About the Scottish Bowling Association
The Scottish Bowling Association is the governing body for men’s outdoor lawn bowls. Established in 1892, the SBA currently has over 900 clubs and 60,000 members, 26 county associates and 50 affiliates across Scotland.
The sport has enjoyed a rich and successful history and, to continue the progress of Scottish Bowls, the SBA has embarked on a modernisation process to help tackle the many challenges that face modern national governing bodies.
The SBA plays a key role in the development of the game, supporting its clubs, members and volunteers as well as raising the profile of the sport whilst attracting new players. To safeguard the future of the sport and to maximise opportunities, the SBA and SWBA have developed a cohesive and co-ordinated approach, working towards unification and effective governance of Scottish Bowling by the end of 2010.
The association is run by a council of 32 voluntary regional directors and 5 paid staff, a CEO/Secretary (Company), a High Performance Manager, a National Development Officer and two Administration Assistants.
The main activities of the Association are:
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a) |
Organisation of the annual National Championships. |
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b) |
Responsibility for the Scottish International and Junior International Teams competing in the annual UK International Series and British Isles Championships. |
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Similarly for the Scottish Team competing in both the World Bowls Championship and Commonwealth Games, both on a 4 yearly basis. |
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General responsibility for promoting the sport of bowls in Scotland through development of coaching, umpiring and maintenance of the Laws of the Game. |
Scottish Bowling – The Way Forward
There has never been a more exciting time for sport in Scotland. With Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 when sport is high on the public agenda (in the wake of the London Olympics and with the Ryder Cup also coming to Scotland) the SBA and SWBA has an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the sport.
Sport has evolved. It is now much more professional and outdoor bowls needs to adapt to this change to take advantage of these opportunities.
Both the SWBA and the SBA have been through significant changes over the last two years. Falling membership, which results in reduced resources, in addition to legislation, means that we need to work together.
The need to unify is even greater if we want to increase participation in bowling in Scotland and continue to compete successfully on the world stage.
Unification Is The Answer
Over the last two years a joint unification committee has been working together and much progress has been made.
The aim is that by the end of 2010 an umbrella organisation will be formed that shall have the responsibility for governing outdoor bowling in Scotland.
We would like to thank you for your support and votes on accepting the way forward at last year’s AGM’s. We will continue to keep you informed of the progress throughout 2010 with regular updates in the news section of this website.
