Participation & programs Participation and programs are the cornerstones of the sport and Bowls Australia continued to implement measures to promote a range of initiatives and ensure club sustainability, especially during some tougher times experienced by Clubs in 2020/21.
over 5000 visits to clubs (some being online), state/ regional/district associations, schools, partners and local governments. They also played a big role in helping 1159 Clubs obtain almost $23million in government funding during 2020/21.
REGIONAL BOWLS MANAGERS
The Participation & Programs team are passionate about supporting the sport and would like to thank the many volunteers who dedicate countless hours each year to ensuring clubs and associations provide welcoming and inclusive places to play and socialise.
Around half of the Bowls Australia team work in the areas of Participation, Club Support and Programs. The team largely consists of a passionate group of Regional Bowls Managers (RBMs) based all around Australia. They are supported by a small number of enthusiastic Development & Programs staff at our head office. Regional Bowls Managers strive to support clubs, promote participation initiatives and encourage venue sustainability. They help to promote the importance of business planning and relay the message that the stronger clubs strive to be customer-focused community hubs. Across the past two years, it has proved to be a challenging period for our bowls community and we were very pleased that our RBMs were able to be on the front line throughout this time including the provision of advice around the COVID-19-related support and grants that were available to clubs and individuals. It is worth noting that all of the funding from the National Merchandising Program (which is generated through the licencing of the Bowls Australia logo on playing attire in pennant-and-above competition) is reinvested in the sport through the Regional Bowls Managers’ support of grassroots clubs and associations. During the year, we bid farewell to two of our RBM team from 2019/20, in Alan Eadie (Tasmania) and James Whitehead (Eastern Melbourne/Victoria) – Whitehead took on a great opportunity as the E v e n t s a n d Co m p e t i t i o n M a n a g e r a t B o w l s V i c t o r i a . We welcomed Warren Griffin to the team who has brought excellent experience from his time in small business and working with Cricket. In our Melbourne office, Leah Lazzaro took on the role as Development and Programs Manager (while Danielle Cirillo is on maternity leave) while Haylee Jesensek and Danielle Montague took on new roles in Sporting Schools and Systems & Operations respectively. In her new role, Montague has been working with key coaching, officiating and BowlsLink staff to help build our new self-paced learning portal, BowlsLearn, to be unveiled in late 2021. In the past twelve months, the 16 RBMs conducted NO.26
ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21
The willingness of clubs to call on Regional Bowls Managers regularly for their services is testament to the RBM program making a difference. If your club would like assistance in any way, your Regional Bowls Manager is happy to help and their service is completely free – contact details can be found at www.bowls.com.au, under Club Support.
JACK ATTACK
Jack Attack is the fun and fast format of bowls – it is like barefoot bowls, but better. Jack Attack encourages new participation in the sport, with all games completed in just over an hour. For those that try bowls for the first time, not all players will desire to play Pennants or Championships immediately. Jack Attack is the perfect event for these players offering a bridge between barefoot, casual and corporate bowls and other formal competitions, with Jack Attack competitions generally running for between four and six weeks. Introduced in 2015 as a key national participation initiative, there are now 282 Jack Attack Clubs around the country introducing thousands of new people to bowls. The program has proved a hit at many clubs around the country, including at South Australia’s Christies Beach Bowling Club. After running a successful program last year, the Christies Beach was keen to get a second program under way in January 2021. Running over eight weeks, the club retained 12 teams while having no issues finding two more sides. Christies Beach Jack Attack coordinator Anthony Exton said the range of competitors is hugely beneficial for the club. "We have a wide a range of ages and abilities playing in our Jack Attack competition. From ex-pennant players who cannot play now due to ill health, to family groups that span three generations, and love the fact they can play sport
