ALL ENGLAND HISTORY

The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament.

Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first open tournament held in Guildford in 1898. The tournament was successfully organised in April 4, 1899, however only three categories (Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles) were originally staged. Both Men's and Women's Singles were added the following year.

The first two tournaments were named "Badminton Association Tournament. It was eventually considered (especially after the first Thomas Cup series in 1949) the unofficial World Badminton Championships until 1977 when the International Badminton Federation launched its official championships. The tournaments were halted twice: during World War I from 1915 to 1919 and World War II from 1940 to 1946.

Since 1984 the tournament has been exclusively sponsored by Yonex.

   1899 to 1901 (3)     HQ London Scottish Regiment Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate
   1902 (1)                Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Kent
   1903 to 1909 (7)    London Rifle Brigades City Headquarters, Bunhill Hill, London
   1910 to 1939 (25)  The Royal Horticultural Hall,Vincent Square, London
   1947 to 1949 (3)    Haringay Arena, London
   1950 to 1956 (7)    Empress Hall, Earls Court, London
   1957 to 1993 (37)  Wembley Arena, London
   1994 to date          National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
  


2011 Site

 

2010 Site

More information on the All England Open Badminton Championships on Wikipedia