It is with great sadness that I have to inform everyone of the passing of Mark Allen.

Mark was a true champion of all things badminton especially Sussex Badminton, Mark was vice Chairman of the County for a number of years and officiating, Mark was the current Chairman of the  Badminton Umpires of England.

Mark’s passion for the game was boundless.  It didn’t matter what level the game was being played at, be it local club or the Yonex All England, Mark’s love for the game always shone through.

Personally I will greatly miss his common sense approach to badminton matters and the clarity that he brought to the many discussions that we had.

As a County I would like to pass on our dearest thoughts to Maggie, Mark’s wife and his family at this time.

Mark Russ

As President of Sussex County Badminton Association, I would like to put on record the significant contribution that Mark made to badminton in Sussex, and nationally with his work as an umpire.

His played a major role in his work for the Bognor and Chichester League, and the County Association in Sussex.

I found a ‘gem’ of information about him in that in 1963 he first started playing badminton on an outdoor court in Singapore.

Bognor and Chichester League

The first record I can find is for the season 1988-89 when he was Treasurer. By 2002 he was Chairman, a position which he held until now. My appreciation was the time given to support Colin Morris in running the 3 Series Tournaments, held in October/November for many years at Arun Leisure Centre. These events always ran smoothly and attracted good entries. He was a founder member of Arun BC.

Badminton Umpires Association of England  

This is an extract from an e mail from Badminton England-

‘Mark joined the BUAofE in May 1984 and, after progressing through the grades, was awarded International Umpire grade in November 2008. He was awarded BEC Accredited Umpire status in April 2009, and retired from this role at the end of 2012. Mark took on the role of South Region Secretary in 2017, and in July 2018 was elected as Chairman of the BUAofE. In addition to this, Mark was also a Regional and National Assessor’.

Sussex County Badminton Association

By 1999, Mark was a member of the County Committee, representing the Bognor and Chichester League, and the Umpires Association. That year, when I was elected Chairman, it left a vacancy for Deputy Chairman and I was pleased that Mark accepted the position that he occupied until now. Following me as Chairman was Tony Browne and now Mark Russ. He was an able deputy to all of us and made a strong contribution to the management of county badminton as a member of the Management Committee.

Derek Webb – President of Sussex County Badminton Association