PRESIDENT'S AND CEO'S REPORT3
A MESSAGE FROM AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION8
STATE AND TERRITORY ASSOCIATIONS11
BOARD DIRECTORS12
COMMITTEES14 STAFF16
HONOUR ROLL18
2023 WORLD BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 20 HIGH PERFORMANCE REPORT23
NATIONAL EVENTS REPORT 27
PARTICIPATION & PROGRAMS REPORT34
COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS REPORT38 FINANCE REPORT39
On behalf of Bowls Australia’s (BA) Board of Directors and staff, we are pleased to present this joint report – our second report for each of us, after commencing in our respective positions in November 2022 – on the organisation’s activities and milestones over the past 12 months.
Following a period of discovery and change last year, and as outlined in detail in the 2022/23 Annual Report, this was a period marked with continued evolution and purpose for the organisation, as we sought to respond to, and recover from, a sizable unexpected operational loss of $1.167m in FY23.
Pleasingly, as detailed later within the Financial Report on page 39, and as direct result of the many business modelandoperationalimprovements and outcomes that are outlined throughout this and all other areas of this publication, the organisation has bounced back to the black in FY24, posting a small $71k surplus, within a now ~$9-10m annual business, this fina cial year. This was after planning for a $152k deficit budget and is a credit to all members of the Board and management, who have embarked on, and delivered, a thorough and considered plan for this financial turnaround.
During our first full year in our roles,
we have prioritised strengthening our relationships with each of the State and Territory Associations (STA), in particular their Presidents and CEOs, as we progress the collective vision for developing a greater connection with our sport’s vast and varied audience, and we express our sincere thanks to this passionate network of administrators.
On the green, this was a period unlike any other, marked by the staging of the two biggest bowls events in the world, on the Gold Coast, courtesy of valued support received from Tourism and Events Queensland and Experience Gold Coast.
The biggest World Bowls Championships ever held was a focal point of this year, with 44 nations descending on the bowls heartland for the 12 days of competition from August 29 to September 10, which broke new ground as the fist inclusive staging of its kind, featuring both able-body and para sport disciplines.
More than 1,244 matches were contested, with over 540 players and coaches involved, across the greens of fie Gold Coast clubs, including Broadbeach Bowls Club, Club Helensvale, Club Musgrave, Mudgeeraba Bowls Club and Paradise Point Bowls Club, all of whom should be congratulated for the significantcontribution that their staff, members and volunteers made to the fist-class delivery of this pinnacle event.
More is said on the staging and the outstanding Jackaroos results achieved at the 2023 World Bowls Championships – the fist in seven years – in the Report on page 20.
While on the subject of events, it’s worth highlighting the staging of the world’s biggest national event, the Australian Open, which has continued to grow in attendance and popularity year-on-year and swelled to over 3,500 participants this year during its June 2024 edition.
The delivery of this 14-day festival of bowls, which encompasses able-body, para, junior and senior disciplines, is the jewel in the crown of the sport’s exceptional calendar of events, and once again, the support of all 15 host clubs, stretching from Tugan in the south to Beenleigh
in the north, is paramount to the successful staging of this event, and all staff, members and volunteers should be applauded for their contribution.
Pleasingly, during the finalmoments of the 2024 Australian Open, the Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland and Experience Gold Coast, announced its support to the extension of the Australian Open on the Gold Coast for a further four years.
Another important event-related milestone that occurred during this period was the staging of the Nationals in Perth, Western Australia, courtesy of valued support from Tourism WA, the City of Joondalup and the State government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Lotterywest.
The 2023 edition of the Nationals ran from October 6-20 across three host clubs, in Sorrento, Warwick and Joondalup Bowls Clubs, awarding more than 30 national titles during an action-packed fortnight of bowls, and we acknowledge the contribution made by the staff, members and volunteers of these clubs, and look forward to the event returning to Perth again in 2026.
The sport’s showpiece television and spectator event, the Bowls Premier League (BPL), expanded to new heights during this period, following a comprehensive Expression of Interest process that has led to its expansion to a 12-team competition and the signing of two new licenced teams.
From BPL20 in November 2024, the biannual competition will feature an expansion in the nation’s biggest market, with a new Sydney team to complement the two existing Melbourne and two Tweed/Gold Coast team rivalries, and further coverage of a regional Victorian heartland for the sport of bowls, in St Johns Park Bowling Club Group’s Sydney Saints and Ocean Grove Bowling Club’s Geelong Jets.
