EIBA National Facilities Strategy-converted

1 Introduction English In

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

Introduction English In

1 Introduction ............................................................................................
2 Current Position.....................................................................................

2.1 What we Did ........................................................................
2.2 What we found ....................................................................
2.3 Mapping Insight ..................................................................
2.4 Types of club.......................................................................
2.5 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats ..............
3 Vision and Priorities ..............................................................................
3.1 1page outline.......................................................................
3.2 detailed outline of each area..............................................
3.3.......................................................................................................

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

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Current Position English In

introduction

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

Current Position English In

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Bowls is a sport unique in its ability to bring together people of all ages. In few
can players aged between 8 and 88 compete on a level playing field, s
respective levels of skill in accuracy and strategy.

The game of bowls has roots in England dating back hundreds of year
surviving green dating from 1299. The game is also associated with King

Henry VIII and James I (VI of Scotland) and Sir Francis Drake.
Despite having aristocratic roots, the modern game’s traditional heart
ethnically white, lower and middle class communities across England, wit

focus on coastal settlements (see below).

The sport rose to prominence during the 19th Century and retained its posit

the English genteel ideal from the post-war era through to the 1990s, when
began to decline. Between the 1990s and 2000’s bowls participation dec

Since Sport England started collecting data on participation in 2005 (via the

Survey), the number of people aged over 16 years participating in Bowls o
fell by 31% from 309,800 to 211,900 in 20161. According to Sport Engla
Active Lives Survey results ‘flat green’ bowls, a term used to distinguish ind

bowls from crown green bowling, has approximately 146,700 people participa

(twice in the past 28 days) and 392,100 people participating at least once in

(it should be noted that the Active People Survey and Active Lives Survey a
comparable as they utilise different methodologies) 2.

Flat green bowls is split into two major disciplines, indoor and outdoor (law
governing bodies; indoor bowls is administered by the English Indoor Bowli
of these organisations come under the Bowls Development Alliance (BDA)
bowls in England. This document focuses exclusively on indoor bowls.

1 Sport England Active People Survey Results – 2005-2016
2 Sport England Active Lives Survey – 2017/18

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

w other sports A Basic Guide to the Game of Bowls
save for their
Bowls is played on a ‘lawn’ made of grass or carpet typically shaped as
rs with oldest square or rectangle. This lawn is comprised of rinks, or strips of carpet that
gs Richard II, run the length of the green (c.30-40m) but measure only a few metres in width
(4-6m).
tlands are in
th a particular Teams take turns to propel their ‘woods’ toward a small ball-target called a
jack. The object of the game is to have as many woods belonging to your
tion as part of team as possible closer to the jack than your opponent’s closest wood.
n participation
clined steeply. Woods are a near-spherical in shape, with a two flattened sides creating an
Active People object that will only roll smoothly along one axis, similar to a wheel. Most
once per week woods have a bias, meaning that one side of the wood is heavier than the
and’s 2017/18 other. The bias allows the bowler to curve their wood as it rolls along the lawn
door and lawn towards its target.
ating regularly
n the last year The game is typically played in two teams, each taking it in turn to bowl two or
are not directly three woods per person toward the target jack. Once all the woods have been
bowled, the team closest to the jack is awarded the ‘end’. The winning team is
given a point for every ball closer to the jack than the opposition’s closest ball.

There are numerous scoring systems. The most common includes playing to
a target score (often 21) or seeing who has the highest score after a set
number of ends have been completed (typically 18 or 21).

wn) bowls. These two disciplines are administered by two separate national
ing Association (EIBA); lawn bowls is administered by Bowls England. Both
) which is the body funded by Sport England to help facilitate the game of

Current Position English In

1.2 ADMINISTRATION OF BOWLS IN ENGLAND Figure 1.1: Stru

The Bowls Development Alliance (BDA) was formed in
2009 with the aim of bringing all the National Governing
Bodies (NGB’s) responsible for bowls, together in order
to ensure the future growth and sustainability of the
sport.

In 2017, The BDA issued the ‘Play Bowls’ Strategy
designed to layout the future direction for the sport
between 2017 and 2021. 3

The ‘Play Bowls’ outlines the governance structure for
bowls up until 2021 and the division of responsibilities
across the BDA and the associated NGB’s. The current
governance structure is presented in figure 1.

Figure 1.1 shows that for the EIBA, the core focus is on;
• administrating competitions;
• gathering accurate participation data;
• developing a facilities strategy (this document);
and,
• developing a risk register of key sites.

3 Bowls Development Alliance, Play Bowls Strategy, 2016-2021

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

ucture of Bowls Governance in England

Current Position English In

Along with the outlining the structure of governance for the sport, the ‘Play B
until 2021.

Vision:
“Working with flat green clubs to help them and the bowlers within them dev
can be enjoyed for a life time”

Core Values of the Organisation:
• To focus on the needs of the bowler;
• To ensure everyone regardless of age, gender ethnicity or disability h
• To provide a safe environment in which to play.

