Jens Grill takes charge in British badminton shake-up

Jenny Wallwork and Nathan Robertson are among Britain's leading players

British badminton has made two key appointments as the sport undertakes a major restructure.

Jens Grill is the new performance director for the GB and England performance programme, while Kenneth Jonassen becomes GB singles head coach.

Grill takes the reins at a time when underachievement and infighting have hampered the sport.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said the game had "no illusions of the challenges we face".

He added that British badminton needed to learn some "hard lessons" as it enters a new phase.

Grill's appointment follows an internal review conducted by the Great Britain World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) as it prepares for the run-up to London 2012.

In addition to the appointment of Grill and former European men's singles champion Jonassen, a GB doubles head coach and a head of performance operations will also be appointed.

Last year badminton, which failed to win a medal at the Beijing Olympics, was the only summer sport to have its funding reduced by UK Sport in its annual review, and head coach Andy Wood then quit in the wake of infighting in the squad.

British players endured a disastrous All-England championships in March, with none making it past the second round.

And earlier this month Athens Olympic silver medallist Gail Emms told BBC Sport that British badminton should forget about success in 2012, adding that change "should have come two years ago".

The review was conducted by Vikki McPherson, who has been managing the WCPP on an interim basis.

She said the review involved "a series of incredibly honest internal feedback sessions with players and staff".

New boss Grill said: "We need to quickly capitalise on the strengths of the players and staff we already have in place, which will be complemented through the recruitment of the two new key roles.

"I look forward to leading on the development and delivery of a long-term performance strategy for the sport."

Badminton England chief executive Christy insisted the organisation is approaching the future "with our eyes wide open and a strong performance-focused team in place".

He added: "In Jens, we have someone who has an exceptional world class performance background.

"I have every confidence that the journey we are now embarking on will not only be rewarding for the players but will be one that is incredibly exciting for British badminton."