Lankan-born Canadian Badminton guru Fernando brands own Racquet
Darshana Fernando
While the Sri Lanka Badminton fraternity struggle and blame or fight one another for what they allege ‘for the love of the sport’, with no clear headway, Coach Darshana Fernando, based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, continues to reach milestones along the way. Famously known as Coach Fernando, for nurturing young Shuttlers in Canada, through his academy and throughout the world through different training programmes, he becomes the first Sri Lankan to own a brand name for Badminton.
The high profile or advance playing racquet recommended for intermediate and advanced level players, is branded as ‘Coach Fernando Model F2700′. Produced on par with the world renowned brands of Badminton racquets, the Fernando Model has all the required specifications for a high-end creation.
“It was never in my mind to come out with such a venture, but globetrotting for the past decade on Badminton coaching programmes gave me this unique idea. To be honest, my intention was to provide a fine and affordable racquet with all the high-profile specifications, for the competitors from my academy,” Fernando told the Sunday Times.
A former Sri Lanka national player and banker who moved to Canada later on, he established Fernando’s Youth Badminton Academy in 2005, in his adoptive hometown of Brampton. The academy had just 4 students at the beginning, but with interest in Badminton growing, Fernando has a cadre of close to 300 students today. He has become a busy coach, visiting around 10 or more locations around the area where training is conducted on a daily basis, with the assistance of a well qualified coaching staff.
“At the beginning, I must say, it was a difficult exercise altogether. Only those who attracted towards Badminton came to my academy, and were total strangers to the sport. But, as a coach, I too learnt new things every day and update myself whenever possible. We have high-tech equipment such as the ‘Shuttle Shooter’, along with a highly qualified coaching staff to ensure newcomers pick up Badminton fast. Today, almost all our students are taking part in top competitions held in Canada, and Fernando’s Youth Badminton Academy has earned a reputation as the only one in North America to produce fine Shuttlers. All these made me take the next step — have my own branded racquet,” Fernando revealed.
Fernando, who is on a short holiday in Sri Lanka, while travelling to a few Asia-Pacific countries for training programmes and an important BWF (Badminton World Federation) meeting, brought down few of his newly introduced Badminton gear along with him. He gave away a few to needy youngsters and some for his old Badminton colleagues too, who were proud of his venture.
“It’s made of 100% carbon fibre and weighs 90 gm, with a string tension of 22 to 26 lbs. It’s white in colour with luminous green strings and the latest isometric shape for a wider sweet shot. The racquet is tested and certified by me and it is recommended for defensive play as well as offensive play with heavy smashes. It has a good feel for backhand shots and also allows playing delicate net splits. The Coach Fernando Model F2700 can be easily recommended for intermediate and advanced level players, as it has got all what is needed from a high-profile professional racquet,” Fernando explained about the product.
Fernando also revealed he has only a handful from the first batch of 500 racquets, and the demand is increasing. The racquet has become an instant hit among all his students as well as other players in Canada and other parts of the world. To meet that demand Fernando has doubled his second order to 1,000.
“In comparison with top brands currently available in the world, the CFM F2700 meets all the requirements at a lesser price, which is only two -third of others. Of course, good quality things don’t come cheap as these are manufactured at a factory specialising in top branded racquets”.
Pix by M.A. Pushpakumara
However, Fernando does not have plans to see his brand reach Sri Lankan shores for different reasons. He reserved his comments on the current situation and the way Badminton is administered in Sri Lanka, but felt wholeheartedly for the country he represented with pride. From time to time Fernando has been approached by his former colleagues to come down and serve Sri Lanka and Badminton, but knowing nothing promising is within sight, he has graciously declined. But he did conduct a few coaching camps, free of charge, for keen youngsters, on request. In addition, Fernando supports a few young school-going potential Shuttlers with the necessary assistance. He is also a part of the Canadian education system as a Badminton coach who has represented his adoptive country at BWF meetings.
“I suppose I made the correct choice by moving to Canada, where the opportunity awaits the potential. Had I remained in Sri Lanka, I really don’t know what would have happened. Next year, I will celebrate 50 years in Badminton, and I’m really overjoyed to have a high-profile racquet today. I will definitely see that Sri Lankan youngsters benefit from my product, though I may not be able to directly make my contribution as a coach. These are part of my life goals and who knows what comes next. But I’m proud to be the first to own a brand of my own, from Sri Lanka, and hope to develop the racquet further to make it a top product,” he asserted.