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SuffolkSaxons head coach Anthony Clark insists he is determined to boost the profileof badminton in East Anglia when the new AJ Bell National Badminton Leaguekicks off in October.

OnTuesday, two-time Olympian Clark was unveiled as the Saxons' inaugural headcoach with Commonwealth Games silver medallist Andy Ellis and Sarah Walker twoplayers already on his rosta.

The team'sestablishment sees the first professional badminton team launched in the area - an opportunity Clark, a double World Championship silver medallist, is keen tocapitalise on.

And as thepopularity of the sport continues to surge since the AJ Bell NBL's birth in2014, Clark admits it is the perfect time to embrace a new audience.

“We wantto promote badminton as much as we possibly can, and we want to entertainpeople,” he said.

“Suffolkhas got Ipswich Town football team but not a great deal of other professionalsports, so this opportunity is huge for the county.

“We'rehoping to act as a springboard for younger players and get more young peoplealong to watch to give them a taste of badminton rather than just seeing it onthe television.

“Ourplayers at the Saxons will go to the performance centre in Ipswich and help theyoung players and try to inspire and motivate them, and that's a big part forus actually.

“We wantto create relationships between the clubs, the county and the Saxons. It's abig thing that we're trying to do.”

- welcome to the Suffolk Saxons - looking forward to a great season in the

— Suffolk Saxons (@SuffolkSaxons)

With lessthan four months until the Suffolk Saxons kick start their premier AJ Bell NBLcampaign, excitement is building in the camp as they begin to formulate awinning team.

And whilethe capture of Ellis and Walker, from Team Derby and Birmingham Lionsrespectively, highlights Clark's ambitions from the off, he insists he is only tooaware of the challenge that lies ahead as the Saxons progress through theirinaugural year.

“Obviouslywe're a new team, and a lot of the other teams in the NBL are very wellestablished with some good players, so we're starting out afresh and puttingtogether a very good team,” he said.

“I thinkwe've got to be realistic though, because players like Chris Adcock, who playsfor Nottingham, could also play two events next season and I know they've puttogether a very strong team for next season.

“We've puttogether a really good balance of older and younger players so we're giving theyouth the opportunity and the chance, and if we can genuinely sign thoseplayers that we're looking at, I think we'll be very competitive.

“Icouldn't say whether we're going to be towards the top of the league, themiddle or the bottom, but we're going to give it a good go, and with theplayers we're looking for, we've got a good opportunity to cause some damage.”