Industry news

Can the youth set the bowls rolling again?

AYE

The national bowls federation believes that it has successfully arrested the dramatic decline in membership of this sport, says Michael Burger, administration manager of Bowls SA.

Bowls boast membership of about 34 000 individuals and 600 clubs, but there have been some significant developments that augers well for the future of the sport, says Burger.

One is that a national u.25-tournament, as well as development tournament will be hosted in Bloemfontein in July, similar to the Craven Week rugby tournament.

"Furthermore, the coal face of national level tournaments is changing. There are far more youngsters in our national tournaments currently," adds Burger.

Bowls South Africa has gone on a intensive development drive into schools to present bowls as an alternative sport and a vehicle for relaxation.

"In black schools in the townships, bowls were very, very well received, but the question is sustainability. We have to keep the children interested.

"We have introduced a short carpet project. We supply carpets of twenty and ten meters respectively, which have been used extensively by the schools."

Bowls SA ran a bowls exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre from 5 to 7 June as part of their marketing campaign to attract new members to the sport.

It is true that the sport has lost members over the past few years, says Burger.

The sporting channels on TV have added entertainment value to weekends and have contributed to the decline in the membership of bowls.

Some bowling clubs — traditionally funded by Eskom, the municipalities and the mining industries — have closed down as a result of these funds being channelled elsewhere, which have added to the decline of membership, he said.

But, dwindling membership is not only a South African phenomenon.

"There is a big concern about dwindling numbers in England, Scotland, Wales and the Jersey-islands," added Burger.

Not that the country is in a state of melancholy and has gone into premature winter-hibernation because of the decline.

The Specsavers Mixed Fours Tournament will be hosted by Central-Gauteng from 27-31st August.

In September, the mixed pair championships will take place in Kimberley.

South Africa will play a series of two tests against Namibia, also in September.

The annual Botswana International Pairs will be played in Botswana in October with the World Bowls singles taking place in November.

All these activities will provide vital training for the World Bowls championship in Christchurch in New Zealand in 2008.

SAs men are currently ranked 4th in the world and the ladies are ranked 5th.

Lorna Trigwell of South Africa is the number 1-ranked woman in the world.

"She has been the top-ranked player in the world for the past 8 months and is a great ambassador for our sport," says Burger.

It might have been a coup d’état for South African bowls as a TV-sport if they could have entered into the World Bowls indoor tournament to be held in Australia later in 2007.

Burger explains that the Proteas decided to withdraw simply because the country has no indoor-facilities of note and it could have hampered preparation for the more important World Bowls championship in Christchurch if they had accepted the Australian invitation.

Tys Pringle, media liaison officer of Bowls SA, says bowls are growing internationally, and specifically in Japan and in Australasia.

SA’s intensive development program has had a positive impact in that more and more young players have been attracted to the sport.

Bowls SA has introduced a new membership card for school children to lure them to bowls. Children in possession of such a card do not need to be affiliated to a club to play the sport, he adds.

Herman van Rensburg, chairman of the development committee of Bowls SA says 1 200 of these affiliation cards for juniors, or red cards, have been handed out, which would give young players free access to competitions at club level.

Bowls SA want to change the perception of bowls as so-called old man’s marbles. "During the past ten years, that image has gradually changed, with more school children participating in the game," says Pringle.

Lately, some young players have gained international recognition. Amongst them is Wayne Perry, who played at u.21-level only two years ago.

Van Rensburg said that Piet Breitenbach, president of Bowls SAa, is still negotiating with the department of education about allowing bowls as a sport at schools level.

If the president succeeds, it will have a positive spin-off on the acceleration of membership of the sport at junior level.

In the drive to grow the active numbers of bowlers, the national body is also keen to promote the image of bowls as a vital cog in team building exercises of businesses. That is why Bowls SA is engaging in the exhibition in Sandton, says Pringle.

NAY

Not everybody agrees that targeting the youth will grow the sport of bowls.

Steve Fullard, owner of Drakes Pride SA, is very concerned about the decline of bowls members in SA, especially amongst the sport’s traditional participants.

When SA competed in the World championships at Zoo Lake in 1976, the country had 75 000 members. The number dwindled to 50 000 in 1989. A year or two ago, the membership had shrunk to 35 000.

Fullard says all amateur sports in SA are struggling. Research done in Gauteng revealed that soccer clubs in Soweto are dwindling and the main reason is that families love to spend time in shopping malls on weekends.

"We have further problems in bowls in that the sport has not really taken root in the previously disadvantaged market. It spread in colonial areas and has prospered in Australia, New Zealand, and England.

"But the sport has generally not appealed to people from different backgrounds. The white people in SA — the traditional feeding system of the sport locally, has diminished in numbers.

"Also, it is not a sport you could easily play in your back garden. They (bowls SA) have tried the indoor-stuff at school level. It will never take off," he added.

"Our climate is generally not conducive to indoor-sport. People want to play outdoors and experience the sunshine and the fresh air."

Three other factors have affected growth — sport on TV, the decline of clubs and crime.

With the advent of TV-sport and professionalism in sport, many older members have preferred to become coach potatoes, says Fullard.

The change to liquor laws that made alcohol available at any hours on weekends, have also made traditional sport clubs less attractive as an option for people to go to the bar of the sport clubs.

"Thirty years ago, clubs were vibrant social centres and liquor laws were different, but now that people can buy alcohol at any day or hour, and with the increase in crime, people don’t want to go to the traditional sport clubs any longer," says Fullard.

In Australia, bowls clubs are attached to big gambling casinos, which finance them every year, so they are not fighting for survival there.

In SA, the decline has been marked. He knows of at least fifteen clubs that have closed down in Gauteng, and two in Port Elizabeth.

There are one or two areas of growth.

The South Coast of KwaZulu/Natal is a thriving and fast growing bowls centre, simply because many older players retire to the South Coast and then continue playing their beloved bowls.

The retailers have also suffered because of the dwindling numbers. Usually, bowling coaches go to a bowling club and set up a small pro shop there, where they will coach the bowlers and sell them equipment.

The traditional sporting shops no longer keep all the bowls hardware and clothing. They go for the fast moving products – like cricket bats and hockey sticks that are purchased annually and even, sometimes, quarterly, he says.

So they are no longer a one-stop-shop where bowlers purchase everything they need at once.

The amateur bowler needs 2 sets of bowls once in a life time, while a top-bowler will replace his bowls every three to four years. Because it is not a fast moving item, sport shops won’t keep them, adds Fullard.

Fullard is adamant that while Bowls SAs enthusiasm and passion to grow the game amongst school children should be respected, it might not grow the game substantially.

"Firstly, I don’t believe that a child of 15 or 18 should be playing bowls, unless he or she has a physical disability. I believe the schools market might be a captive market, but could you create sustained interest in the game and attract masses of school children. I don’t think so.

"Maybe they should be shifting their focus to the traditional market and focus on rugby, hockey and soccer clubs where some people might retire within a year or two," he adds.

Fullard also emphasizes that one should accept that the sport would be predominantly practiced by elder people. The average age at the Port Elizabeth Bowling Club — the oldest club in South Africa — is 68.