Underpinning the evolution of the BPL, BA and Sports Entertainment Network (SEN)
confimed an extension to their production partnership and rights holder relationship for a further two years, which will see SEN’s television production arm, Rainmaker, continue to produce the sport’s broadcast television productions of the BPL and Australian Open events for 2024, 2025 and in to 2026.
Off the green, this period was marked by change on many fronts, some within our direct control as we sought to improve strategic and operational practices on our journey to finacial stability, while others were the result of decisions by stakeholders that impacted BA.
One such case was the prolonged period of uncertainty that resulted from the Victorian Government’s decision in July 2023 to not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which had considerable impact on the sport’s high performance athletes and planning for the pinnacle multi-sport event, and indeed all other benchmark events on the horizon.
It’s worth noting, that at the time of preparing this report, the City of Glasgow has been unveiled by the Commonwealth Games Federation as the suitable replacement host, and furthermore, that Bowls and Para Bowls will be among a streamlined sports programme, an outcome for which BA is thrilled for our dedicated athletes in our national squads. Thanks to the significan, nearly $2m annual investment of the Australian Sports Commission/ Australian Institute of Sport, and the immense and much valued support of the ASC/AIS teams of staff, BA’s high performance preparations for Glasgow 2026 and more are now able to progress with confimed detail.
Even during the cloud of uncertainty, BA also enjoyed and is much appreciative of a close working relationship with Commonwealth Games Australia, and pleasingly, BA and the Right at Home Australian Jackaroos benefied from an increased injection in funding allocation, totalling $220K, resulting from additional Green2Gold2Great investment, which BA is grateful to have received.
Another significantoff green change during
this period was an adjustment to the Regional Bowls Managers (RBM) program to a revamped Club Support Program structure, that saw a reduction in the overall head count as RBMs changed to Club Support Managers (CSMs), as it moved to a combination of both in-the-fieldstaffig and specialist support providers, to provide new levels of assistance to all ~1,800 clubs nationwide.
This structural change followed detailed analysis of, and adjustments to, all areas of the BA business to ensure it could best play its role in serving all elements of the sport throughout Australia in both the immediate and longer terms.
We acknowledge the consequences that this had on some valued members of the BA team, and we thank them for the important role that they played during their tenures at the organisation.
Stemming from this structural change, clubs across the country benefited from new arrangements with specialist support providers, none more prominent that CLUBMAP, who delivered jointly-developed free monthly webinars specificto the bowls community to provide enhanced training, education and support to club administrators, which is detailed further in the Report on page 34.
Vindicating these modernising reforms, BA was just one of two recipient sports of a successful Play Well Participation Grant from the Australian Sports Commission for the maximum possible amount of $320k - for the 18 months through mid FY26 - to be used to continue to develop BA’s revamped Club Support Program focusing on club development and maximising community venue usage and participation through the most welcoming and inclusive environments.
Pleasingly, BA and the sport more broadly, were recognised among industry peers on a number of occasions during this period, including as a finalistin fie award categories at the Australian Sports Performance Awards, and as a finalistfor a third successive year at the Australian Sports Commission’s Media Awards, where BA was the winner claiming
the accolade for “best coverage of sport for people with a disability”.
A key component of the sport’s ability to connect with its community, the sport’s technology platform BowlsLink, has become fully national with Bowls Queensland resolving to adopt, from October 2024, the platform that encompasses competition management, membership database, websites and e-stores, providing a unified approach to online member transfers and linked entries with online payments to state and national competitions.
From a governance perspective, at the 2023 Annual General Meeting in November, the BA Board welcomed the election of former Bowls Tasmania President Graham Hay, while a further elected position remained unfilled, and we expressed our thanks to Louise Witton, who concluded her tenure after serving for the maximum capacity of three full terms, and Paul Zerella, who did not stand for re-election.
Following the AGM, the Board met and resolved the reappointment of Lydia Dowse, Iain Evans and Bronwyn Powell as its three Appointed Directors for a further one year.
Alongside successfully addressing challenging finacial turnaround priorities, this 2023/24 year has no doubt seen crucial governance and leadership foundations laid for future work and outcomes that focus on BA’s Purpose of “Connecting more people to Bowls – in more ways – more often! . Together with the STAs, this has included the commencement of two Bowls Connection Advisory Groups (BCAGs) –BCAG1 on Bowls Business Models at all Levels and BCAG2 on Digital Planning and Delivery –along with the start of important ongoing work in relation to a BA Constitution review/ rewrite, the development of our next national Strategic Plan from 2025, a Program and Formats Review project, and more.
