Bermuda’s best badminton player is appealing for help to assist in his dream of turning professional.

Aaron Simmons has represented his country at two Island Games, with a third appearance set for Orkney in July and he believes he has the talent to turn professional. But to take the next step, he must compete consistently at a higher level, with no player on the island able to challenge him.

“Competing for Bermuda has been eye-opening and motivating,” Simmons said.

“I want to keep doing it simply because I know I can go pretty far and the only thing I lack is the experience. That comes with getting more tournaments, more chances to play and so I can get some coaching in the UK in Canada. I need to be able to learn more of the game.”

Simmons is juggling his career as a firefighter with his badminton training and while he is putting in the hours to save as much money as he can to compete, he admits that it is a struggle financially.

“I’ve been a firefighter for a year and a half, and I love my job,” he said.

“I’ve finally found a balance. At the moment it’s manageable but I’m able to write in and request representative leave to compete for Bermuda. My schedule can be flexible and they are very understanding of what I do and they respect it.

“I’m a working man and I need to save up money for tournaments and also get time off work to travel. It’s not impossible to do but it does take a toll and in order to go to the next level I’m going to need support and extra help.

“I’ve been self-funding and that’s the biggest issue that I’m facing. I always try my best to get around it but it’s got to a point where I’ve almost maximised all my resources in Bermuda.”

Simmons, 22, found his love of badminton when he discovered the sport during the government’s after-school programme at West Pembroke Primary School and his nascent talent was spotted early.

“I went to West Pembroke Primary and I was introduced to the game probably around the age of 9,” Simmons said.

“As every child does I played other sports such as football, bowling, hockey and swimming but I just found badminton was a bit different.

“I liked that not a lot of people were playing it and I found that I was pretty decent at it so I kept on trying to pursue it. At 13, I told my after-school coach that I wanted to take it more serious and then two years later at the age of 15, I made my debut for Bermuda for the national team.”

Badminton in Bermuda has one of the lowest profiles among racket sports and has dropped a further rung down the island’s sporting ladder with the rapid ascent of pickleball.

With no one matching Simmons’s ability on island, it is difficult for him to raise his game consistently to the level needed to become a professional, which is why he needs to travel abroad to test himself.

“The level of ability is not there day in and day out to challenge me and I was recently just talking to a performance coach and he said that is one of the most difficult things, not just physically but also mentally,” Simmons said.

“I do have a team supporting me but you just can’t replicate tournaments and the atmosphere. You can train only so much here but I can’t replicate the intensity of a tournament or the skill set of top players to compete against in two or three-set games. I need more experience.”

Simmons is just starting to get his name noticed in the UK, recently travelling to England and finishing third in two tier four tournaments. He has his path to the professional ranks mapped out but he will need help to get there.

“I usually have tournaments in the US or UK but more commonly I go to the US because it’s simply cheaper,” he said.

“I just came from the UK and it was a nice experience with coach Rebecca Pentanay, who is a former international and won gold at the Commonwealth Games.

“The tournament I entered was tier four and that was just to get me into the English system. In badminton, in order to climb the rankings you have to get into the system. Obviously people who live there are introduced into the system pretty early but I had to do an entry level in tier four but my results in just a couple of tournaments have already got me elevated to tier three bronze.

“You have to get up to tier one gold before you are eligible for a world ranking and playing in top tournaments. My goal is to reach there and then see what I can do.”

Simmons has been unable to access government funds to accelerate his progress as the Bermuda Badminton Association is not yet a recognised national sports governing body.

“It’s difficult for someone like me to access funding as the Government doesn’t fund individuals, it is funnelled through charities and organisations,” he said.

“I understand why they do that but it’s just a shame for someone like me who falls through the cracks because their sport does not have a recognised governing body. I’m working with the Bermuda Badminton Association to try to get them there so it is easier for me to unlock funding.”

• Any company or individual wishing to sponsor Aaron Simmons or assist his journey in any way can get in touch with him at aaronsimmons2002@gmail.com