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BRITISH CROWN GREEN BOWLING ASSOCIATION____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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| 2025 BCGBA Rules & Revision Proposals. |
The following Rules & Revision Proposals were Carried at the Rules Revision Meeting, held on Saturday 18th January 2025.
DEVELOPMENT PLAYER FEE – NEW RULE – AMENDMENT
To introduce an Annual Development Player Fee.
Such annual charge would be ringfenced by the Association and would only be available for spending in-line with the National Development Strategy.
All expenditure, and development progression, will be reported annually through a Development Review document.
The Annual Development Player Fee would come into being for an initial minimum of a three-year cycle commencing in 2025, to enable the strategy to be actioned.
The proposal for the fee is £1 per player, per Club. This fee to be paid by the 31st May.
THE FOOTER – RULE 1.3 – PAGE 243
Insert after the “155mm.” a new sentence to read –
“The footer is not part of the green and any bowl or jack travelling over, or touching the footer, must be returned to be played again.”
A BOWL – RULE 1.5 – PAGE 243 – AMENDMENT
After the word “dispensation.” on line 3 add a new sentence to read –
“The maximum weight of a bowl shall be 1.37kg (3lb).”
STILL JACK or BOWL – RULE 7.1b – PAGE 249
In line 1 after the word “jack” insert “or bowl”.
SMOKING – RULE 10.2 – PAGE 252
Add the words “nicotine inhaler” by amending the first sentence to read –
“Smoking: Smoking, vaping, the use of an electronic cigarette and/or a nicotine inhaler is not allowed whilst participating in the game of Crown Green Bowls.”
FOOTWEAR – RULE 10.3 – PAGE 252
Delete the words ADDENDA (10.3)
BCGBA 18 to 23 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP GUIDELINES – RULE 1 – PAGE 72
Change rule to – but is under the age of 25 years
BCGBA WORLD CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP – PAGE 65
Proposed changes to rule: 4, 6, 8, 9 and 12
Delete the above rules and insert the proposed below into the competition rules
Qualifying Rounds and Match Rules:
Group Structure:
For the qualifying rounds, teams will be drawn into groups (A, B, C, D, etc), each comprising four teams (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4). The number of groups and teams may be adjusted based on the number of entries. Teams from the same county affiliate will not be drawn into the same group.
On match day, two groups will play at a two-green venue, or one group will play at a single-green venue.
Each group of four will compete in a round-robin format on one green, and the winner from each group will qualify for finals day.
In the event of a Group with Three Teams:
In the case of a group containing three teams, the first match will be played between the first two teams drawn. The second match will feature the losing team from the first match against the non-playing team. The final match will then be played between the winner of the first match and the non-playing team from the first round.
Player and Team Eligibility:
(i) A player may not be selected to play for more than one team in the Championship.
(ii) No team or player may play on their own green.
Practice Restrictions:
Teams or players may not practice on a green where they are due to play for 14 days before the match.
Qualifier Match Rules:
Match Format:
All matches in the round-robin stages will be played to 21 up. Proceedings to start at 11am
Five games must be in progress at all times until the completion of each match:
Games 1, 2, and 3 from Match One and games 1 and 2 from Match Two will be played first.
Games 4 and 5 from Match One and games 3, 4, and 5 from Match Two will follow.
This format must be maintained until all matches are completed.
Order of Play:
The order of play for each match will be determined by an exchange of scorecards numbered 1 to 8, with players called to the green in this order.
Players must report to the green manager or referee when called. If a player is absent when called, they will be replaced by a reserve and won’t be eligible to play in that match.
The allocation of jacks to odd and even-numbered players will be decided by a coin toss after the draw is made.
Qualifier Match Outcome:
The team with the highest total score in each match will be declared the winner and awarded 2 points. In the event of a draw, each team will receive 1 point.
After the completion of all round-robin matches, the team with the most points in each group will advance to finals day.
Tiebreaker Rules:
In the case of a tie in either the group stages or the finals, the following criteria will be applied, in order:
- The team with the higher aggregate score will advance.
- If still tied, the team with the most individual match winners will advance.
- If still tied, the team with the best individual match winner will advance.
- If still tied, the team with the next best individual match winner will advance, and so on
BCGBA WORLD CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP – PAGE 65
Change of name of competition to BCGBA CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
| BCGBA National Development Strategy |
Introduction
For many years the sport of crown green bowls has started to see a steady decline since its height of popularity in the late 20th Century. This decline in popularity, since the 1980’s, can be attributed to several factors.
During the 1980s, crown green bowls was a widely enjoyed sport, however, an aging demographic of players has impacted this. As older generations, who were avid players, have aged, there has been a lack of younger players taking up the sport.
Another contributing factor is the rise of alternative leisure activities. With the advent of digital entertainment, such as video games and streaming services, younger generations have more options for how they spend their free time. This shift in leisure preferences has drawn potential new players away from traditional sports like crown green bowls.
Additionally, the maintenance of bowling greens and facilities can be costly. Many clubs have struggled with funding and upkeep, leading to the closure of some venues. This reduction in available facilities has made it more challenging for people to find places to play and to be introduced to the sport.
Whilst acknowledging this, there is still as much demand, if not more, for people to be able to play the sport. We have seen in recent years, the growth in participation numbers within pockets of our Associations, and we need to build on the development work that has started.
As a sport, we need to break down the stereotype that the sport is there for ‘older people’ – the image needs modernising to enable us to attract a new audience. When you review our demographics, whilst grassroots Clubs have a predominantly older membership, the competitive aspect of our sport is much younger. As an Association, our challenge is to support our Clubs in developing their membership with this younger demographic.
The BCGBA has identified the lack of a National Development Strategy as a key priority in enabling us to grow participation and support our member Clubs and Associations. This strategy document will be updated on a regular basis to allow us to adapt to an ever-changing modern landscape and will be reviewed annually.
Our key aims are identified throughout the following pages and are supported by our ‘8 Point Development Plan’. By working collaboratively as a sport, we can sow the seeds of growth and start to see a return in popularity for many years to come.
BCGBA Board
Please click on the link to read the complete National Development Strategy and take it back to your clubs…….
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A-PLAN |
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| A-PLAN |
The BCGBA have teamed up with A-PLAN INSURANCE which gives clubs the opportunity to raise funds from new purchases of car, van and home insurance. Visit our Partners page above for more details.
| BOWLS DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE (BDA) |
The latest BDA Newsletter can be viwed via this link. Visit our Partners page above for more details on the BDA.
| EASYFUNDRAISING |
The BCGBA have teamed up with easyfundraising which gives clubs the opportunity to raise funds from everyday shopping. Every day supermarkets are this month giving something back to your club. Visit our Partners page above for more details.