan for the future."

Young players must be prepared to make sacrifices. "When I was at college and training, it was study, training, training, study and nothing else. There was no such thing as late nights or going out at weekends and yes, it can be lonely. Outsiders often don't realise just how hard it is to make it in badminton."

Above all, players must love their sport, especially since only a small minority will make it to world and Olympic class. "If you're 18, you can't train full-time - you must have something else. Very few players earn their living from badminton. You must work hard, be patient and remember your goals - and have fun!"

* Chleo Magee, Scott Evans, Sam Magee plus members of the National Academy will play top international opposition at the Irish Open in Baldoyle December 5-9.