Editing Gail Emms (section)

== Early life and career ==
Emms attended the [[Dame Alice Harpur School]] in [[Bedford]], a [[Independent school (United Kingdom)|private]] [[Single-sex education#United Kingdom|girls']] school. She and [[Nathan Robertson]] reached the semi-finals of [[1994 IBF World Junior Championships|1994 World Junior Championships]] held in [[Kuala Lumpur]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Yiew Loong falls after fight |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i81OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5978%2C1102719 |website=Straits Times|access-date=28 August 2020}}</ref> In 1998 she graduated with a [[BSc (Hons)]] in [[Sports science|Sports Science]] from [[Kingston University]].<ref>Kingston University [http://www.kingston.ac.uk/alumni/our-alumni/made-in-kingston/profiles/Gail-Emms/ alumni profiles]</ref> After graduating Emms became a full-time professional badminton player with the help of [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|national lottery]] funded grants paid to her by [[UK Sport]].<ref>Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2017 [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/badminton/2017/02/05/badminton-will-return-hobby-sport-catastrophic-funding-cuts/ a hobby sport]</ref> Her father owned a building firm that collapsed in the [[Economy of the United Kingdom#1979 to 1997|recession of the late 1980s]] leading to a sudden decline in the family standard of living. Her mother, Janice Emms (née Barton), played for the unofficial [[England women's national football team]]. Her parents divorced while Emms was in her early teens.<ref>Women's Sport Trust [http://www.themixedzone.co.uk/selfish-trek-help-others/ Gail Emms]</ref>