09-02-2008, 01:29 PM
Below is the text of an address by Western Province president Sergio Martinengo to the Bowls SA AGM. It is worth reading and digesting.
Presentation by Sergio Martinengo, President of WPBA, at the BSA AGM held on 31 August 2008.
Before we get down to identifying the reasons for the poor image of Bowls, let’s understand some realities.
We know that our sport, Bowls is in some sort of crisis – the number of members is diminishing and has been for
many years. Clubs are closing at an alarming rate and the remaining stalwarts appear to be in a state of ignorant
bliss or denial. It is also a fact that other sports are also suffering, to a lesser or greater extent, the same fate.
So...... looking at the bigger picture it is clear that solutions need to be devised through Government funding,
creation and support of Academies, greater school intervention and support, and sponsorships.
But in the meantime we must address the immediate problem facing us because by the time all the aforementioned
solutions come to pass, it will be too late.
Let’s look at the reasons for the “poor” image that we project.
What sort of impression do “outsiders” get when they visit our Clubs? I’m afraid to say that in many instances, it is
of a dingy environment, of old or tatty furnishings, of untidy and disorderly notice boards and dusty bar counters.
I’m not asking for reasons and excuses – because visitors don’t think of our financial problems, they only think of
what they see in front of them!
Next – the way we treat aspirant bowlers AND PARTICULARLY IF THEY’RE YOUNG is unacceptable in this day
and age. We make them feel as if they’re back at junior school.....FACT! I’m not suggesting that we compromise
the ethics, disciplines and standards which are a major part of any sport; it’s just the way that we do things that
needs to change.
The rules and regulations of play make some of the formats unexciting. Here we should be led by other sports
such as Rugby which has introduced the 7’s; Soccer which has brought in Action Soccer and Cricket with its ODI’s,
Pro 20’s and Action Cricket.
The dress code also needs review and I don’t mean going for unsightly “mufti”. I’m talking about introducing colour
into the mix. The all white outfit is certainly “smart”, but you have to agree that it is rather bland and it certainly isn’t
TV friendly.
Besides having to solve the image problem, we are faced with another formidable problem – and that is
COMPETITION. (Here are some pointers to be kept in mind when doing some planning)
Competition to our sport is not so much tennis and golf but rather the modern lifestyle. This unfortunately comes in
3 main formats.
Firstly the Gym - It has taken on a particular aura with young and old and is also fashionable, with everyone
wanting to boast about their dedication and commitment to what they believe to be a healthy lifestyle.
On the other side of the coin you have the “unhealthy” TV watching and computer games playing and this
unfortunately is a result of parents taking the easy way out with their children who eventually become addicted.
Finally, whereas previously sport would be preferred to fill leisure time, this has now been overtaken by the Cafe
Society.
So how can we attract new members, sponsors and the media against these odds? – only with difficulty. Not only
because of what we are up against but also because we must be sensitive to the traditionalists who are the
backbone of this game of ours. Traditionalists as the word indicates are not partial to change.
We need to introduce a “package” which is marketable to sponsors and to the media and hopefully through this we
will succeed in changing the image and also attract the gymnasts, TV-heads and cafe people.
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This is an example which we’ve tested successfully and which inter-alia drew no fewer than 14 media articles and
some radio coverage:-
Divide a District into zones which can then be franchised to various sponsors. The sponsor not only has naming
rights for the franchise but is also entitled to display his logo on the shirts and for the duration of the competition
has the right to advertise in the franchised Clubs. On tournament playing days he has display rights at the venue/s.
The players selected to represent a particular franchise should not be older than 45 – this is for a number of
reasons.
1. Spectators will see that the contestants aren’t 70 and 80 year olds.
2. Theoretically the younger physique should be more athletic than that of the older person and therefore easier on
the eye.
3. Younger people tend to be more enthusiastic and show more emotions than older ones.
The franchises would be identified not only by sponsors’ logos and team names on the shirts but also by different
colour pants / dress. A tournament would therefore be rather colourful to the spectator. To add to the ambience,
venues would be required to provide background music, hamburger kiosk and a draught beer tent.
A franchise team could comprise of 10 players which covers the 4 disciplines simultaneously. Thus each team
would compete in the Rinks, trips, pairs and singles on one afternoon. Instead of 21 ends, etc. the games would
be played in sets of 2 with an additional tie-break end in the event of a tie.
This is merely an example which could be fine-tuned – but importantly it is something that can be considered for
Inter-Districts, Nationals, League, etc.
At the same time that these innovations are being implemented, it is necessary to start putting sustainability
projects into place. All the innovations that we like will not take this sport forward unless we ensure that there are
structures in place to create continuity.
This is where it becomes necessary to involve school bodies to elicit their support by introducing bowls into their
extra-mural activities. It is also necessary to get the support of sporting academies for training and coaching
facilities. And if not in place perhaps it is time to introduce a Competitions/Events Standing Committee with a
Coaching and Development representative on board. In this way we could provide specific focus to the formats,
rules and regulations and scoring systems.
Clubs also need to get their acts in order, not only by getting their admin and accounting in good shape but also
hiding those old photos of past presidents which invariably hang skew on the walls and haven’t been dusted for
years. Let’s get the Clubs looking a little airier and modern.