Objectives:
• To strengthen resilience in the bowls core market;
• To continue to introduce new people into the sport so as to
develop a habit of regular physical activity;
• To ensure all projects are fully inclusive;
• To contribute to the physical and mental wellbeing of
participants;
• To develop accurate data collection and insight methods
alongside key partners;
• To upskill the volunteer workforce to ensure participants
receive the best possible experience; and,
• To ensure clubs have support in the maintenance and
development of their facilities and so strengthen resilience.
• facilities at a standard that will maintain the habit of physical

The ‘Play aBcotiwviltsy’ sotfrathteegirymeexmplbiceitrlsy.states the need for the aims and objectiv
‘Towards an Active Nation 2016-2021’ strategy4, which in turn links to the D
20155. Figure 1.2, overleaf, shows how the strategic ‘pillars’ of each organis

4 Sport England - Towards and Active Nation 2016-2021
5 DCMS - Sporting Future 2015

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

Bowls’ strategy also outlines the key direction and activities for Bowls up

velop more resilient habits to ensure a stronger sport, the benefits of which

has access to a quality experience; and,

Critical Actions
• Intensive support to 200 identified clubs to help strengthen
resilience in the core market through the new Club
Development Programme;
• Support clubs to encourage those who are presently
inactive to engage with bowls through the Play Bowls
Package;
• Upskilling of volunteers;
• Assist bowls clubs to become an integral part of the local
community; and,
• Ensure clubs have the support and guidance they need to
keep their facilities at a standard that will maintain the habit
of physical activity of their members. particularly providing
more opportunities for those with a disability;

DsveaeptsiaoorntfmathereentBaolDi••gfAnCePuElAtdoolltasn.cuksysareieulsBerctMeopobwemcothldlwsumeiablSisursatncfrahnialtucadytebiv;lSigseatiypenttoohsdmrebtau’esstscuat(oDpasmplCtiaogeMnrntadeSanad)nri‘tddnSotptgethohugareirdttainaSwl gnppilcaloFemrruttttaoEhuifennretytgha’lenaisnentretdahd’tseegy,
habit of physical activity of their members.

Current Position English In

Figure 1.2: Key Strategic Pillars Driving Sports Strategy and Investment in

BDA – PLAY BOWL

Strengthen Introduce new Fully Devel
resilience in the people into the inclusive data
projects an
core market sport m

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

n England

L’S STRATEGY Upskill Ensure clubs have support
volunteers in the maintenance and
lop accurate development of their
a collection facilities
nd insight
methods

Current Position English In

In parallel with the BDA’s 2017-2021 plan, the EIBA developed its own ‘Viso
facilities strategy, The BDA’s strategy and the EIBA’s own vision are show b

Figure 1.3: Linking the Facilities Strategy to the national strategic framewo

BDA – PLAY BOWL’S STRATEGY EIBA – 2021 Visio

Strengthen resilience in the Recruitment
core market

Introduce new people into Retention o
the sport
Clubs obtain
Fully inclusive projects accre

Develop accurate data Retention and
collection and insight of Fa

methods New indoor fa
requ
Upskill volunteers

Ensure clubs have support
in the maintenance and
development of their
facilities

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

on’ covering the same period. The links between the scope for the national
below in figure 1.3.

ork EIBA – National Facilities Strategy 2021
on – Key Priorities
“Identify key issues for clubs particularly where
of Participants clubs report limited secured access to their
facilities”

of Participants Identify ‘best practice’
examples
ning club mark
editation Identify common issues
suffered by clubs
d Improvement
acilities Identify areas indicating high
risk to the facility
acilities where
uired

Current Position English In

figures above depict how the national facilities strategy fits into the UK gove
activity. More information on each of these strategies is available on the DC
chapters will reference the ways in which components of these strategies fe

current position

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

ernment, Sport England and the BDA’s strategy for sport and physical
CMS, Sport England, BDA and EIBA websites respectively. The following
eeds into the facilities strategy.

Current Position English In

This section of the strategy summarises the ‘current position’ of indoor bowl
elements carried out as part of this project and subsequent analysis of this i

• What we did: the scope of the research and consultation elements

• What we found: the results of the research, consultation and DataH
• What ‘good’ looks like: using case studies from across the researc

bowls facilities in England. The current position is then analysed aga

opportunities and threats for indoor bowls facilities in England.

