Guide

Aspire Guide

ELIGIBILITY

Every event on Aspire has eligibility requirements. Check these before you register — organizers verify them at check-in.

Age GradesGender RestrictionsEvent LimitAspire Profile

AGE GRADES

U-grades: Jan 1 of the year following the tournament. Masters & Open: Jan 1 of the tournament year.

The reference date depends on event type. U-grades use January 1 of the year following the tournament (BWF junior standard). Masters, Open, and Combined Age events use January 1 of the tournament year (BWF senior standard). Cutoffs below assume a 2026 tournament (U-grade reference: January 1, 2027; Masters/Open reference: January 1, 2026).

The BWF "under" rule

“Under” means strictly less than — not equal to. If you turn 19 on January 1 of the following year, you are not eligible for U19. Example: born January 1, 2008 in a 2026 tournament → you are exactly 19 on January 1, 2027 → ineligible for U19. Born January 2, 2008 → still 18 on January 1, 2027 → eligible.

Under grades (U9 – U19)

U9Under 9
Born after Jan 1, 2018
U11Under 11
Born after Jan 1, 2016
U13Under 13
Born after Jan 1, 2014
U15Under 15
Born after Jan 1, 2012
U17Under 17
Born after Jan 1, 2010
U19Under 19
Born after Jan 1, 2008
OpenNo age restriction by default
Organiser may set a minimum age

Open events with a minimum age — Some organisers set a minimum age on Open-grade events (e.g. “above 14 as of January 1”). When this applies, the event listing will show an Age X+ badge. The reference date for Open events is January 1 of the tournament year.

Masters grades (30+ – 70+, minimum age)

Masters 30+Age 30+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1996
Masters 35+Age 35+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1991
Masters 40+Age 40+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1986
Masters 45+Age 45+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1981
Masters 50+Age 50+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1976
Masters 55+Age 55+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1971
Masters 60+Age 60+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1966
Masters 65+Age 65+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1961
Masters 70+Age 70+ on Jan 1
Born on or before Jan 1, 1956

Masters grades require a minimum age — the opposite of U-grades. There is no upper age ceiling. A player who meets the minimum for multiple bands may enter any of them in the same tournament (e.g. a player aged 55 is eligible for Masters 30 through 55). Age is calculated as of January 1 of the tournament year. Born on or before the cutoff date is eligible (including January 1 exactly).

Combined Age (doubles only)

Combined Age events are for doubles pairs only. The organiser sets a minimum combined age. The sum of both players' ages on January 1 of the tournament year must be at least that number — there is no upper ceiling.

Example: a Combined Age 100+ event accepts any pair whose ages add up to 100 or more — two players aged 52 + 55 = 107 are eligible, as are 50 + 60 = 110. BWF standard: combined age ≥ minimum.

GENDER RESTRICTIONS

Determined by the gender registered on your Aspire profile.

Disciplines with gender restrictions only accept players whose registered gender matches the event requirement. Gender is set on your Aspire participant profile and verified at check-in.

MSMen's Singles
Male players only
WSWomen's Singles
Female players only
MDMen's Doubles
Both players must be male
WDWomen's Doubles
Both players must be female
XDMixed Doubles
One male + one female
BSBoys' Singles
Male players only (junior)
GSGirls' Singles
Female players only (junior)
BDBoys' Doubles
Both players must be male (junior)
GDGirls' Doubles
Both players must be female (junior)

EVENT LIMIT

One slot per grade group per discipline.

Within each discipline, only one grade per grade group can be registered. U-grades (U9–U19) form one group — only one U-grade per discipline is allowed at a time. Masters bands (30–70) form one group — only one Masters band per discipline can be registered. Open and Combined Age each count as their own independent slot. Custom grade events have no cap — each is available independently. You may always register across multiple disciplines freely.

✓ Allowed

  • MS Open + MS Masters 30+ + MS CombinedAge
  • MS Open + XD Open + MD Masters 40+
  • U11 BS + U11 BD + Open XD
  • MS Custom Grade A + MS Custom Grade B

✗ Not allowed

  • MS U19 + MS U15 (two U-grades, same discipline)
  • MS Masters 30+ + MS Masters 50+ (two Masters, same discipline)
  • WS Open + WS Open (same event twice)

ASPIRE PROFILE

A complete participant profile is required to register.

To register for any event, your Aspire participant profile must be complete — including your full name, date of birth, and gender. Once complete, you are issued a Member ID in the format AT-XXXXX. This ID is your identifier at check-in.

Full name

Used for official draws and match cards.

Date of birth

Required for age-grade eligibility verification at check-in.

Gender

Required for gender-restricted discipline eligibility.

Member ID (AT-)

Auto-issued when your profile is complete. Shown on your profile page.