Last but not least we need a change in MIND-SET and to this end I leave you with a quote from Marcell Proust –
“The only real voyage of discovery consists NOT in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
Presentation by Sergio Martinengo, President of WPBA, at the BSA AGM held on 31 August 2008.
Before we get down to identifying the reasons for the poor image of Bowls, let’s understand some realities.
We know that our sport, Bowls is in some sort of crisis – the number of members is diminishing and has been for
many years. Clubs are closing at an alarming rate and the remaining stalwarts appear to be in a state of ignorant
bliss or denial. It is also a fact that other sports are also suffering, to a lesser or greater extent, the same fate.
So...... looking at the bigger picture it is clear that solutions need to be devised through Government funding,
creation and support of Academies, greater school intervention and support, and sponsorships.
But in the meantime we must address the immediate problem facing us because by the time all the aforementioned
solutions come to pass, it will be too late.
Let’s look at the reasons for the “poor” image that we project.
What sort of impression do “outsiders” get when they visit our Clubs? I’m afraid to say that in many instances, it is
of a dingy environment, of old or tatty furnishings, of untidy and disorderly notice boards and dusty bar counters.
I’m not asking for reasons and excuses – because visitors don’t think of our financial problems, they only think of
what they see in front of them!
Next – the way we treat aspirant bowlers AND PARTICULARLY IF THEY’RE YOUNG is unacceptable in this day
and age. We make them feel as if they’re back at junior school.....FACT! I’m not suggesting that we compromise
the ethics, disciplines and standards which are a major part of any sport; it’s just the way that we do things that
needs to change.
The rules and regulations of play make some of the formats unexciting. Here we should be led by other sports
such as Rugby which has introduced the 7’s; Soccer which has brought in Action Soccer and Cricket with its ODI’s,
Pro 20’s and Action Cricket.
The dress code also needs review and I don’t mean going for unsightly “mufti”. I’m talking about introducing colour
into the mix. The all white outfit is certainly “smart”, but you have to agree that it is rather bland and it certainly isn’t
TV friendly.
Besides having to solve the image problem, we are faced with another formidable problem – and that is
COMPETITION. (Here are some pointers to be kept in mind when doing some planning)
Competition to our sport is not so much tennis and golf but rather the modern lifestyle. This unfortunately comes in
3 main formats.
Firstly the Gym - It has taken on a particular aura with young and old and is also fashionable, with everyone
wanting to boast about their dedication and commitment to what they believe to be a healthy lifestyle.
On the other side of the coin you have the “unhealthy” TV watching and computer games playing and this
unfortunately is a result of parents taking the easy way out with their children who eventually become addicted.
Finally, whereas previously sport would be preferred to fill leisure time, this has now been overtaken by the Cafe
Society.
So how can we attract new members, sponsors and the media against these odds? – only with difficulty. Not only
because of what we are up against but also because we must be sensitive to the traditionalists who are the
backbone of this game of ours. Traditionalists as the word indicates are not partial to change.
We need to introduce a “package” which is marketable to sponsors and to the media and hopefully through this we
will succeed in changing the image and also attract the gymnasts, TV-heads and cafe people.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
This is an example which we’ve tested successfully and which inter-alia drew no fewer than 14 media articles and
some radio coverage:-
Divide a District into zones which can then be franchised to various sponsors. The sponsor not only has naming
rights for the franchise but is also entitled to display his logo on the shirts and for the duration of the competition
has the right to advertise in the franchised Clubs. On tournament playing days he has display rights at the venue/s.
The players selected to represent a particular franchise should not be older than 45 – this is for a number of
reasons.
1. Spectators will see that the contestants aren’t 70 and 80 year olds.
2. Theoretically the younger physique should be more athletic than that of the older person and therefore easier on
the eye.
3. Younger people tend to be more enthusiastic and show more emotions than older ones.
The franchises would be identified not only by sponsors’ logos and team names on the shirts but also by different
colour pants / dress. A tournament would therefore be rather colourful to the spectator. To add to the ambience,
venues would be required to provide background music, hamburger kiosk and a draught beer tent.
A franchise team could comprise of 10 players which covers the 4 disciplines simultaneously. Thus each team
would compete in the Rinks, trips, pairs and singles on one afternoon. Instead of 21 ends, etc. the games would
be played in sets of 2 with an additional tie-break end in the event of a tie.
This is merely an example which could be fine-tuned – but importantly it is something that can be considered for
Inter-Districts, Nationals, League, etc.
At the same time that these innovations are being implemented, it is necessary to start putting sustainability
projects into place. All the innovations that we like will not take this sport forward unless we ensure that there are
structures in place to create continuity.
This is where it becomes necessary to involve school bodies to elicit their support by introducing bowls into their
extra-mural activities. It is also necessary to get the support of sporting academies for training and coaching
facilities. And if not in place perhaps it is time to introduce a Competitions/Events Standing Committee with a
Coaching and Development representative on board. In this way we could provide specific focus to the formats,
rules and regulations and scoring systems.
Clubs also need to get their acts in order, not only by getting their admin and accounting in good shape but also
hiding those old photos of past presidents which invariably hang skew on the walls and haven’t been dusted for
years. Let’s get the Clubs looking a little airier and modern.
Last but not least we need a change in MIND-SET and to this end I leave you with a quote from Marcell Proust –
“The only real voyage of discovery consists NOT in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”