Our attention to “connection” intends to ensure Bowls regains its membership strength for generations to come. Optimising the commercial, government support, and Australian Bowls’ community strength in best
connecting to those who engage, in the many ways, to Bowls, requires changes of behaviour and business models and we are proud to continue to pursue those moves boldly. Our work as an organisation has been strategically positioning BA, and its stakeholders as much as we can, for a far more engaged audience around both professional and participation endeavours for the sport well in the future. That will be the legacy from our work this year, and we are pleased to see those willing to invest in this future with their continued supporting time, efforts and behaviours towards achieving such.
During course of the 2023-24 Annual Report period, BA was saddened to learn of the passing of Hall of Fame member Arnold O’Brien OAM.
O’Brien was a lifelong bowls administrator who gave more than six decades of service and commitment to Victorian and Australian bowls, and was Chairman of the national selection panel for three years from 2003.
As a result of his significantcontribution, O’Brien was inducted into Bowls Australia’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
Firstly, our sincere acknowledgment and thanks is heartily extended to the Boards and staff of all the State and Territory Associations, especially the Presidents and CEOs, as together we have sought to strategically progress the organisation and the sport. And we also thank those of World Bowls, for their efforts and collaboration over this period too.
BA heartily acknowledges the generous support received from the Federal Government, through the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport, for their significant investment and contribution to Bowls Australia’s High Performance and Participation / Club Support activities.
Appreciation is also expressed to Commonwealth
Games Australia for their continued support of the High Performance Program and the Australian Jackaroos pursuits on the international stage.
We thank Sport Integrity Australia for their guidance in implementing the National Integrity Framework, including providing funding for BA’s employment of our inaugural National Integrity Manager.
Much gratitude is also extended to all our valued corporate partners, including Right at Home, Audika, Aero Bowls, DrinkWise, MakMax, and BCiB, who are further outlined in the Commercial Operations Report on page 38, and we look forward to continuing to develop these relationships collaboratively into the future.
A special acknowledgment is made to BA’s broadcast partners, Seven Network, SBS Viceland, Fox Sports Australia, and Sky Sport NZ , and production partner Sports Entertainment Network, for their support and efforts in bringing bowls into the lounge rooms of fans across the country and abroad.
A very special thank you is made to all of BA’s Board Directors for their significant contributions and support – across many and varied Board, Committee and key project matters - during this challenging but productive period, and also to all volunteers on BA Committees and indeed all the community volunteers and administrators who are the lifeblood of the sport across all levels of the nation.
Finally, we acknowledge the mammoth efforts of all of BA’s staff in 2023/24 when, despite the impact and challenge of our headcount reducing by 20%, they addressed and delivered more than ever before. The sport is fortunate to have a passionate team that works hard and cares deeply for Bowls, day in, day out, and – in amongst many competing views and priorities of a very wide range of stakeholders -we couldn’t be prouder of all that they do for Bowls and the way that they go about it.
Matt Burgess Matthew Kennedy President Chief Executive Offier
c
It was an honour to be in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics and see the incredible performances of our Australian athletes and teams which have left long lasting memories in the hearts of all Australians.
While not every sport the Australian Sports Commission supports was on show in Paris, I know the joy and pride that sport can bring us all, and the opportunities it provides.
As we look towards a home Games in Brisbane in 2032, my vision is for sport to be safe, fair, accessible and inclusive for everyone, with every athlete supported to reach their full potential.
We want to bring out the best in everyone involved in sport because that’s how we will become the world’s best – by working together and bound by a common purpose.
We encourage and help Australians of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to get involved in sport and we advocate for sport and the positive influece it has on the nation.
Our grant programs support athletes, coaches, officialsand organisations, while our Sporting Schools program is helping more children access free and fun sporting activities than ever before. More than 9,200 schools are registered with the program and our goal is to reach 32 million participants by Brisbane 2032.
Our high performance sport system is more united than ever through Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy and our shared commitment to Win Well. It was wonderful to see the Win Well ethos alive in Paris and as we approach the end of Horizon 1, see the country’s peak Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sporting organisations come together to deliver the best outcomes for our athletes, our sports and for all of Australia.
