NEWS RELEASE
22nd January 2009
SPORT ENGLAND AWARDS £750,000 FUNDING BOOST TO BOWLS
BOWLS has been awarded more than £750,000 by Sport England to help deliver grassroots opportunities and increase participation over the next four years.
A total of 46 sports have been awarded funding by Sport England to help deliver its strategy to increase the number of people playing and enjoying sport, and to create development pathways for those with talent.
The bowls funding bid was submitted by the ‘Bowls Family’, which consists of:
• British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA)
• English Short Mat Bowling Association (ESMBA)
• English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd (formerly EIBA and EWIBA)
• English Bowling Federation (EBF) and English Women’s Bowling Federation (EWBF)
• Bowls England (BE)
The funding will be used primarily to develop bowls and increase participation in the sport, in all its forms, across the country through joint recruitment and retention projects. The National Governing Bodies will be working with clubs and counties in a bid to achieve the increase in participation.
The award is also subject to the development of Business Plans by each NGB (leading to one Business Plan for the sport in England), the creation of “Bowls Alliance Limited” to act as the lead body for the sport and the employment of a Sports Development Officer to assist this work over the next four years.
The funding must be used jointly and accounted for separately from each National Governing Body’s own sources of income and expenditure, and expenditure will be closely monitored by Sport England.
Representatives of the National Governing Bodies who worked jointly on the bid have welcomed Sport England’s announcement.
Stephen Rodwell, Secretary of the “Bowls Alliance Partnership” & Administration Manager of the English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd, said: “Over the past four years all of the Bowling Codes have been working together under the umbrella of the “Bowls Alliance Partnership”. This is the start of an exciting period for our Sport which will see the National Governing Bodies working with Grassroot Bowlers, Clubs, Counties, Local Authorities, County Sports Partnership and Primary Care Trusts”.
Alan Whitworth, Financial Officer of the British Crown Green Bowling Association, said: “Well done to the Alliance. This gives us the opportunity, together with our other National Governing Bodies, to expand our sport at all levels and to all sections of the community.”
Simon Willies, Vice-Chairman of The English Short Mat Bowling Association, said: “The ESMBA is looking forward to working with all the other bowling codes and Sport England in taking the sport of bowls forward into the future. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to develop our sport and project it out to the wider population.”
David Murley B.E.M. - Chairman of Executive Council of English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd, said: “I am very impressed with the opportunity that this funding has given the Sport of Bowls and in particular all codes in the Bowls family. It will enable the sport to reach out far and wide to increase participation and retention of members in our target areas”.
John Heppel, Secretary of the English Bowling Federation, said: “This is wonderful news for bowls in general and for the Federation. It would not have been possible to obtain this funding but for the Governing Bodies working together under the Bowls Alliance. We now have a great opportunity to reverse the trend of falling membership. Thanks must go to those officers involved for all their hard work in preparing and submitting the application.”
Tony Allcock MBE, Chief Executive of Bowls England, said: “Bowls England is committed to increasing participation in our sport. We recognise this can be achieved more effectively by working in partnership with the other National Governing Bodies. Sport England’s decision to support our work by giving us this substantial funding towards grass roots development over the next four years is a major boost for our sport.”
Notes to Editors:
Bowls was one of 46 sports invited to submit detailed four-year plans setting out the contribution they could make to Sport England’s strategic outcomes. Sport England provided expertise in the development of these plans to ensure that they were clear, evidence-based and achievable.
The ‘Bowls Family’ developed a plan which defines where it can contribute to the Grow, Sustain and Excel outcomes within Sport England’s Strategy.
The sports being funded are: angling; archery; athletics; badminton; baseball/softball; basketball; wheelchair basketball; boccia; bowls; boxing; canoeing; cricket; cycling; equestrianism; fencing; football; goalball; football; golf; gymnastics; handball; hockey; judo; lacrosse; movement & dance; modern
pentathlon; mountaineering; netball; orienteering; rounders; rowing; rugby league; rugby union; sailing; shooting; skiing; squash; swimming; table tennis; taekwondo; tennis; triathlon; volleyball; waterskiing; weightlifting; wrestling.
14 sports, including fencing, handball, wheelchair basketball and taekwondo are receiving funding to develop their grassroots for the first time.
The overall amount invested directly into national governing bodies has increased from the 2005-09 allocation, and been brought into a single award for each sport. Responsibility for delivery has been placed in the hands of each governing body, with clear targets agreed on a sport-by-sport basis.
The investment decisions follow a rigorous assessment and a four-month period of engagement with the sports focused on achieving the ‘grow, sustain and excel’ outcomes at the heart of Sport England’s strategy to ensure the right funding is being invested in the right places.
Sport England will monitor and evaluate results quarterly, and will hold governing bodies of sport accountable for their plans.
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