Written evidence submitted by Spring Park Shirley Bowling Club
Our bowling green was opened in 1938 by Croydon Council as an important part of the recreational facilities provided on Shirley Church Recreation Ground.
Originally the bowling green was home to Shirley Ladies Bowling Club (comprising of 77 lady members) and Spring Park Bowling Club (comprising of 54 male members). In 2019, with pressures from Croydon, Bowls Surrey and Bowls England to have a single amalgamated club, steps were taken to produce a new constitution for the “new mixed club”, Spring Park Shirley Bowling Club (SPSBC).
SPSBC currently has 52 playing members, 11 Social members, 3 Life Members and 8 Academy members. We run an annual recruitment programme which includes free taster sessions at the beginning of and throughout the season. In addition, we organise a number of social events. The club and its members are fully aware of the health, wellbeing and fitness benefits they offer to our local community.
The Club is open every day during the outdoor bowls season – end of April to the end of September – offering daily games, coaching, Borough league and internal Club competitions all accompanied by refreshments and friendly conversation.
We are submitting this response as the sport of lawn bowls is in decline and a number of local councils are withdrawing their financial support, resulting in the loss of greens and the loss of physical activity and social interaction for the club members.
Parliament debated the loss of bowling greens on 30th April 2014 (Hansard; Vol 579). There was mention then of Council-owned greens falling victim to spending cuts and one interesting statistic, “As greens shut down in an area, players drift away. It is estimated that around 40% of bowlers where a green closes leave the game altogether, even if there is another green half a mile or so down the road.” Another comment, “For the price of keeping open a bowling green – under £10,000 a year (2014) – the potential is there to save far more in reduced health care costs.”
COMMUNITY SPORT
Availability of Facilities
Our bowling green is currently one of the 7 Council owned greens in the London Borough of Croydon. In addition, there are 6 privately managed bowling clubs in the area (although one is up for sale).
Our bowling green has 6 rinks allowing up to 48 people to play bowls at the same time although one rink has to be available for use by the general public.
Facility Quality
SPSBC has a 6-rink bowling green plus a relatively small pavilion. Both of these facilities are owned by the Local Authority. In the past the Croydon Council maintained both facilities including external fences/hedges, gardens and pathways. Since Croydon Council has declared itself bankrupt on 3 separate occasions, the members of the club have stepped-in and assisted the council’s part-time greenkeeper at particular times of the year and for the last 12 years members have taken on many items of maintenance of the surrounds and the clubhouse. These are things that are the Councils responsibility.
The Bowling Green
Our bowling green is the most essential item for the club however, due to insufficient maintenance (inappropriate mowing equipment and a lack of other green care equipment), the quality of the green has seriously deteriorated in recent years to the extent that other clubs have refused to play on our green. The bowling green has become slow and heavy with unlevel areas. This leads to a poor performance surface which is hard to bowl on with the result that many older members giving up playing but although becoming social members.
The Clubhouse
Our clubhouse is an asset that we can only currently use for 5 months as it does not have heating or adequate insulation. It is in essence the original clubhouse building with a small extension along the front. This is an asset that could be used by the club and the local community to host coffee mornings and other social functions such as table games etc from October to March. Unfortunately, the club has been advised by two local Councillors that Croydon has no funds to provide these upgrades but would be keen to see the Community use the facilities all year round.
The main intervention is investment in improving the bowling green surface to competition standard and then continuing sufficient investment to allow the bowling green to be maintained at that level.
It has to be recognised that local councils have limited funds and therefore the above is the minimum intervention required. With a good quality bowling green, it will be easier to continue to recruit more members and just as important, retain existing members. Also, the maintenance jobs carried out on the clubhouse then become shared amongst an increasing number of people.
At present Bowls England offer advice on generating funds via easyfundraising as well as giving loans to affiliated clubs for the purchase of green maintenance equipment or clubhouse repairs. Unfortunately, we are a Resident Bowling Club of a Council-Owned Facility with no long-term Tenure or contract with the Council. The Governing Body, Bowls England is unable to offer funding to Council owned Clubs. External Funding Applications have the same issue, when we advise the facility is owned by the Local Council, they will not entertain offering grants.
It would be helpful if more support and guidance were provided in applying for sponsorship from local businesses. This would enable clubs to generate more income whilst also benefitting local businesses.
This support could be in the format of webinars/workshops as well as guidance on the governing body website. How can funds be distributed more effectively and application processes be improved?
A club can always attract more members (and consequently more volunteers) if it offers good facilities and resources. The main facility that will attract volunteers is a good quality playing surface (ie a competition standard bowling green).
To attract and retain more volunteers there needs to also be appropriate accessible training on areas such as recruitment, working with young people and under-represented groups etc.
To engage with and make lawn bowls more accessible to under-represented groups requires an understanding of what the barriers are and how to best engage with those groups. This will require training in the form of webinars etc and/or the sharing of case studies where clubs have been successful in this area.
Would it be possible for Central Government to instruct Local Authorities to ensure that there are grassroots park-based bowling clubs available because the sport of bowls at grassroots level is an ideal way of keeping older people active.
Croydon Councils Sports and Physical Activity Facilities Strategy 2018-2023 document stated that “Croydon’s age profile is also changing quickly; will be between 30% and 70% more adults in every age category over 60 years old in 15 years time.
Local Authorities want their residents to have local opportunities to be active and undertake regular exercise which has significant health and social benefits.
Para’s 5, 6 and 7 not applicable to our Grassroots Sport of Lawn Bowls
Governance
8. How effective are national and local government and sport governing body initiatives in delivering school and grassroots sport, and how might they be improved?
Our Club previously reached out through School Teacher Players but permissions for and input at the Green could not be arranged, largely because teachers, already in short supply, could not be compensated for offsite work outside school hours. There was no encouragement from our local Council but, it is understood that other areas in London are able to organise and manage Inter School competitions. It should not go unnoticed that the Country’s elite Lawn Bowlers are often in their 40s.
9. How can the Government facilitate better coordination across the sport ecosystem to deliver grassroots and school sport?
Sufficient and sustained investment in grassroots and school sports whilst, at the same time, encouraging and promoting co-operation between governing bodies. As there is no doubt that participation in sports/outdoor activities is beneficial to the health and wellbeing of the population. Such activities, in turn, have economic and social benefits.
The Government could advertise the benefits of a wide variety of sports in national TV campaigns and leaflets to encourage all to get involved in some form of sporting activity. The leaflets could be distributed in healthcare centres/surgeries by doctors and other healthcare workers to encourage patients to take up activities to help develop a positive mental state and help them to get/keep fit.
The Council owned Bowling Clubs suffer with Croydon Council having declared themselves Bankrupt three times. The Councils Draft Budget for 2025 proposes that expenditure on its seven bowls clubs is reduced to save £60,000, this undoubtedly means closures of some of the park-run club facilities. Central Government could support Local Government in supporting Grassroots sports to provide and maintain bowls clubs to an age group that provides healthy exercise and social interaction, allowing savings in the NHS budget.
SPRING PARK SHIRLEY BOWLING CLUB
Green: Shirley Church Recreation Ground
Spring Park Avenue, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 5EN