Likewise, work continues to help Australians to Play Well with stakeholders coming together to discuss how to put the nation’s fist codesigned Sport Participation Strategy into action with workshops held across the country.
We are proud that our Australian Institute of Sport Campus has been the home of sport in Australia for over 42 years and a $249.7 million investment from the Australian Government to upgrade our high performance facilities will ensure we continue to be world-leading.
I know success will be greatest when every part of the system is able to perform their role at their best, and I look forward to leading the ASC, including in its work towards ensuring there is a lasting legacy for all Australian sports and the community from this green and gold decade -when the eyes of the world will be on Australian athletes, Australian sport and Australian venues.
Kate Jenkins AO
BOWLS ACT
Unit 1, Chifley Health and Wellbeing Hub
70 Maclaurin Crescent
Chifley ACT 2602
Ph: (02) 5105 1083 exec@bowlsact.org.au
BOWLS NT
GPO Box 728
Darwin NT 0801 Ph. 08 8945 4800 bowlsnt@bigpond.com
BOWLS NSW
Level 5, 309 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9283 4555 enquiries@bowlsnsw.com.au
BOWLS QLD
Lot 10/72 Pickering Street
Enoggera QLD 4051 PO Box 476
Alderley QLD 4051 Ph: 07 3354 0777 admin@bowlsqld.org
BOWLS SA
583a Anzac Hwy
Glenelg North SA 5045
Ph: 08 8234 7544 reception@bowlssa.com.au
BOWLS TAS
2B Invermay Road
Invermay TAS 7248
Ph: 6331 7436 exec@bowlstasmania.com.au
Level 1, Suite 1A,
Bundoora, VIC 3083 Ph: (03) 9861 7100 bowlsvic@bowlsvic.org.au
BOWLS WA
1st floor, 158 Main Street
Osborne Park WA 6017
PO Box 123
Osborne Park WA 6917
Ph: 08 9340 0800 enquiries@bowlswa.com.au
MATT BURGESS
President, Bowls Australia Board
LYDIA DOWSE
Bowls Australia Board Appointed Director
GENEVIEVE DELVES
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director
JEUNESSE DE GREENLAW
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director (until 20 June 2024)
BRONWYN HEYS
Bowls Australia Board Appointed Director
GERARD ROBINSON
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director
IAIN EVANS
Bowls Australia Board Appointed Director
GRAHAM HAY
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director (from 22 November 2023)
FLORENCE WITTON
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director (until 22 November 2023)
PAUL ZERELLA
Bowls Australia Board Elected Director (until 22 November 2023)
MATT BURGESS
Bowls Australia President (Chair)
MATTHEW KENNEDY
Bowls Australia CEO
JEUNESSE DE GREENLAW
Bowls Australia Board Director (until 20 June 2024)
LYDIA DOWSE
Bowls Australia Board Director
FLORENCE WITTON
Bowls Australia Board Director (until 22 November 2023)
PAUL ZERELLA
Bowls Australia Board Director (until 22 November 2023)
GENEVIEVE DELVES
Bowls Australia Board Director
GERARD ROBINSON
Bowls Australia Board Director
BRONWYN HEYS
Bowls Australia Board Director
IAIN EVANS
Bowls Australia Board Director
GRAHAM HAY
Bowls Australia Board Director (from 22 November 2023)
PAT SCHRAM
Bowls Victoria President
TONY SHERWILL
Bowls Victoria CEO
DILYS KINDLESIDES
Bowls NSW President
TIM ROWE
Bowls NSW CEO
PETER WILLIAMSON
Bowls Queensland President (until 23 April 2024)
BRIAN MARSHALL
Bowls Queensland President (from 23 April 2024)
BRETT WILKIE
Bowls Queensland CEO
DOUG KELLY Bowls WA President
KEN PRIDE Bowls WA CEO
TIM DODDS Bowls SA President
LOUISE MCDERMOTT Bowls SA CEO
MATTHEW STYLES
Bowls ACT President (until 10 April 2024
DI MARQUET Bowls ACT President (from 10 April 2024
NICK HIND
Bowls ACT Executive Officer
BERNARD KNIGHT
Bowls Tasmania President
ROB MCGUIRE
Bowls Tasmania Executive Officer
