Bowls Clubs are the heartbeat of our sport.
They provide the environments for participants, of all ages and abilities, to enjoy our sport and play an important role in bringing communities together.
As such, the people who run our clubs are critical to the wellbeing of our sport and are superbly placed to offer insight into how we can do things better.
Over recent weeks we have sought the views of current participants, county associations and a panel drawn from outside the sport as we prepare our strategy for the next five years.
The results of our club survey will directly feed into our future strategy, which will include a commitment to develop the services we provide to affiliated clubs.
We invite you to share your thoughts on a number of topics including:
- Club facilities
- Club management
- Volunteers
- Membership
- Recruitment
- Communications
- Covid-19
- Future service improvements
It should take approximately 20 minutes to complete and thank you in advance for your valuable contribution. Please ensure only one survey is completed per club.
Click here to begin the survey.
Our annual survey will build on the results of our earlier COVID-19 survey earlier this year, where we surveyed clubs to understand the impact of the pandemic. A total of 1,012 (51%) clubs responded to the survey and we would again like to thank them for their input.
We have continued to reference the results from the survey to help inform our advice, guidance and support provided to clubs throughout the last few months.
A summary of results from the Covid-19 Survey, and actions taken as a result of your feedback, is included at Appendix A.
APPENDIX A: COVID-19 SURVEY
We surveyed our member clubs in April to understand the likely impact of COVID-19 at the outset. 1,012 clubs responded and we would again like to thank you for your valuable input.
The focus of the survey was on understanding the difficulties our clubs were facing, and what additional support you needed.
We have continued to reference the results from the survey to help inform our advice, guidance and support throughout the last few months.
Highlights included:
| YOU SAID … | WE …. |
| Recruitment and retention of members was your top priority | Organised the national ‘Let’s Roll’ marketing campaign, which saw 402 clubs sign up in support. Results to date show an average of 6.5 people enjoying a free trial session at a participating club, and an average of just over four new members per club. We have already announced plans for a National Open Weekend from 28-31 May 2021 which will build on these successes. |
| Club Finances had been severely impacted by Covid-19 | Helped clubs to source funding at local and national level, with bowls clubs receiving £2.4million from the Sport England Community Emergency Fund to date |
| Clubs were at risk as a result of Covid-19 | We offered direct assistance to more than 800 clubs with various items including advice on funding, recruitment and greens maintenance |
| Help was needed to develop communications at club and county level | Organised a series of communications and social media webinars – attracting more than 700 club and county representatives |
Summary of Results
Overall Impact and Sustainability
- 58% of clubs expected to return to bowls within one month of Government restrictions being lifted
- 52% of clubs said their finances had been severely impacted by COVID-19
- 46% of clubs received a cash grant from their Local Authority
- 38% of clubs reported that they had applied to the Sport England Community Emergency Fund
- 18% of clubs stated that there was a likelihood that their club would have to permanently close as a direct result of COVID-19
Membership
- 65% of clubs requested the payment of subscriptions from Members
- 73% of clubs who had requested fees had received at least three quarters of their subscriptions for the season
- Of the clubs which did not ask for membership fees, the predominant reason was that they felt it was currently inappropriate to do so at that time
Future support from Bowls England
- Retention of Members (83%) and Recruitment of New Members (78%) were the top two priority areas identified for future support
Communication of information from Bowls England
- 97% of clubs were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the information provided
- Information was received from a wide range of sources as below:
- 94% County Administrator
- 52% Bowls England Website
- 51% Bowls England E-Newsletter
- 17% Social Media (Facebook/Twitter)
- 14% word of mouth
Club communication with members
- 93% e-mail
- 81% telephone
- 44% club website
- 29% text message
- 28% social media
- 20% letter
Our annual survey will build on the results of the COVID-19 survey.