Dale Kinley played all kinds of sports when he was growing up in Stonewall, but by the time he was a teenager, he was focused on badminton.
“It’s very dynamic and explosive,” said Kinley, who used to compete in the sport nationally. “One of my favourite things when you’re playing is the sound the bird makes when it’s coming off a racquet. It’s a really sharp sound.”
The 32-year-old is hearing that sound a lot these days. Last month, he opened C1/DK Badminton in Winnipeg’s Chevrier neighbourhood.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Dale Kinley, manager and co-owner of C1/DK Badminton (left), rallies Friday with fellow coach Kyi Nichols. The 31,000-square-foot centre helps fill a void in the city, says the executive director of the Manitoba Badminton Association.
Located down the street from Century Arena, at 2-101 Hamelin St., the 31,000-square-foot facility houses 16 pro courts.
It’s the largest dedicated facility for the popular racquet sport in Manitoba and only the province’s second; Prairie Badminton opened its nine-court facility in St. Boniface in 2019.
Kinley’s business partner is former Olympian Darryl Yung, who operates four other locations in B.C., Alberta and Florida under the name ClearOne Badminton.
Kinley has spent time training at ClearOne’s first location in Richmond, B.C., where Yung lives, and the business partners have known each other for almost 20 years.
Yung describes Kinley as a great athlete and coach who has made significant contributions to the keystone province’s badminton community. That made partnering with him an easy decision.
“It was a natural place to go,” said Yung, 52. “In Manitoba, indoor sports are popular and we just feel the Manitoba Badminton Association is doing a good job in promoting the sport.”
The Manitoba Badminton Association has about 2,000 registered players, according to Corey Draper, executive director.
He estimates there are an additional 2,000 to 4,000 people who play the sport recreationally or through clubs not affiliated with the association.
Most badminton clubs in Winnipeg rent out evening time slots in school gymnasiums. Only the largest, housed at the Winnipeg Winter Club, has permanent, dedicated courts.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
C1/DK Badminton Centre, which opened up a few weeks ago in Linden Woods, is the largest dedicated facility for the popular racquet sport in Manitoba and only the province’s second.
“We’re excited to see a new facility dedicated to badminton,” Draper said. “Hopefully, it creates opportunities for more players.”
Kinley said when he was a teenager, Fort Garry was a prominent neighbourhood for badminton.
When the Wildewood Club was demolished in 2016 to make way for a condo and townhouse development, it left a gap in southwest Winnipeg when it came to badminton.
That made the Hamelin Street location attractive.
“It’s kind of been lacking a place for people to play over here for a number of years,” Kinley said.
C1/DK Badminton is designed to cater to players of all levels, from people looking for a fun, recreational activity to seasoned competitors.
The facility’s services include lessons, drop-in sessions, court rentals and a pro shop that sells everything people need to play.
Next door at the Floform Countertops showroom, manager Don Rempel has been pleasantly surprised by the community’s response to C1/DK Badminton, which is open seven days a week.
“It’s been full all the time,” Rempel said, recalling a recent Monday evening when he was working late. “I couldn’t believe how many people were here. It was nuts.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Kinley, manager and co-owner of C1/DK Badminton Centre, used to compete in the sport nationally.
“We’re super pumped to have them as a neighbour.”
Kinley is looking forward to what the future holds for his new venture.
C1/DK Badminton will host the provincial association’s junior championships March 21-23, and its own all-ages tournament April 18-20.
“My goal is just for everybody to have a place to play in the community,” Kinley said.
He and the other four coaches on staff are looking forward to developing local talent. “I’d love for us maybe to someday have a national champion that comes out of here.”
aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca
Aaron Epp
Reporter
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
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