1.3 WHAT WE DID

This section of the report focuses on the research conducted into clubs rela
principle phases. for the project:

Figure 2.1: Project Structure

Stage A - Project Scoping Stage B - Research

• Defining the project group • Review existing strategies
• Defining and refine the and insight
scope and purpose of the • Design and distriibute
of research survey to targetted clubs
and anlalyse reponses
• Conduct and analyse
leisure operator
consultation findings
• Conduct and analysis
DataHub supply and
demand data

The scope of the work was defined by the EIBA and refined with 4global du
to:

“identify key issues for clubs particularly where clu

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

ls in England. The current position has been determined by the research
information. The chapter is broken down into the following structure;

of the project and the methodology that underpinned its delivery;
Hub analysis process
ch stage of the work, the strategy identifies a ‘preferred’ position for indoor
ainst the ‘preferred’ position to reveal the strengths, weaknesses,

ated to this scope. Figure 2.1 below shows the project structure in its

Stage C - Analysis Stage D - Strategy

• Present findings to project • Collate the findings from
group the Stage C analysis
• Draft and refine analysis • Extrapolate
document recommedations from the
analysis
• Produce a strategy
document

uring an inception meeting. The agreed scope of the research element was
ubs report limited secured access to their facilities”.

Current Position English In

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

As figure 4, above, shows the research element of the strategy is divided in
• review of existing strategies and insight;
• club surveys;
• facility operator consultations; and,
• DataHub insight analysis.

A summary of this research process is provided below in figure 2.2. Further
this report.

Figure 2.2: Research methodology summary

Strategic Review Club Surveys

Review of the following documents; The club surveys were produced
• DCMS – Sporting Future, 2015; using the following approach:
• Sport England - Towards and • The survey questions was refin

Active Nation 2016-2021; over multiple versions;
• BDA – Play Bowls 2016-2021; • The survey was produced on a
• EIBA – Paly Bowls Vision;
• Active Lives Survey, 2017/18; online platform accessible via
web link and distributed to 40
and, clubs from the EIBA club conta
• Active People Survey, 2005- database via email;
• The survey opened on the 1st
2016. April, 2019 and closed on the 3
of April, 2019; a research perio
30 days;
• the option of filling out the surv
on a hard copy was made
available upon request; and,
• 26 clubs responded to the surv
producing a confidence level o
90% with a 10% margin of erro
90% confidence with a 5% ma
of error is the industry standar
(higher than achieved).

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

nto three parts;

r detail regarding research methodology is available in the appendices of

Operator Consultations Supply & Demand Analysis
(Driven by DataHub)
ned Consultations with leisure operators,
DataHub is 4global’s own data
an who own and manage the majority of capture and analytics tool. Since its
a launch in 2013 DataHub has
the facilities in England, were captured over 750million visits to
acts over 2,500 sites and recorded the
conducted in the following way; activity data of over 12million
of unique individuals.
30th • 22 leisure operators were
od of Using the data relevant only to indoor
contacted via email and invited to bowling facilities, DataHub has
vey produced a demand profile of indoor
be a part of the study; bowls facility users based on a
vey sample of 1,268,596 visits over the
of • 6 responded including; last 2 years including and 20,707
or. o Alive Leisure; unique individuals. Using this sample,
argin o Circadian Trust; further analysis was undertaken to
rd o Halo Leisure Services; establish the propensity for a
o SERCO; demographic group to participate in
o SLM – Everyone Active; and, bowls at least once in an average
o Stevenage Leisure Trust.; and, month. This level of propensity per
demographic group is then modelled
• Operators were asked to respond across England.
to 10 set questions plus an ‘any
further comment’ question.

Current Position English In

1.4 WHAT WE FOUND

This section of the report profiles the findings of each of the research eleme
in the introduction to this document.
INDOOR BOWLS CLUB’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR HOME-GREEN FAC

A detailed analysis of the results of the club survey can be found in the appe

Access to indoor

Figure 2.3 shows the average cost of accessing an indoor bowling
centre per year when both membership and a leisure card (where
applicable) are required.

Figure 2.3: Average Cost of Accessing an indoor bowls club per
year (membership + leisure cards - where applicable)

Social membership (£)

Senior citizen's membership (£)

Junior membership (£)

Full membership (£)

£0.00 £10.00 £20.00 £30.00 £40.00 £50.00

It should be noted that the average cost of access for full membership
is presented without two outlier clubs Chigwell and the Lawns. If these
two London based clubs are included in the analysis then the average
cost of a Full Membership increases to £74.23 per year.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

ents profiled, with the exception of the strategic review which is summarised

CILITIES (CLUB SURVEY FINDINGS)
endix of this document. A summary of the key findings is presented below.

bowling facilities

Figure 2.4 below shows the prevalence of different types of
agreements of ‘secured access’ club’s have in place with their home

facilities and the average length of time these agreement are for.

Figure 2.4: Type and Length of ‘secured access’ agreement

50% 10
9
Percetage of responding clubs45% 8
Number of Years7
40% 6
5
35% 4
3
30% 2
1
25% 0

20%

15%

10%

5%

0% Other Lease of the First License for use of Informal/Verbal
No agreement

facility refusal/preference the facility agreement

on booking

% of responding clubs Avg. Length of capped security

Figure 2.4 shows that very few clubs (28%) have formal secured use
agreements of use with their respective facilities, either via a lease or a
licence. All other agreements are not considered ‘formal’ secured use
agreements as these are not backed by legal documentation that obligates
a facility to grant access to the facility to the club. Those clubs that have a
lease on the use of the facility have an average of 9.4 years of secured
access. The average length of secured access is less than one year for
clubs without a lease.

