Bowls Development Alliance

28/10/2026

🌟 Supporting the future of community sport in Breckland! 🌟

Last week, the Bowls Development Alliance was pleased to attend the System Wide Action Planning Event hosted by Active Norfolk, bringing together partners to share ideas, build connections and support the development of the Breckland Place Partnership.

A big thank you to Active Norfolk for inviting us to be part of this valuable event! It was a great opportunity to connect with familiar faces, build new relationships and collaborate with partners who share a passion for making physical activity more accessible within our communities.

The feedback and ideas gathered on the day will help shape the full award application to Sport England. We look forward to seeing how this develops and to playing our part in helping more people discover the benefits of bowls and physical activity.

22/10/2026

Bowls is about so much more than the game!

From making friends and enjoying a bit of friendly competition to feeling part of a community, bowls can bring so much to people’s lives.

🎥 Take a look at this video from the English Short Mat Bowling Association to see what makes being part of our amazing sport so special.

22/10/2026

📢 WE’RE RECRUITING!

We are looking for a Business Operations Manager to join our team!

This is a great opportunity for an organised, proactive and enthusiastic individual to play an important role in supporting the day-to-day running of our organisation and helping us continue to develop the sport of bowls.

📍 Location: Home-based, with occasional travel for meetings
⏰ Hours: 21 hours per week, ideally across at least 4 days
💷 Salary: Up to £28,000 full-time equivalent, pro rata, depending on experience
📄 Contract: Permanent, part-time

We’re looking for someone with strong organisational and administrative skills, who enjoys working with people, managing projects and supporting effective processes. Experience working with volunteers or in sport would be beneficial, but isn’t essential.

📅 Closing date: Sunday 15 November 2026 at 11.59pm
📅 Interviews: Week commencing 30 November 2026

Interested? Find out more about the role and how to apply here 👇

🔗 https://bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com/2026/10/21/business-operations-manager/

Please share with anyone who might be interested!

English Short Mat Bowls AssociationBowls EnglandEnglish Indoor Bowling AssociationBritish Crown Green Bowling Association (Official)

Business Operations Manager Salary: Up to £28,000 FT PA (pro rata) depending on experience.Hours: 21hrs (Flexibly), ideally over a minimum of 4 days a weekLocation: Home-based, with occasional travel for meetingsContract: Permanent (Part-Time) About Us The Bowls Development Alliance (BDA) is a part...

09/10/2026

Calling all short mat clubs! A great opportunity below ⬇

Roll Into Better Health Get More People Through Your Club Doors Roll into Better Health is a new ESMBA initiative helping clubs promote the physical, mental and social benefits of Short Mat Bowls within their local communities. It’s about reaching new people, building stronger links with community...

08/10/2026

🎉 Congratulations, Karen!

We’re delighted to share that our Business Operations Manager, Karen Martin, has been awarded a bursary by the Sports Governance Academy to study for the Certificate in Sports Governance with The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.

Good governance plays an important role in helping bowls clubs and organisations thrive, grow and remain welcoming and sustainable for everyone.

Karen is looking forward to developing her knowledge and bringing what she learns back to the Bowls Development Alliance to help support the continued development of our sport.

A huge thank you to the Sports Governance Academy for this fantastic opportunity. We’re looking forward to seeing where this learning takes Karen – and how it can benefit bowls in the future!

👏 Well done, Karen, and good luck with your studies!

Find out more about the Certificate in Sports Governance:
https://www.sportsgovernanceacademy.org.uk/learning/certificate-in-sports-governance/

07/10/2026

Has your bowls club taken advantage of what Easyfundraising has to offer?

Year-round raising at no extra cost

06/10/2026

⏰ Just 6 days to go!

Our October Week of Learning starts next Monday, 12 October, with a packed programme of online sessions to help bowls clubs develop, grow and plan for the future.

⚠️ Booking closes TODAY for three sessions:

📋 Future Planning
Tuesday 13 October | 1:30–2:30pm

📣 Creating a Marketing Strategy
Thursday 15 October | 1:30–2:30pm

💷 Raising Money
Friday 16 October | 1:30–2:30pm

If you’re interested in any of these sessions, make sure you book today!

There’s still plenty more to choose from too, including:

🆕 Club Development Drop-Ins
🛡️ Safeguarding: Bystander Awareness
🔎 Club Health Checker Support
🤝 Peer to Peer Workshop: What Does a Well Run Club Look Like?

For these sessions, bookings will remain open until the morning of the session.

💻 All sessions are online.

👉 View the full programme and book your place:
https://bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com/week-of-learning/


Bowls England The English Short Mat Bowls Association English Indoor Bowling Association British Crown Green Bowling Association (Official)

Week of Learning Programme Our Week of Learning Programme offers free webinars and face to face sessions to members of any club affiliated to Bowls England, the English Indoor Bowling Association, the English Short Mat Bowling Association or the British Crown Green Bowling Association. If your club....

05/10/2026

The Bowls Development Alliance is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Steve Clamp.

Steve was a much valued friend and colleague of the BDA, and someone we had the pleasure of working with closely over several years.

We worked with Steve on a number of initiatives aimed at developing and promoting bowls, and his enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to the sport were always clear. He was generous with his time, ideas and support, and always a pleasure to work with.

Most importantly, Steve was a genuinely lovely person, and he will be greatly missed by everyone at the BDA and by the many people across the bowling community who had the privilege of knowing him.

Our thoughts are with Julie, Aimee, Thomas, his family, friends, and all those who knew and worked with Steve at this very sad time.

28/09/2026

📣 Two weeks to go!

Our next BDA Week of Learning starts on Monday 12th October, with a full programme of free online sessions designed to help bowls clubs develop, grow and plan for the future.

There’s something for clubs at every stage, including:

🆕 Club Development Drop-Ins – drop in and speak to a Club Development Officer about whatever your club needs help with.

🛡️ Safeguarding: Bystander Awareness

📋 Future Planning

🔎 Club Health Checker Support

📣 Creating a Marketing Strategy

🤝 Peer to Peer Workshop: What Does a Well Run Club Look Like?

💷 Raising Money

📅 12th–16th October 2026

💻 All sessions are online and provide practical advice, ideas, resources and the opportunity to ask questions.

👉 View the full programme and book your place:
https://bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com/week-of-learning/

Why not share this with others at your club who might benefit?


Bowls England English Indoor Bowling Association The English Short Mat Bowls Association British Crown Green Bowling Association (Official)

Week of Learning Programme Our Week of Learning Programme offers free webinars and face to face sessions to members of any club affiliated to Bowls England, the English Indoor Bowling Association, the English Short Mat Bowling Association or the British Crown Green Bowling Association. If your club....