Now Everyone Can Play!

Playing badminton on an international standard's court is no longer a dream for badminton enthusiasts of Sibu. Yes! "Now everyone can play" as long as you willing to pay!

Located at the top spot (Level 6) of Sibu 2nd multi storey carpark just beside/behind Sibu Central Market, there are 13 international standard courts to be rented. Many people even the local still not aware of it including me until I had been told of its existence recently.

This facilities is run by a company called "Thumb's Up Badminton Academy Sdn. Bhd." which I think is a local owned company (enlighten me if I am wrong on this). From the company's name itself, I believe that this is not just simply a company aiming in doing badminton courts renting business, but they will also focus on badminton sports and players development in the region. It is predicted that there will be more badminton clinics as well as major badminton tournaments been held in Sibu in the near future!

These courts are "international standard" because the floor is neither wood nor cement. They are using a technology called TARAFLEX flooring! TARAFLEX is the premier brand for indoor sports flooring solution which is widely recognized by most of the major sports federations in the world.

To explain the TARAFLEX in a less technical way, it is "rubber" kind of flooring. Thus it inherit the characteristic of rubber, which is elastic. Its elasticity is not spread around the entire area but only around the point of impact. Hence, besides giving the optimum performance to the athletes, it can also reduce the possibilities of getting injured, either by knocking, falling or diving or all kind of impact as it has the ability to adsorb energy from these impacts. So for those who love to "throw body", this is the most ideal flooring to do so without getting hurt!

Players also need not worry about slippery problem as faced when playing on conventional wood/cement flooring. TARAFLEX flooring gives tremendous grip to the shoes in dry condition until certain extend that I personally felt not quite used to it probably because all these while I was playing on a slippery wood flooring courts.

Apart from the flooring, the company also provided other necessary facilities for customers/players such as proper changing rooms, shower rooms with heater and wash rooms. Customers can also use the towel provided if want to take a bath after the game and according to a staff, this is free of charge!

 

 

Lockers are also available for those who wish to put their belongings at a safe place so that they feel secure thus can avoid any distraction while enjoying their games! These lockers are free to use!

Besides that, there is also an area selling all kind of badminton equipment such as rackets, shuttlecocks, stockings, shoes and so on. So, don't worry if you out of shuttlecocks or your shoes break apart while playing the games. You can always buy another one on the spot! See how convenient it is?

 

There is also an area reserved for gym! For the time being, this area is still pretty empty but I expect to see more equipment coming in to fill the area in the near future!

The rental price is not cheap, but reasonable and affordable. For weekend walk-in rental, it is RM15 per hour with time range from 9am to 7pm. On peak hours (7pm - 11pm), it is RM20/hour. Monthly rental fee is cheaper, range from RM330 - RM360 per month depends on selected time range. You will get even more discount if you go for yearly rental.

The courts are still pretty new and I believe they just started for business around November this year. So for those who want to try out the courts and facilities available, here are some of the information:

Thumb's Up Badminton Academy Sdn. Bhd.

Level 12, Top Floor,

Multistorey Carpark, Sibu Central Market,

96000 Sibu, Sarawak.

Tel:  019-828 2345 / 016-522 2345