MARTY GARNETT Bowls NT President
PAUL JACKSON
Bowls NT Executive Officer
Finance and Audit Committee
IAIN EVANS Bowls Australia Board Director (Chair)
BRONWYN HEYS
Bowls Australia Board Director
PAUL ZERELLA
Bowls Australia Board Director (until 22 November 2023)
ROXY CHEN
Independent Member (from 7 May 2024)
LYDIA DOWSE
Bowls Australia Board Director (Chair)
JESS DE GREENLAW
Bowls Australia Board Director (until 20 June 2024)
GERARD ROBINSON
Bowls Australia Board Director
GENEVIEVE DELVES
Bowls Australia Board Director
JOHN ROBERTS (Chair)
ANDREW LYNN
SUE HOGG
TONY SHERWILL
BOB CARLSON
BARRY ASHBY
SARAH HOPE
ALAN CLARKE
CHRIS EVANS
ELLEN FALKNER
JACQUI HINEMAN
DENNIS O’TOOLE
MATT OTTOBRE
REBECCA VAN ASCH
CHRIS EVANS
MICHAEL WILKS (to 11 January 2024)
SHARYN RENSHAW (25 May 2024)
LES CARTER (May 2024)
STEVE GLASSON OAM (Chair)
GARY WILLIS
KAREN MURPHY AM
DAVE STOCKHAM
THERESE HASTINGS
MATTHEW KENNEDY
Chief Executive Officer
TIM MCGRATH
General Manager Business Operations
SIMONE COWMAN
Office & Operations Coordinator (until April 2024
RACHAEL RODGER
Operations Coordinator (from June 2024
LUCAS PROTOPAPAS
Administration Assistant (casual
ELKE BELLGROVE
National Integrity Manager - Bowls Australia (part time (from September 2023
AIDAN DAVIS
General Manager Promotion and Partnerships
VAL FEBBO
Communications and Partnerships Coordinator (from August 2023)
Communications and Digital Coordinator – High Performance (until July 2023)
LACHLAN WILLIAMS
Communications and Promotion Coordinator (from August 2023)
Communications and Digital Coordinator –Participation (until July 2023)
EMMA HEDGES
Licensing and Commercial Manager (from April 2024)
ANDREW HOWIE
Events and Competitions Manager
PAUL HOLTSCHKE
Events and Competitions Coordinator
CHRIS EVANS
General Manager Participation and Programs (from November 2023)
HAYLEE JESENSEK
Systems & Operations Coordinator (until August 2023)
PATRICK NEWSON
Participation and Programs Coordinator (from September 2023)
MAX VOLLEBERGH
School and Social Programs Coordinator (until July 2023)
MICHAEL BEAUMONT
Coach Development Specialist (part time) (until January 2024)
AARON DELAPORTE BowlsLink Manager
JESSICA ALVARO BowlsLink Coordinator
DAVID VAN DER WAAL
Diversity and Inclusion Manager
BRETT HUGHES
Head of Club Support/CSM NSW (from July 2023) Development and Programs Manager (until July 2023)
NICK HIND
Club Support Manager ACT (part time) (from August 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager ACT (part time) (until July 2023)
MICHEAL SORRENSEN
Club Support Manager - QLD (from July 2023) Senior Regional Bowls Manager - South East Queensland (until July 2023)
ROB SOWARD
Regional Bowls Manager – Tasmania (until July 2023)
CAROLYN DOCKING
Club Support Manager TAS (part time) (from November 2023)
PAUL JACKSON
Club Support Manager NT (part time) (from August 2023)
CHRIS WALLACE
Regional Bowls Manager NT (part time) (until July 2023) Bowls Operations
General Manager Participation and Programs (until September 2023)
WARREN GRIFFIN
Head of Club Support/CSM VIC (from July 2023)
Senior Regional Bowls Manager - Eastern Melbourne and Victoria (until July 2023)
PETER WILLIAMS
Club Support Manager VIC (from July 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager - North East Victoria (until July 2023)
MARK COLEMAN
Regional Bowls Manager – Metro Melbourne and Geelong Victoria (until August 2023)
DAVID INGLIS
Regional Bowls Manager – Riverina and Western New South Wales (until August 2023)
DARREN MORRISON
Senior Regional Bowls Manager - Greater Sydney New South Wales (until August 2023)
DAVID BARNES
Club Support Manager QLD (from July 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager – Central Queensland (until July 2023)
