Cholan Kayan is bringing Northern spirit to the National Badminton League
Article Source: https://www.badmintonengland.co.uk/news/2025/october/23/ch/
Cholan Kayan is excited to show off the North West’s badminton exploits in all their glory ahead of the National Badminton League’s (NBL) exciting relaunch.
The 22-year-old is part of the new Manchester Badminton team for the revamped domestic franchise competition which begins on Monday 3 November starting with Manchester’s trip to Milton Keynes for a clash with Team Skyfall.
University of Nottingham, the Saxons, Bristol Bullets and Loughborough University make up the remainder of the six teams who will battle it out across a round robin of fixtures culminating in the Super Weekend showdown in May 2026 to determine the 2025/26 champions.
And with Manchester set to represent Lancashire and the north of England in general, Kayan is ready to bring some northern culture to the NBL.
“I’m really excited, especially that this is the first year Manchester is going to be part of the NBL,” said Kayan, who hails from Sale. “Even the previous version of the NBL, there was never a team from the North. I’m just really thrilled that there’s now a Manchester team, and being from Manchester myself, it’s great to be a part of it.”
The league will feature an exciting new format that’ll see each fixture consist of five events: Open Singles, Women’s Singles, Open Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
There will be one match per event, with each match made up of two games to 15 points, with no extended play. The winning side will have their points from both games added together plus an additional 'win bonus' of five points.
Each team's points will be added to the team's 'totaliser' - a running cumulation across all five events in each fixture. If during a match the score is tied 1-1 in games, a 'shoot out' will decide the outcome of the event with the first side to five points set to receive the five bonus points.
Every player will be representing their community. And remember, in this format...Every Point Matters 😬
Win or lose your match or your fixture, every point your team scores in the new-look National Badminton League will go towards a totaliser which will determine your league standing and how close you come to qualifying for the Finals weekend in May.
The NBL is going to be impossible to ignore - because we’re here to make a racket! 🏸
Get updated on all the rules, the format, the fixtures and the teams involved in this year's NBL by visiting the Badminton England website!
#EveryPointMatters
The changes are designed to promote the sport to new audiences, bringing a new level of excitement and intrigue to the game, and Kayan is all for the alterations.
He said: "You can’t be napping at the beginning of any game! Mainly it should hopefully mean more engaging play for spectators because every game is only to 15, and if it goes to three, it’s only first to five.
“Every point counts, which is also really good because no one will just give up thinking they’ve lost a set. Someone could be playing a lot stronger opponent, but if you look at the actual league table, even a single point could make a big difference.”
The NBL was originally launched in 2014 before returning in 2023-24 with a pilot season after a six-year hiatus. The league’s revamp is aimed at not only improving the standard of the sport in England, but to capture the imagination of new players and encourage them to play badminton.
It's an opportunity for England's best to show what they can do on home shores, and after winning a silver medal at the recent Future Series in Slovenia, Kayan is ready to do just that.
Kayan added: “The whole aim of the NBL is to inspire the younger generation, to get more people playing badminton, and that’s vitally important.
"Countries like France, for example, have really started to excel and improve badminton levels collectively. That’s something we want to do in England and the NBL will help us get there. Then as a team and as a country, we’ll get better as well.”
The league also sees a more prominent role for female players in an effort to improve league equality.
Lizzie Tolman, 26, from Liverpool is keen to fly the flag for women’s sport after a summer which saw England’s women win both Euro 25 and the Rugby World Cup.
“It’s really important," said Tolman, who will also represent Manchester Badminton.
"I’ve played in other leagues where men have had more of the matches than the women, and I think it’s really good that we’ve set the precedent with it being equal, with women having just as many spots in the team as the men.
“It’s so important that young girls see female role models in sport and know that that’s another pathway for them. Over the summer there have been plenty of examples of that, so I think it’s great that we can keep that going forward.”
Find out more about the NBL here
