Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change.
We’ve come up with 10 ideas for our members and clubs to consider as we look forward to 2021:
1. Enter a competition for the first time
Our competitions are open to players of all abilities – with a range of events designed to meet your individual requirements.
We particularly welcome entries from those who may not have entered one of our competitions before, as this is a great opportunity to improve your game, take on one of our elite athletes and perhaps win a place in the National Finals at Royal Leamington Spa, which will be the host venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Find out more about our National Competitions
2. Introduce a friend or family member to the sport
We’re proud that bowls is an uncomplicated and accessible sport that can easily be played amongst friends and families creating personal challenge and stirring competitive juices.
Nearly 50 per cent of current players were introduced to the sport by their friends or family members, with a further 20% of bowlers having their first taste at a club open day.
Following the success of our Let’s Roll marketing campaign in 2020, plans are already underway for a national open weekend on the Spring Bank Holiday (Friday 28th to Monday 31st May 2021).
Find out more about the National Open Weekend
3. New Year, New Job!
Are you ready for a new career challenge, open‐minded to fresh possibilities or would relish working in a sport you love? Whichever it is, with a new strategy, new leadership and renewed purpose, this is a great time to join our Bowls England team.
We are recruiting for four new roles as part of an expansion of the team – Head of Communications, Events and Competitions Officer, Marketing Officer and People and Governance Officer.
We live and breathe our values, appreciate these qualities in others and look for these characteristics in new members of the team. If you’re collaborative, adaptable, responsible and encouraging, you’ll definitely fit in.
4. Look after your fellow bowlers
We all have an important role in the mental well-being of our fellow bowlers. Think of people from your Club who have perhaps lost a partner, or have no local family members to lean on in an hour of need – a few minutes’ chat over the telephone could make all the difference.
You could also offer to help your members/friends – perhaps you can help with their shopping or the collection of a prescription. Maybe you could start a swap club with your members and drop the items off on their doorstep, such as books or jigsaw puzzles.
Please just remember to do so in in a Covid-secure way.
5. Complete a Bowls England workout video
We recognise that most New Year’s Resolutions include a more active approach to health and fitness and we can certainly help if that’s what you’d like to improve in 2021.
Our three workouts have been designed to help bowlers stay fit and well during the current coronavirus restrictions, so you are all ready and able to start playing again when we get back out on the green.
The workouts vary in intensity and have been designed specifically for bowlers of all ages and abilities.
The three workout sessions are available to view on Bowls England’s YouTube channel
6. Improve your Club’s web presence
In 2020, Facebook announced that there were 1.79 billion daily active users with users spending an average of 38 minutes per day using the platform.
We recognise the importance of a good web presence and suggest putting yourself in the position of someone considering taking up bowls within your local area. Does your website or social media appear inviting? If you weren’t already a member, would the web presence of your club encourage you to join?
Our free webinars assist clubs and individual members with ideas and techniques to communicate to both current and prospective members using simple ideas which save time, money and are hassle-free.
Both webinars can be found on our YouTube Channel
7. Seek external funding for your Club
Every year, millions of pounds worth of grants and awards are available, which could help your club to buy new equipment and improve its facilities.
We provide a dedicated facility to enable affiliated clubs to search for potential grant funding opportunities locally and nationally
Find out more about current funding opportunities
8. Sign up for an online Coaching course
Coach Bowls delivers a number of online courses, providing an ideal opportunity for you to increase your knowledge from the comfort of your own home.
The courses are organised virtually, offering full interaction with the tutor and other people attending the course throughout.
Current courses include:
- Adult Safeguarding in Bowls
- Basic Safeguarding Children and Young People in Bowls
- Time to Listen – Safeguarding in Bowls
- Dementia Friends Awareness
New courses available for booking shortly will be:
- Supporting Inclusion
- Level 1 Award in Coaching Bowls
- Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Bowls
Places on each course are limited, with bookings accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Check out the Coach Bowls website for more information
9. Declutter your house to raise funds for your club
Cleaning often feels like one more annoying item on your ever-growing to-do list, but lockdown provides an ideal opportunity whilst we are all staying at home and avoiding the cold winter weather.
Whether it is finding that missing jigsaw puzzle piece from last summer, or wiping off dust from clothes that you haven’t worn for over a decade, we recommend that you save any of your unwanted items for a table top sale to help with club funds when we return to some kind of normality.
10. Subscribe to our social media platforms
Make sure you are one of the first to hear the news from Bowls England – you can find us on all of the main social media platforms. Follow us or subscribe to our channels to keep up-to-date with all of the latest developments within our sport.
To receive the Bowls England e-newsletter straight to your inbox, simply sign up here
Have you got any exciting resolutions in place for your club for 2021? Remember to share them with us on our social media channels