With the current situation in many areas of the county with regards to clubs closing due to council cuts or lack of players there is an urgent need to increase the player numbers and promote the sport.
A common statement that I hear around every club is the need to have more young players and I see a lot of volunteers giving up their own time to support a junior section generally consisting of aged 16 and under in the hope of finding the next generation of bowlers for the club. The question is whether this is proving to be a lot of wasted hours and should the focus be aimed at a different age group? When I say wasted I mean this from the point of view that the conversion rate of very young players continuing to play after 2 years must be very low and this is generally due to education, relationships, lack of progress/interest and in a lot of cases lack of backing from parents.
Having started aged 10 myself I am obviously in favour of seeing young bowlers on the green but there was a common theme amongst the group of young bowlers I started with and who still continue to play the game today. Below I will list 10 players from the northern counties who I played with or against at junior level and who we still see around the greens today playing the game and then give you the big factor that I see as the reason for this continuity. Ian Mcintosh, Shaun Mcintosh, Keith Avery, Colin Jefferson, Trevor Taylor, Gavin Taylor, Paul Hartley, Patrick Thomson, Peter Thomson and Ian Gallagher are the ten and I could name many more. Every single one of these players have been involved in national winning teams and started at a young age.
The common factor of all of the players above was that their parents or immediate family were involved with the sport. The importance of this was having the support not only financially but also being able to travel to events and also having someone to not just aspire too but also make proud with achievements. Success is so important for young players regardless of whether it is £20 from a competition or winning a trophy as an extremely low percentage of young sports players will continue if it is just to make the numbers up
With this in mind I have always personally believed that if the recruitment is focused at the 20-50 age range I feel the juniors could potentially follow without the need to spend hours on a green trying to entertain a group of youngsters whilst their parents get some time to themselves. This age range are generally settled in their life with a secure job and family so should have available time to come along to the club and try the sport of bowls. I would be a very rich man if I had a pound for every person I have heard saying they wished they had started at an earlier age and I am very confident that the percentage is extremely high for anyone trying the sport and loving it. It is highly addictive and it is vital that we work hard to lose the “old persons marbles” stigma that surrounds us daily and sell the many benefits of a sport that boasts hundreds of thousands of participants. They can’t all be wrong now can they? Many may have participated in sport previously and see our sport as an opportunity to continue being competitive for many years ahead or it can be just a great way to have a hobby that keeps the mind and body in great shape.
If we can encourage this age group then I really feel they could then bring their children into the game rather than the other way round. Coaches will find it so much easier to get the best out of a young player if they have a member of the family learning with them and it also helps for concentration, manners and etiquette on the green.
I am fully aware that there are many players playing the sport who didn’t have family or friends playing but I’m sure they would be in the minority and generally will be very strong willed in personality as it is not easy for any person under 50 to play this sport without getting mocked by friends and family due to the short sighted perception of this great sport.
There appears to be a lot of work down in the southern area of the UK promoting initiatives like “Barefoot Bowls” where members of the public are sampling the sport in a relaxed atmosphere with a barbecue on the go and a few drinks and people genuinely looking like they are having a great time. It is well worth a look online for anyone who hasn’t seen it but ultimately this is what our clubs need to be looking at to recruit. It doesn’t necessarily need to be this concept but something along similar lines and the backing of the council wouldn’t go amiss either.
This is all down to my own opinion but I firmly believe that we will continue to lose clubs if we do not target the 20-50 age group when it comes to recruitment so it is time to put a plan in place to get out into the community and sell this great sport of ours.