Current Position English In

Ownership and ma
This section covers the legal status of indoor bowls clubs in relation to the
leisure centres that own and manage the facilities. Figure 2.5 below shows
the breakdown of which entities are involved with running bowls facilities.

Figure 2.5: Organisations involved in owning and operating indoor bowls facilities
70%
60%

50%
40%

30%
20%

10% Leisure Leisure Local Educational Trust Other (please
Centre Centre Authority (not Site (state specify)
0% (privately (council via a leisure
The bowls owned) owned) school)
club centre)

Freeholder Operator Booking Manager

Figure 2.5 shows that none of the bowls clubs surveyed own or officially
operate their facilities. 33% of clubs reported that they are involved in
managing the bookings of the facilities. The prominent finding is that the
dominant entity in owning and operating indoor bowling facilities are council
owned leisure centres. Typically, these centres are operated by leisure trust
acting under contract from the council.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

anagement of facilities
Figure 2.6, below, summaries the responses of clubs when asked to

indicate which statement best applied to them in terms of running and

managing the facility. A full analysis of this question is available in the

appendix. To summarise the responses, the statements were categorised

into three groups; club managed facility with little input from the facility

operator; operator managed facility with little input from the club; and, the

centre and the club work closely.

Figure 2.6: Who manages the facility?
Club Facility Cooperation

45% 21% 34%

When considered together, only 34% of clubs have substantial dialogue with
the site owner/operator. 45% of clubs are left more or less to their own
devices when running the facility. Consultation with the EIBA highlighted
concern that lack of involvement by facility operators represents a weakness
for the sport because it leads to poor levels of understanding between the
operators and resident clubs as well as a lack of promotion of the facility in
the community; both of these results have the potential to have a negative
impact on participation in indoor bowls and the utilisation of the facilities.
This fails to maximise the ‘£: square metre’ ratio of halls which reduces their
l financial viability potentially increasing operator’s appetite for repurposing
ts the bowling hall space for other activity.

Current Position English In

Relationship between c
Clubs were asked to rate how ‘important’ and how ‘satisfied’ they

consider elements of their relationship with the manager or their home

green facility on a scale of 1-5. An average score below 3.0 indicates a

negative response and a result above indicates a positive response.

The results of this work are summarised in figure 2.7 below.

Figure 2.7: Importance and Satisfaction with relationship with home green managers

5.0
Very important/

4.5 Highly satisfied

4.0 Important/ Satisfied
1.5 1.4

3.5

3.0 Somewhat importan
Somewhat satisfied

2.5

2.0 Not very important/
Dissatisfied

1.5 Unimportant/
Highly Dissatisfied
1.0

Communication Ease of booking Treatment of Speed and Affordability of Quality of facility Understanding of
between club the facility your members responsiveness accessing the maintenance our Sport by
and facility by facility staff of facility staff Facility
manager site Staff/Manager

Importance Satisfaction

Figure 3.5 shows that the relationship element clubs felt was most

important was communication between the club and the facility

manager (4.7). The average level of satisfaction with this relationship

was 3.2. meaning it has the largest differential between importance and

satisfaction, at 1.5 (30%). This indicates this should be a key area of

focus for improving relationships. The lowest rated level of satisfaction

was the quality of the facility maintenance by managers and
manager’s understanding of the sport.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

clubs and facility managers
Figure 2.8 below shows the impact clubs reported improving certain
elements of their home green would have on the club’s successful running.

Clubs were asked to say rate the level of impact by on a scale of 1-5

Figure 2.8: Impact of improving relationship elements Very high
impact
5.0 High impact

4.5 Some impact

4.0 Low impact
Little to no
3.5 impact

3.0

2.5

2.0

nt/ 1.5

d

1.0

Cheaper hire Better / More Better ancillary Better / More Guaranteed First preference / Friendly / more More conveniently Greater Other Factors

facility hire regular carpet faciliities regular security of use / refusal for one-off welcoming staff located facilities involvement in

/ maintenance communication access for the bookings running /
maintaining the
club

facility

Figure 2.8 shows that in terms of improving club’s experience of using their

home green facility, having guaranteed security of use would have the
greatest impact in terms of improving club’s relationship with their home

clubs (average response of 3.4). Improving the ancillary facilities (2.9) and

better more regular communication (2.9) were the other responses that clubs
reported would have ‘some impact’ on their successful running.

Current Position English In

Bowlin

Figure 2.9 shows the average quality rating clubs gave their home facilities.

Figure 2.9: Average quality rating of home greens by clubs

Avg. quality (out of 3) Avg. Evenness (out of 3) Additional needs accessible
2.5 2.7 95%

Figure 2.9 shows that in general, most greens are rated as being
“good” (i.e. a rating of 2.5 or above). Evenness is also rated as being
“good” across most greens. 41% of responding clubs had some
responsibility for basic maintenance of their home green (vacuuming
etc.). Clubs that had some part in the maintenance of their facilities
were more likely to rate their green as ‘good’. When only greens not
maintained by clubs were considered, the average quality rating falls to
2.4 indicating that clubs which are able to contribute toward their
green’s upkeep consider them to be of higher quality.

