What started as a casual conversation over lunch has grown into an ambitious project aiming to change the landscape of women’s badminton. During the German Open earlier this year, Mia Blichfeldt sat down with fellow players Kirsty Gilmour and Kira to discuss an idea that had been on her mind for some time.

Mia Blichfeldt;
“Yes, it was during German Open in like the end of the February, beginning of March, and me, Kirsty Gilmour and Ciara Torrence, we were having a lunch and a coffee and we were just casually sitting and talking and I've been thinking for a while that I really wanted to share like my idea with like making a league only for girls and women and I saw my moment and I brought it up and they were really like into the idea and really caught my thoughts and also had their own like vision and opinion on like how things can be and how things maybe should be…”

After returning home, Blichfeldt reached out to Debora Jille, who immediately supported the idea. From there, the vision expanded beyond a single competition.

“…from this day on we started working on more than just the league, we really wanted to build a community for girls and women and also like bringing girls and women together for a bigger thing than only the league, like to help each other when we are traveling, training camps, educationally wise, and that's how we came up with Women's Badminton Collective.”

The Collective has already begun its work through workshops, something Blichfeldt finds especially meaningful as an active elite player.

“It has been really good, I'm really into the like role model, give to the next generation, I think it's really important and I think when I had the age of like 17, 18, 19, I would have loved to be inspired by the best women singers at that point and be like close to them, so to be able to give back while I'm still an active player on my top level is really cool I think.”

Now, with the first edition of the Women’s Badminton League approaching, Blichfeldt has experienced the sport from a completely new perspective — that of an organizer.

“Yeah, well it's been overwhelming and really fun and I have learned so many things that I never thought I should know anything about and I'm also really like aware of now when I go to my next tournament on the world tour that I will appreciate it way more, like the whole like organizing team, the whole event, the volunteers…”

One of the core ideas behind the league is to rethink how badminton events engage players and fans.

“For the women's badminton league we really try to like see out of the box, like think out of the box, we want to bring the girls closer to us, the fans closer to us, we want them to like engage and not only be on the stands.”

The league introduces elements such as halftime shows, social media challenges, live music, DJs, and a dedicated speaker to create a vibrant atmosphere inside the hall.

At its heart, the Women’s Badminton Collective is about inspiration and opportunity for the next generation. When asked what her younger self would have thought of the project, Blichfeldt was clear.

“I think I would have been all over it like I think I would have been like following the media every day…”

She describes how young players from Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland and beyond are being included through training sessions and workshops during the event.

“…for me it's what do you say like alpha omega that all the girls who's like an ambassador for the collective is giving back to the girls of like the new generation of us and that's like the whole spirit of the project…”

Ultimately, the goal is to show young female players what is possible.

“I want the next girl on like 16 17 years old to be like I also want to be like them I want to be top 10 player I want to be world champion…”

And when asked what she hopes to inspire in young girls dreaming of a career in badminton, Blichfeldt summed it up clearly.

“you can go far as a female badminton player you can live with it like economically also like you don't have to have a job aside or do an education you can really focus on this and it can be a way like a lifestyle but also a way of living”

With the launch of the Women’s Badminton League, the Women’s Badminton Collective is taking some big step toward turning that vision into reality.