W.C.G.B.A. Meeting with the Sports Council of Wales

REPORT OF MEETING WITH MR. HUW JONES –THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SPORTS COUNCIL OF WALES

The Chief Executive Mel Higham and Tom Middlehurst the Chairman of the Management Committee met with Huw Jones to raise a number of issues concerning the future of Crown Green Bowling in Wales.

 Our purpose was to raise his awareness of the challenges that face clubs on a day to day basis and to inform him of the current position with regard to our ambitions for the long term development of the game in Wales.

We gave him the statistical information regarding the number of active Clubs and the level of participation of players during a typical season as a means of emphasising the vitality of the game that has almost 5000 registered players in the Welsh Crown Green Bowling Association.

This background information gave us the opportunity to raise the difficulties that confront clubs in meeting the needs of players in terms of the provision of good playing surfaces and the necessary facilities and infrastructure to support successful development of our game at grassroots.

We highlighted what we perceive as the impediments that inhibit the ability of Clubs to access funding for essential works on and around our Greens whilst acknowledging the fact that money through Sportslot and Sportsmatch had assisted some Clubs to address some of those needs.

We also identified the considerable costs of providing and maintaining the machinery and equipment essential to the delivery of top quality playing surfaces. In this regard we raised the possibility of accessing funding for the purchase of costly specialist machinery to be held in a central location and for its use by clubs to be controlled by the WCGBA under agreed conditions.This proposal needs considerable work to achieve its potential but is an idea that we intend to pursue.

In response to our representations we were pleased to learn that the rules for the Sportsmatch funding are to be relaxed to enable applicants to make bids for matched funding for projects from as little as £300 to a maximum of £50,000! This will require a Club to raise sponsorship from up to three business donors to enable it to secure an equal amount from Sportsmatch. This is a significant shift in Sports Council policy that now allows a wider range of initiatives to be pursued and includes the improvement of facilities and essential equipment as well as support for membership growth and development.

The WCGBA Management Committee has recognised that some Clubs may require assistance to enable them to put forward realistic bids and it is suggesting that club representatives be invited regional meetings to raise awareness and to identify other funding opportunities that may also be available to bowling clubs. The Sports Council has indicated its willingness to attend such events and we would also invite the voluntary sector organisations to provide support and information about grants from other sources.

This report is a précis of the extensive discussions that took place with Huw Jones on a wide range if issues. We were encouraged by the response to our representations and look forward to obtaining some beneficial outcomes for the future of our game.