The Bowls England Board met in both October and November taking advantage of the time together with the Counties Conference and Champions Dinner also taking place. A recurring theme of both meetings was discussion on the progress of the Disciplinary Working Party, which has been tasked to review Regulation 9. The Board provided feedback on the work to date and has given the go-ahead for consultation with County Associations, which will begin over the coming weeks. The Board was pleased to see the education and guidance documents that are in development to support the regulations, and which are a critical part of the delivery of this project.
Over the course of the two meetings, Bowls England’s ambitions to host the 2027 World Championships were also tabled. A presentation was delivered covering how a World Championships can positively impact our sport, create pride and spectator opportunities amongst exiting bowlers and inspire new people to take up the sport. The draft hosting budget that has been developed show a deficit and the Board has been clear to the Executive that the event must break even. The Board will discuss again when conversations with potential funding partners are undertaken.
At the November meeting, the Board received a series of changes to Bowls England’s Articles of Association. These are consistent with decisions previously made to bring the organisation into line with Sport England’s Code of Governance and will now be taken forward to the 2025 AGM. Furthermore, the Board discussed its approach to sponsorship, and it was agreed that a series of guiding principles would be applied to any prospective sponsor to ensure new partnerships are in the best interest of Bowls England both financially and reputationally.
The Board received updates from Jon Cockcroft, the Chief Executive, on the work the team had delivered since August. With the financial year concluding on 30 September, it had been a busy period completing the operational plan for 2023/24 and finalising the accounts. Full details will be available through the Annual Report available in February 2025. The Board were advised that the 2024/25 year had started well, particularly with the positive news of bowls’ inclusion in the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Finally, it was noted that John McGuinness had formally stepped down from the role of Performance Director after a long period of absence. The Board recorded its thanks to John and will recognise his contribution in due course. Mo Monkton, who has been acting Performance Director since spring 2023 will continue in the position.
To read the full minutes from each meeting, please click here.