Getting back into the Swing!

By Wade Mutzelburg

As we make our way through the easing of restrictions in Queensland and return to play in Stage 3. It’s the perfect time to look at your club’s very own roadmap to return to bowls.

Has your club put together its bowls calendar for the rest of the year? Does it include the new normal for social bowls at your club and potentially revised dates for the Pennant season, club/district Championships, Bowls Queensland State Championships and tournaments?

If so, it’s a great time to plan additional functions/events at your club for later in the year. These functions should be aimed at bringing the broader community back to your club. Re-engaging with your club’s sponsors is a great place to start. It is also an opportune time to invite new groups previously not approached by your club such as local netball, soccer, football clubs.

We should also include local Community Centres (YMCA etc) and the groups operating out of these centres. This may not only potentially bring new members to the sport but also regular patrons to your club. At the end of the day, I’m sure all clubs could do with an additional event to generate income at the moment.

Your club should consider:

• Open Days (BQ Come & Try Month)
• Bring a friend day
• Jack Attack competitions
• Barefoot bowls availability and scheduling

Bowls Queensland’s Come & Try Month is a great initiative which gives clubs ready access to editable posters, letterbox drop leaflets and Facebook advertisements to help promote their events. Remember that if October doesn’t work for your club, you can nominate any day in any month – just let BQ know the date and your pack will be customised with your chosen date.

So, what do you need to do next? Jump onto Bowls Queensland’s website and under the Events tab select Come & Try. This is where you will find all the club open days that will be held this year. This is also where you will find the Starter Kit from Bowls Queensland to allow you to register for the event. Email admin@bowlsqld.org for your pack.

The Bowls Queensland Come & Try Starter Kit includes:

• Helpful Hints – How to hold a club Come & Try Day
• Sample promotional poster
• Sample letterbox drop leaflet
• Club registration form to be part of the statewide Come & Try Month

There are also additional club resources on the Bowls Australia website to help with planning for your open day. You can access these by visiting the Bowls Australia website > Club Support > Resources > Open Day Tip Sheet.

It’s also important to note that the resources section includes several other helpful documents to help your club with sponsorship, strategic planning and junior recruitment, just to name a few of the tools.