Figure 2.10 below shows the presence and quality of ancillary facility

element at home greens.

Figure 2.10: Ancillary facilities at indoor bowling greens

Facility element Yes (DDA accessible) Yes (not accessible) No Quality Rating
Changing rooms 0% 2.5
Toilets 96% 4% 0% 2.3
Bar 62% 2.1
Restaurant 96% 4% 48% 2.1
Function room 56% 2.4
38% 0%

52% 0%

44% 0%

Figure 2.10 shows that indoor halls have a very high level of additional

needs accessibility. The quality of these facilities is, on average,

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

ng facilities
. considered to be of either good or standard quality.

It is common for clubs to provide refreshments as part of hosting bowls
competitions or events. Figure 2.10 shows only around half of clubs have a
designated space for providing refreshments in the facility whilst hosting a
club match. This means that by failing to fulfill this part of the game, a club’s
appeal to its users may be reduced. On average, the clubs that have bar,
restaurant or function room facilities rated them as being of adequate quality.

Figure 2.11 below shows the responses of clubs when asked what their top

three facility development projects are for their home site.

Figure 2.11: Facility enhancement projects by facility area

Facility element Nature of project Avg. time-scale Est. Avg.
Cost
(ranked) Replace Improve Add a new (years)
£3,500
1. Ancillary facilities 29% 71% 0% 0.9 £30,000
£7,500
2. Bowling Carpet 37% 32% 32% 2.9 £5,000

3. Carpet Underlay 0% 100% 0% 4.0

4. Other (please specify) 38% 13% 50% 1.0

Improvements to the ancillary facilities were the most commonly cited
projects. Figure 2.8 shows that such projects would be expected to have
‘some impact’ on clubs being able to run successfully. Typically, these
projects are short term (less that 1 year) and involve improving existing
facilities rather than adding new ones. Enhancing carpets were the next
most cited facility improvement project. When cross-referenced with figure
2.8 above, there is limited correlation that improving the carpet surface
itself would have a significant positive impact on clubs.

Current Position English In

CLUB’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR HOME-GREEN FACILITIES – K
General Findings:

• Around two thirds of facilities are local authority owned leisure centre
• Communication is the most important element in the relationship bet
• Improving security of access for clubs was reported to be the most im

according to clubs; and,
• Better ancillary facilities and improved communication were seen as

Positives / Strengths:

• Ease of booking and affordability were recorded as the areas of high
• Most clubs rated their facilities as being of ‘good’ quality;
• 95% of the greens used are considered to be accessible for people w
• The majority of changing facilities and toilets are accessible for peop
• Only 50% of clubs have access to refreshment facilities at their hom

Negatives / Weaknesses:

• Only 28% of clubs have any formal secured agreement of use with th
• Other than lease-holding clubs, if clubs have a secured access agre
• Only 34% are managed in cooperation between clubs and centre op
• Green maintenance and managers understanding of bowls were the
• Ancillary facilities were reported as the most common and highest pr

greens.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy – 2019

KEY FINDINGS

es;
tween clubs and centres;
mpactful element in improving the relationship between clubs and centres,
s the second and third most impactful changes that could be made.

hest satisfaction
with additional needs;
ple with additional needs; and,
me green.

heir centre;
eement in place it typically expires in less than one year;
perators;
e areas of lowest satisfaction; and,
riority facility improvement project, followed by improvements to bowling

3 Vision and Priorities English In
2019

FACILITY OPERATOR’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BOWLS (OPERATOR CONS

As part of the consultation process, 22 leisure operators known to manage i
designed to capture their attitudes towards indoor bowls. 6 operators respon
summarised below. Please note the responses below are not verbatim from
responses given. A full analysis of all responses is available in the appendix

Q. How would you characterise your Q. What are the main challe
organisations attitude towards indoor bowls organisation has in general
taking place at dedicated facilities within your indoor bowls centres?
centres?
A. At present centres
A. There is a need for these facilities to be utilisation vs running cost b
financially sustainable. As a single function
the halls are not especi
space, indoor bowling halls are not really forms of activity (althoug
financially sustainable.
have foun
Q. How would you characterise the level of
promotion and marketing you give the bowls Q. Do you have any examp
halls within your facilities portfolio? where a facility your organi
indoor bowling hall success
A. Limited to no marketing specific to bowls is
undertaken. Often this is left to the club or, if A. Communication b
anything it comes in as part of the general managers is crucial. Wo
marketing of the centre. understand which elements
in managing, where the ce
Q. What support or training do you provide to
managers with indoor bowls halls under their and how utilisation
professional responsibilities?
Q. If anything, what would b
A. Whilst there is general health and safety and thing relevant to indoor bow
operational training in place, there is no your organisation the most
specific bowls training.
A. It’s all about maximisin
space. This can be