TROY KINNANE
Club Support Manager WA (from July 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager – Southern Western Australia (until July 2023)
DANIEL COCKS
Regional Bowls Manager – South Australia (until July 2023)
BRETT HERBERT
Club Support Manager SA (from July 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager – South Australia (until July 2023)
JAYSON PINNOCK
Club Support Manager NSW (from July 2023)
Regional Bowls Manager – Northern and Western NSW (until July 2023)
KYLE LANGLEY
Regional Bowls Manager – Hunter & Central NSW (until July 2023)
JOHN ROBERTS
Bowls Specialist (casual) (from September 2023 to October 2023)
GARY WILLIS
National Coach and Performance Director
KAREN MURPHY
National Assistant and Performance Pathways Coach (from April 2024)
National Assistant Coach and Pathways Manager (until March 2024)
REBECCA VAN ASCH
High Performance & Performance Pathways Manager (from April 2024)
High Performance Manager (until March 2024)
ELLEN FALKNER
Para High Performance & Coach Development Manager (from April 2024)
High Performance Manager – Para (until March 2024)
LEAH LAZZARO
High Performance Operations Manager (from April 2024)
High Performance Operations & Team Manager (until March 2024)
DANIEL RIDDIFORD
Wellbeing & Engagement Manager (from April 2024)
Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Manager (until April 2024)
CARA GLEESON
Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Coordinator (until July 2023)
GABRIELLE MAHON
Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Coordinator (from August 2023)
IAN EWING
Pathways Coach – VIC
JAMES REYNOLDS Pathways Coach – NSW/ACT
LYNSEY CLARKE Pathways Coach – QLD
THERESE HASTINGS
Pathways Coach – WA (Part-time)
2023 Australian Sides Championships
Men’s team (Alley Shield) – New South Wales
2023 Australian Indoor Championships (August 2022)
Club Tweed (QLD)
Winners: Ray Pearse (NSW) and Samantha Atkinson (VIC)
2023 Nationals (October 2023)
Sorrento, Warwick & Joondalup (WA)
2023 Australian Champion of Champions
Men’s singles – Lee Schraner (NSW)
Women’s singles – Laini McGorman (SA)
2023 Australian Championships
Men’s singles – Cody Packer (WA)
Women’s singles – Jessie Cottell (NSW)
Men’s pairs – Corey Wedlock & Gary Kelly (NSW)
Women’s pairs – Claire Turley & Lynsey Clarke (QLD)
Mixed pairs – Courtney Hobbs & Tim Douce (TAS)
Men’s triples – Roger Stevens, Dean Drummond & Peter Brown (QLD)
Women’s triples – Kate Matthews, Genevieve
Delves & Natasha Van Eldik (NSW)
Men’s fours – Craig Donaldson, Mathew Pietersen, David Ferguson & Ben Twist (NSW)
Women’s fours – Jamie-Lee Worsnop, Ellen Falkner, Ellen Fife & Karen Murphy (NSW)
Women’s team (Marj Morris Trophy) – Victoria
Overall team – Queensland
Men’s overall rink – Daniel Hill, Peter Taylor, Carl Healey & Lee Schraner (NSW)
Women’s overall rink – Pamela Rowe, Candice Ayton, Bolivia Millerick & Kelsey Cottrell (QLD)
2023 Australian Senior Sides Championships
Men’s team (John Dobbie AM Trophy) –Queensland
Women’s team (Betty Collins OAM Trophy) –Victoria
Overall team (Glyn Bosisto MBE Trophy) – Victoria
2023 Australian Under-18 Championships
Overall boys’ team – Victoria
Overall girls’ team - New South Wales
Boys’ singles – Riley Gerick (QLD)
Girls’ singles – Stella Palmer (QLD)
Boys’ pairs – Charlie Boswood & Koby Cromie (VIC)
Girls’ pairs – Maddison Jacobs & Amity Bickley (VIC)
Boys’ triples – Will Mays, Nick Rowley & Josh Cartwright (VIC)
Girls’ triples – Tahlia Kennedy, Taylor De Greenlaw & Ella Cameron (Composite – NSW/VIC)
Boys’ fours – Billy Waite, Thomas Rich, Timothy Thorning & Travis Moran (NSW)
