Bowls National Open Weekend - Fun Friday

Our research shows that over 20% of bowlers begin playing off the back of club open days.  With this insight, support from counties and following the success of our Let’s Roll marketing initiative, plans are already underway for a national recruitment initiative ear-marked for the Spring Bank Holiday of the 2021 season (Friday 28th to Monday 31st May).

Our insight suggests that this is the optimal time as it will give clubs a few weeks of the season to prepare and promote their activity, greens to be up to speed to ensure a better experience for potential new recruits and (hopefully) warmer weather than is usually experienced earlier in the season to attract the widest possible audience.

With a window of four days for the national campaign rather than a single day, we trust this will enable clubs to organise activity that best fits within their club’s calendar. For example any activity on the Friday night could lend itself to a ‘social’ event whilst a Saturday or Sunday morning session may be more attractive to families.

It will be for clubs themselves to determine exactly what day/times suit them – there is no expectation that clubs will organise activity on every day.  Bowls England’s role will be to provide guidance on how to run your National Open Weekend experience, resources to support every affiliated club that signs up and training for club volunteers.  We will support your efforts with a national media campaign so together we can grow participation within our clubs.