1. Improved marketing prog
NGB to maximise deman
demographic break into n

2. Diversifying the activities
performed in bowls halls
best practice examples fr
sector (see Stevenage Le

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

SULTATION FINDINGS)

indoor bowls halls were contacted and asked to respond to questions
nded to the request. The key findings from this consultation are
m any one response but are designed to give a general impression of the
x of this report.

enges your
with operating

s have a very poor Q. Is there greater emphasis on health targets
balance. At present or financial management of facilities within the
ially useful to other contracts you have with local authorities?
gh some operators
nd successes here. A. Typically both the emphasis of which can
vary from authority to authority. Ensuring
ples of 'best practice'
isation operates an facilities are operating to a high standard is
sfully? crucial to making them sustainable and, by
implication available to the community in the
between clubs and
orking with clubs to longer term.
s they are effective
entre is best placed Q. What are the typical issues that manager’s
n of the hall can be report when dealing with indoor bowls and
clubs?
maximised.
A. Temperature control is a common issue.
Managing this in a large space is challenging.

be the single biggest Q. What is the nature of the agreement your
wls that would benefit centre has when gathering personal data facility
and why? users?

ng utilisation of the A. Data protection legislation means the
done in two ways; sharing of data is harder and we’d need to
grammes from the have permission from the individual that they
nd from the core agree to us to sharing their data with bowls
new markets; and, clubs. Once this is in place we are happy to
s that can be
– possibly via share data with the clubs.
rom across the
eisure).

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

FACILITY OPERATOR’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BOWLS – KEY FINDI

Positives / Strengths:

• Centres are prepared to share data with clubs if this is compliant wit
• There are best practice examples (see Stevenage Leisure) of increa

in the hall without negatively affecting the club’s experience of using
• Health outcomes are a key target and consideration for centres, but
• Communication between clubs and facility managers is seen as the

club survey.

Negatives / Weaknesses:

• The key factor for centres is that facility elements be as financially v
programme are failing to be;

• There is no training for centre managers on bowls specific issues m
intervention; and,

• There is no dedicated bowls specific marketing directed by the oper

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

INGS

th data protection legislation;
asing the utilisation of bowls halls and successfully diversifying the activities
g the centre;
t this is secondary to the financial viability of centres; and,
e key to improving relationships between the two, the same finding as with the

viable as possible, something that bowls halls and their current use-
meaning understand of the sport is unlikely to increase without external
rators.

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

1.5 SUPPLY & DEMAND MODELLING (DATAHUB & OTHER SOURCES)

A key element of any facilities strategy is to understand the current supply a
variety of sources including;

• Sport England: Active Places Power;
• BDA: Play Bowls Strategy 2017-2021;
• Sport England: Active Live; and,
• 4global: DataHub.

SUPPLY

Using Sport England’s Active Places Power resource, 4global have mapped

Figure 2.12: Indoor bowls sites in England b

Figures 2.12 show the spatial
distribution of the bowls sites in
England by size (measured in rinks)
and access type.

Of the 317 sites identified from Active
Place Power, 176 (55%) have 6 or
more rinks. 74% can be accessed via
a sports club or community
association.

Figure 2.13 shows the combined
catchment of all 317 facilities. There
are notable gaps in the West
Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
This matter will be addressed later on
in the study. Of the 55.6 million
people living in England (ONS, 2017),
49.7 million live within 30minutes
drive of a facility.

According to the BDA’s own market
insight data, 92% of bowlers are aged
over 55 years old. Taking just this
segment, of the 16.5 million people
aged 55+, 14.5 (88%) live within
30minutes of an indoor bowls centre.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

and demand profile of the sport. This analysis has been compiled from a

d the location of all indoor bowling centres in England.

by access type and size Figure 2.13: Combined catchment of ALL indoor bowls sites in England

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

DEMAND

The approach of the strategy is to ‘layer’ the information available from each
bowling facilities in England.

Bowling Development Alliance:

There are currently 294 clubs affiliated to the English Indoor Bowling Assoc
of participants play both indoor and outdoor codes and on average participa

that are available are aligned closely to the traditional game. There is not a

unable to participate through the traditional formats on offer. From the Natio
are dominated by the wish to be social and to gain health benefits, with com
gathered from the BDA’s ‘Market Understanding’ exercise is provided below