Girls’ fours – Zoe Nicholls, Jasmine Smith, Chanel
Chakouch & Katie Astley (NSW)
2023 Australian Para Nationals
Men’s B5/6 singles – Tony Bonnell (QLD)
Men’s B7/8 singles – Chris Flavel (SA)
Women’s open singles – Serena Bonnell (QLD)
Men’s open pairs – Mike Emberton & Andrew Reed (SA)
Men’s 14-point pairs – Vicki Parkinson & Matthew Barrie (NSW/ACT)
Women’s B5-8 pairs – Michelle Campbell & Jo Hunter (NSW)
Open triples – Lucas Protopapas, Josh Thornton & Josh Barry (VIC)
Clover/Lester Encouragement Award – Annette Ruffle (IC)
2022 BOWLS PREMIER LEAGUE - BPL18 (November 2023)
Club Pine Rivers (QLD)
Winner – Tweed Heads Ospreys
2024 Junior BPL Challenge
Moama Bowling Club (VIC)
Winner – Melbourne eXtreme (Club Sunbury – VIC)
2023 BOWLS PREMIER LEAGUE - BPL19 (February 2024) Moama Bowling Club (VIC)
Winner – Melbourne Pulse
2023 BPL Cup
Club Pine Rivers (QLD)
Winner – Ettalong (NSW)
2023 Australian Open (June 2023)
14 Gold Coast Clubs (QLD)
Men’s singles – Aron Sherriff
Women’s singles – Laura Butler
Men’s pairs – Joseph Clarke & Jack McShane
Women’s pairs – Ellen Fife & Kristina Krstic
Men’s fours – Ray Pearse, Peter Taylor, Gary Kelly & Carl Healey
Women’s fours – Louise Cronan, Leanne Chinery, Emma Boyd & Kelly McKerihen
Under-18 boys’ singles – Koby Cromie
Under-18 girls’ singles – Akasha Fortune
Over-60s men’s pairs – Terry Warder & Stephen Ashdown
Over-60s women’s pairs – Sharon McReynolds & Sue Coultas
Multi-Disability men’s singles – Damien Delgado
Multi-Disability women’s singles – Serena Bonnell
Multi-Disability open pairs – Chris Flavel & James Reynolds
Vision-impaired singles – Jake Fehlberg
Vision-impaired pairs – Helen Boardman & Jake Fehlberg
2023 World Bowls Championships
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold – men’s triples – Corey Wedlock, Aron Sherriff & Carl Healey
Gold – men’s fours – Corey Wedlock, Aaron Teys, Carl Healey & Aron Sherriff
Gold – women’s triples – Dawn Hayman, Lynsey
Clarke & Kelsey Cottrell
Gold – para men’s pairs – Damien Delgado & James Reynolds
Gold – vision impaired mixed pairs – Jacky
Hudson & Jake Fehlberg
Silver – women’s fours – Kristina Krstic, Dawn Hayman, Lynsey Clarke & Kelsey Cottrell
Silver – men’s pairs – Aaron Teys & Aaron Wilson
Bronze – women’s singles – Ellen Fife
Bronze – men’s singles – Aaron Wilson
Bronze – para women’s pairs – Cheryl Lindfield& Serena Bonnell
Gold – Men’s overall team
Gold – Para overall team
2024 Trans Tasman
Naenae (New Zealand)
Winner – Australia 4-1
World Bowls Junior Indoor Championships
East Kilbride (UK)
Gold – men’s singles – Nathan Black
Bronze – mixed pairs – Jessie Cottell & Nathan Black
World Bowls Indoor Championships
Guernsey (UK)
Gold – mixed pairs – Samantha Atkinson & Ray Pearse
2023 Awards Night
Community Service Award – Avalon Bowling Club & The Northern Beaches Vision-Impaired Group (NSW)
Volunteer of the Year – Terry Ledger (NSW) & Dennis Heath (NSW)
Official of te Year – Ryan Havercroft (WA)
Club of the Year – Club Tweed (QLD)
Coach of the Year – James Reynolds (NSW)
Male Bowler with a Disability of the Year – Jake Fehlberg (QLD)
Female Bowler with a Disability of the Year –Serena Bonnell (QLD)
Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year – Riley Gerick (QLD)
Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year – Reese FinnYoung (NSW)
Male Bowler of the Year – Aron Sherriff (QLD)
Female Bowler of the Year – Cassandra Millerick (VIC)
International Male Bowler of the Year – Aron Sherriff (QLD)
International Female Bowler of the Year – Kelsey Cottrell (QLD)
In August and September 2023, Bowls Australia and the Gold Coast played host to the biggest staging of the World Bowls Championships to date.
