New format and times broaden bowls appeal
Jack Attack is picking up pace on the Sunshine Coast. Cricket, rugby league and tennis are not the only sports introducing shorter forms of their games to entice new audiences, with bowls also keen to get in on the action with the newly introduced Jack Attack, as Anthony Brand reports for the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Australian Jackaroo Mark Casey was at the Mooloolaba Bowls Club yesterday to spruik the new bowls format and put the Western Bulldogs AFL club through their bowling paces.
“We are giving clubs an opportunity to try and attract new members by allowing social people to play our sport at a time that suits them, such as week nights,” Casey said.
“An undercover facility like this here at Mooloolaba is ideal because you can play it any time.
“It is an Australia-wide program, and we have had seven clubs introduce it from the Sunshine Coast, so the response in south-east Queensland has been great, with around 25 clubs … and 60 across Australia.
“It is a short and fast format, so it suits the age group that we are trying to target, which is people who are working and have families.”
The game consists of two sets of five ends and usually takes a little over an hour to complete.
“They can come after work and then play their games and go,” Casey said.
Casey, who has been recalled for Australian duties for the Trans Tasman in Christchurch in March after being omitted for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, said he expected the format to attract a new generation of bowlers.
“That’s the idea,” he said.
“The short term is to make more clubs more profitable, and they will get a lot of revenue out of it.
“The more people who we can introduce to the sport and get interest, the stronger the game will be.”
Caption: Australian international bowls player Mark Casey visited Mooloolaba Bowls Club to spruik a new format for the game – Jack Attack. Image: Iain Curry