Figure 2.14: Age Breakdown Figure 2.15: Gender Breakd

55-64: 11% Femal
65-74: 49% e

33%

54 or younger: 55 or over
8% 92%

Male
67%

75+: 32%

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

h of these sources to build a picture of the supply and demand of indoor

: Play Bowls Strategy 2016-2021

ciation. From insight work undertaken by the BDA, it is known that over half
ate at least once a week for a period of two hours each time. The formats
widely played shorter format which may appeal to those unwilling or
onal Participation Survey it has also become clear that motivations for play
mpetition identified as not a priority motivation. A breakdown of the insight
w

down Figure 2.16: Identifying the core market

How do they behave? How do they think/feel?
• Activity taken up on retirement • Aware of the health benefits of being
• Long lapse from taking part in sport
• Activity takes between 2-3hrs per week physically active
• Social interaction
with majority playing twice per week • Assists with independent living
• 52% play both outdoor and indoor • Opportunity to remain competitive well
• Some general active lifestyle - rambling
into older age
What gets in the way?
• Health issues associated with old age Who Are they?
• Transport Logistics • Mainly white, retired males 55+
• Facility access • Couples often play at the same club
• Length of games leads to tiredness and • Individuals who have lost their long

drop off term partner
• Responsibilities as grandparents • Low representation of ethnic minority

groups

‘David’ ‘John’ ‘Graham & Shirley’
• Aged 55-65 • Recently retired • Aged 70+
• Taken early retirement • Motivated to remain • Core of the club’s
• High disposable
active membership
income and time • Likely to take on official • Daytime players
• Motivation remains • Focus on social benefits
role within the club • Always together
competition

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

Sport England Ac

Sport England’s Active Lives survey (ALS) is a comprehensive survey desig
overall sample size of the survey is c. 198,250 people each year. The minim
some key areas will involve surveying a bigger number of people. The data
geography and key demographics. Some key findings from the results of the

ALS estimates there are 392,100 people that participate in ‘flat green bowlin

period. Figure 2.17:
Participation breakdown by region
(based on participation 1x per year)

Figure 2.17 show the breakdown of
participation in flat green bowls on
the basis of a person playing doing
the activity at least once per year.

The figure details how many
players there are within the region
and what percentage of the total

392,100 participants this

represents. South East: 81.1K – 21%

The analysis shows that the game
is most heavily played in the south

of England, with 46% of all players
living in the south east, south west
or London.

The game is less popular in the
north, with only 14% of players
coming from Yorkshire, the north
east and the north west.

The midlands comprises a
significant amount of demand in
proportion to the population of the
England, with 38% of players living
in either the east midlands, west
midlands or the east region.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

ctive Lives Survey

gned to capture participation in sport and physical activity in England. The
mum annual sample size for each English local authority is c.500, though

is then weighted to Office for National Statistics population measures for
e survey are present in the figures below.
ng’ each year with, 146,700 (37%) participating at least twice over a 28 day

Figure 2.18 shows the difference in participation between crown green bowls
and flat green bowls by region. The figure shows that the north west region is
dominated by crown green bowling. However, in other areas regarded as
crown green heartlands, such as the West Midlands and Yorkshire, the
differences in participation are quite narrow, indicating that flat green bowls
has a presence in these areas and investment in facilities should reflect this.
This is especially true in the West Midlands which is the fourth region in
England in terms of the number of participants in flat green bowls.

Figure 2.18: Participation in crown vs flat green bowling by region (based on participation 1x per year)
1.40%

1.20%

1.00%

0.80%

0.60%

0.40%

0.20%

0.00%

England East East London North South South West Yorkshire
(Nation) Midlands Region Region West East West Midlands Region
Region Region Region Region
Region

Crown green bowls Flat green bowls

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

Demand Analysis

DataHub is 4global’s own data capture and analytics tool. Since its launch
and recorded the activity data of over 12million unique individuals. Using th
a demand profile of indoor bowls facility users based on a sample of 1,268
Using this sample, further analysis was undertaken to establish the propen
average month. This level of propensity per demographic group is then mo

The 4global demand layer is Figure 2.19: Bowls Demand by population
calculated using DataHub's
participation data, mixed with
additional data sources including
Experian Mosaic data and ONS
data sets. Due to the granularity of
the data, further analysis was
possible to establish the propensity
for a demographic group to
participate in bowls at least once in
an average month. This analysis
looks at variations and the impact of
factors such as age, gender,
lifestyle segment (Experian Mosaic
profile - includes details such as
household income, job types, life
stage, family makeup and other life
events), deprivation, transport
mobility and rural/urban
characteristics on propensity.

Once a demographic group's
propensity to participate has been
established, these percentages
were applied across the whole UK
population (based of the ONS
population projection statistics) at a
Lower Super Output Area (LSOA)
level. The outputs from this analysis
is presented in figures 2.19 and
2.20

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

- DataHub Insight

in 2013 DataHub has captured over 750million visits to over 2,500 sites
he data relevant only to indoor bowling facilities, DataHub has produced
8,596 visits over the last 2 years including and 20,707 unique individuals.
nsity for a demographic group to participate in bowls at least once in an
odelled across England.

density Figure 2.20: Bowls Demand by proportion of population

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

Figures 2.19 shows that there is significant demand for bowls on the south c
Black Country, as well as in west Yorkshire and the areas surrounding New
significant level of potential demand in Lancashire and the greater Manches
of this demand is expected to be driven toward crown green bowling.

