End of year message from the CEO of Bowls Australia
Dear clubs, volunteers, administrators, players, officials, supporters and partners of the Australian Bowls community
On behalf of Bowls Australia (BA), I wanted to take the opportunity to touch base at the end of what has been a very big year for bowls across the nation to acknowledge and thank you all for all your amazing contributions to the sport in 2023.
We recognise the tireless efforts of the eight State and Territory Associations and, in particular, all ~1800 clubs across the country, and thank their various leaders, boards, committees, staff, players, volunteers and officials for all their work and support throughout the year.
2023 was no doubt the biggest year in our history of staging major bowls events in Australia: BA 2023 events video clip
The highlight of that feast of elite bowls was the success of the Right at Home Australian Jackaroos at the 2023 World Bowls Championships on the picturesque Gold Coast, collecting a staggering five gold, two silver and three bronze medals, as well as both the overall Para and Men’s Trophy honours that once again established Australia as the number one team in the world.
The Nationals in Perth was a magnificent showcase of state and territory team talent and the marvellous offerings that the state of Western Australia provides for bowls, whilst another two editions of the Bowls Premier League (BPL) did not disappoint as the victorious Moama Steamers and Tweed Heads Ospreys made history at each.
And then of course there was the record-breaking participation and coverage levels of the Australian Open on the Gold Coast – the world’s biggest bowls event – and the growth of the BPL Cup.
We trust that these Jackaroos results and feature events can help to fuel future success and inspire more and more Australians to pick up a mat, bowl and jack this holiday season – and then well into the future.
Off the green, and as detailed in the BA Annual Report 2022-23, there were some significant challenges and changes within BA’s operations over the past 12 months.
We began to rollout our revamped Club Support Program (CSP) – combining the availability of our team of Club Support Managers (CSMs) in the field with the support and offerings of some expert industry providers – and this has included some very successful initial BA|ClubMap Club Development Webinars over the past couple of months. We really look forward to evolving and enhancing the CSP further in 2024 and please do contact your CSM at any time if we can ever be of assistance to your club’s endeavours, as that is what we are here for: BA Club Support Manager contacts
Finally, the year also featured the launch of our inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy. This will help guide our organisation’s future direction as we strive to be the most inclusive sport possible, and one that best reflects Australia’s changing population. In short, fostering the most welcoming of environments and activities for all is key to our ambition to grow grassroots participation and involvement in the great sport of bowls, and further enhancing the vital community role that we all know that clubs play in so many ways.
So once again, thanks so much for your passion and efforts for bowls, and we hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year period with your families and friends. If you get the chance over the summer, please take one of them who doesn’t bowl for a roll – what a great present for them and for our sport!
Matthew Kennedy
Chief Executive Officer
Bowls Australia’s office will close from midday Friday, December 22 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2.
