Here's why we should change Bowling.
Bowling attracts sports players through the recreational play in Centres, no other sport in Aus has 100 plus promoting places working day and night, 7 days a week to attract participants to their sport.
Majority of the people in Aus have tried bowling at some point, and overwhelmingly liked it. No other sport can make this claim.
Bowling sport can be played day or night, 7 days each and every week. Again, most sports can not make this claim.
Bowing sport has a huge age range where people can be competitive. Again, most sports can not make this claim.
Bowling sport has fewer physical attributes required to play successfully. Again, few sports can make this claim.
Bowling should be benefiting from our nation becoming overweight as people find the more physically demanding sports less attractive.
Bowing sport has zero equipment purchase requirement at entry level. Again, few sports can make this claim.
Conclusion,
Due to factors above
Bowling should be one of this country's most popular and largest participant sports.
Clearly this is not the case and the multi decade decline can be attributed to the way we conduct the Sport.
Okay so here is what i think
I have been around since 1970 as a bowler at Hurstville bowl, now gone
and Rockdale Bowl, now gone and Bankstown Bowl now gone !!!!!
Why because of greed of major companies on selling land and opportunity of
an independent on the other
Why do i mention this, because back then your Bowling Centre was like your second home
you could walk in any time and staff would greet you , friends would greet you, you could bowl
play pinballs , pool, sit around in groups and chat..... Not anymore
The ATBC were GOD when it came to the sport , they ran it and arranged it an you followed it
or you did not play , simple....
We had Juniors and Seniors Not Juniors , youth , Adults and Seniors.... This has dispersed numbers
The ATBC ended in a very poor way and left the members feeling very angry and cheated
which all left a poor taste in the mouths of many
Now we have the TBA and we have very few members and very limited funding. We have
too many paid staff at the TBAL level to meet compliance issues and very few volunteers
to do the work that was done back in the day
We had Centre delegates in every Centre who did work to help the association including
taking membership and resolving local issues, None of this happens today
The whole State Administration , in some States, is an absolute Joke... enough said
In terms of the Sport, well the game is very different now
We have high tech balls and lanes and Oiling Patterns
All of these have degraded the Sport from the one thing that made it special
and that was it was equalling for all levels and you needed to practice to get
better not buy another ball.
The House Shot is what has destroyed credibility because back in the day nobody averaged
in league, what the good bowlers could average in tournaments etc.. So what is the point
in going to watch them and learn and have any mentors or heroes..
We used to have wall to wall juniors bowling on weekends and some leagues during the week and
they were nurtured and developed into life long bowlers... Not now granted some very few number
of Centres do promote juniors but not as a whole.
the major player in the Sport decided open play , Birthday parties and music were more important than
league bowlers every week and told everyone who would listen.
The whole Coaching system has been turned on its head and there is bugger all direction
and consistency and good people have been shafted and lost to the game forever.
I am sure some of you won't agree and I am sure there is much more to say but
these are my immediate thoughts.