Figure 2.20 shows the level of demand by the proportion of the population th
south west, Scottish boarder and the east coast of the UK are areas where
bowls. However, figure 2.20 does not reflect the amount of people living with
demand for Bowls.

Taken together, figures 2.19 and 2.20 show there is a duality to the challeng
duality can be characterised in the following way;

• the greatest opportunity to drive increases in participation in the spo
demand is highest;

• however, people in these areas also have high competition for their
• they also represent the lowest opportunity for converting high propo
• in the rural south west and east coast of England, there is little dens

population could be attracted to bowls given the opportunity.

The above indicates that there may need to be a split approach to the game
locations, and another for facilities in rural locations.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

coast, London and surrounding areas, the east midlands, Birmingham and
wcastle-upon-Tyne (especially to the south of the city). There is also a
ster area, however, as demonstrated in figure 2.18 above, the vast majority

hought to have demand for ‘bowls’ participation. The figure shows that the
there is a particularly high level of propensity for the population to play
hin these areas, just the proportion of the residents that may have latent

ge bowls faces from a demand, and therefore facilities point of view. This
ort in England is in the cities and urban conurbations where the density of

leisure time from other activities;
ortions of a given area or community into regular bowls players;
sity of demand for bowls but, a comparatively high proportion of the

e of bowls in England, with a strategy for facilities in city and urban

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

Supply and Demand Ana

This page looks to bring together the mapping and insight from the analysis
demand are not serviced by facilities. This analysis is shown in figure 2.21 b
coverage of facilities across most of the areas of highest core demand, with
Birmingham and the Black Country and East London

Figure 2.21: Supply and Demand gap ana

Leeds and its
surrounding area
is served by 3
centres Leeds,
Harrogate and
Huddersfield. The
mapping indicates
that residents to
the north, east
and west of
Braford do not
have access to a
indoor hall within
20minutes drive.
However, it should be noted that Yorkshire is considered
to be a crown green heartland. However, ALS data
shows that there is also significant flat green bowling
demand in this area too. Further investigation is therefore
required before investment is made into this area.

The entirety of
greater Birmingham
and the Black
Country is served
by just 4 halls;
Solihull, King
Heath, Erdington
and Bromsgrove.
The mapping
shows that a huge
section of west
Birmingham and

the Black County is well outside of a 20minute drive of its
nearest facility. The West Midlands is considered part of
the crown green bowls heartland, however ALS shows
that participation is actually very evenly split between flat
and crown green bowling meaning this could be a very
promising area in which to consider investment in an
indoor bowling facility.

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

alysis - DataHub Insight

s above to identify any gaps in provision where areas of higher latent
below. As a general observation, figure 2.21 shows that there is a good
h most gaps coming in cities and towns such as Leeds, Sheffield,

alysis for indoor bowling halls in England

From Chesterfield to Featherstone, there
is a significant area that is outside of a
20minute drive time of any indoor bowing
halls. Sheffield is not served by any
facility with the vast majority of the city
well beyond the catchment of any centre.
As part of Yorkshire, Sheffield is
considered to be in the crown bowls
heartlands but, such a large population
centre requires further investigation as to
whether a new facility should be added to service the not-
inconsiderable flat green bowls demand in the city.

The Potteries and
North Midlands are
shown to be well
outside of the
catchment of any
indoor bowls facility.
This includes major
centres like Derby
and Stoke-on-Trent.
These settlements may be considered to be too close to the crown
green heartland of the North West, the North Midlands represents
and area where there is no opportunity to play indoor bowls.

Despite not having a
demographic typically
associated with bowls,
the size of the population
indirceantet.s there is a
significant area of
demand without access
to an indoor bowling
centres in east London.
Billericay and Brentwood in the north east of the map, have
demographics more associated with indoor bowls. These areas are
close to three centres; Chelmsford, Rayleigh and Romford, all of
which are beyond a 20minute drive. This area should be considered
a good candidate for a new indoor bowls centre.

2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight English In
2019

SUPPLY AND DEMAND ANALYSIS – KEY FINDINGS

General Findings:

Positives / Strengths:

• Centres are prepared to share data with clubs if this is compliant wit
• There are best practice examples (see Stevenage Leisure) of increa

in the hall without negatively affecting the club’s experience of using
• Health outcomes are a key target and consideration for centres, but
• Communication between clubs and facility managers is seen as the

club survey.

Negatives / Weaknesses:

• The key factor for centres is that facility elements be as financially v
programme are failing to be;

• There is no training for centre managers on bowls specific issues m
intervention; and,

• There is no dedicated bowls specific marketing directed by the oper

ndoor Bowling Alliance: National Facilities Strategy –

th data protection legislation;
asing the utilisation of bowls halls and successfully diversifying the activities
g the centre;
t this is secondary to the financial viability of centres; and,
e key to improving relationships between the two, the same finding as with the

viable as possible, something that bowls halls and their current use-
meaning understand of the sport is unlikely to increase without external
rators.