This edition was also the most inclusive World Bowls Championships in the sport’s history, combining the able-body and para bowls events for the fist time, with 44 nations in attendance.
Supported by Tourism and Events Queensland and Experience Gold Coast, the sport’s pinnacle international competition featured more competing countries, players, host clubs and gold medal opportunities than ever before, following a seven-year hiatus resulting from COVID postponements.
More than 1,244 matches were staged across the 12 competition days, from August 29 to September 10, with over 540 players and coaches taking to the greens of the five Gold Coast clubs, including Broadbeach, Helensvale, Musgrave, Mudgeeraba and Paradise Point.
For the first time ever, 11 gold medals were contested, with three para-sport disciplines staged alongside the able-body disciplines for the fist time, with seven finalsheld at Helensvale across the rst weekend of September 2 and 3, and the remaining four able-body final deciders staged at Broadbeach on the second weekend of September 9 and 10.
Australia was prolificin the inaugural para bowls event, securing gold in the Men’s Para Pairs in what unquestionably one of the games of the tournament. Para Jackaroos Damian Delgado and James Reynolds defeated South Africa’s pairing of Deon Van Der Vyver and Gareth Rees-Gibbs 10-9 in an edge-of-your seat thriller.
In the Vision-Impaired Pairs, Jaqualine Hudson and Jake Fehlberg reigned supreme claiming gold by defeating South African’s May Homer and Hermanus Scholtz 16-14.
In the women’s Para Pairs, it was New Zealand’s Julie O’Connell and Teri Blackbourn’s time to shine, claiming victory and gold over Scotland’s Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson 14-8.
Australia’s pairing of Cheryl Lindfield and Serena Bonnellclaimedbronzeafteranarrowdefeatinthe semi-finals
The inaugural Overall Para Champions Trophy well and truly belonged to Australia, with the host nation well clear of competitor countries. Finishing with two gold (men’s para pairs and mixed vision impaired pairs), a bronze (women’s para pairs) and with plenty of sectional success, the Right at Home Jackaroos finis ed well clear in fi st with 70 points tosecuretheaward,withScotland insecondplace with 54 points, narrowly clear of New Zealand who rounded out the top three with 52 points.
Australia’s Overall Para Champions team included Damien Delgado, James Reynolds, Serena Bonnell, Cheryl Lindfield, Jacky Hudson, Rob Hudson, Jake Fehlberg and Cody Fehlberg.
In the women’s event, gold medals were shared across the four disciplines.
TheAustraliateamofDawnHayman,LynseyClarke and Kelsey Cottrell secured the Women’s Triples title over New Zealand counter parts Leane Poulson, Taylor Bruce and Val Smith 15-9.
In the Women’s Fours, Kristina Krstic joined Dawn Hayman, Lynsey Clarke and Kelsey Cottrell on making their way to the Gold Medal match, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be, with the Jackaroos settling for silver to a red-hot England team consisting of Sophie Tolchard, Jamie-Lea Marshall, Lorraine Kuhler and Amy Pharaoh 7-14.
The remaining two women’s events saw the gold medals split between New Zealand and Malaysia.
In the Pairs event. the Malaysian team of Aleena Nawawi and Ain Nabilah Tarmizi claimed the gold and over Malta’s Australian-based Rebecca Rixon and Connie Rixon 15-11.
The blue-ribbon Singles didn’t disappoint with NewZealand’sTaylorBruceclaimingtheworldtitle in close encounter over Canada’s Australian-based Kelly McKerihen 21-18, while Jackaroo Ellen Fife (nee Ryan) claimed the bronze medal.
For the fi st time since 2004, Australia was not crowned overall women’s champions, as New Zealand swept in to win the honour for the fi st time since 1973, and just the second time ever.
New Zealand finis ed the Championships with three women’s medals (singles gold, triples silver and fours bronze), clear of England by two points, who also collected three medals (singles bronze, pairs bronze and fours gold). All five members of New Zealand’s team departed the Gold Coast with
a medal. Australia wasn’t far from a fourth consecutive women’s title, finishig on 88 points, just four behind New Zealand and two behind England, having won triples gold, fours silver and singles bronze.
New Zealand’s Overall Women’s Champions team included Tayla Bruce, Selina Goddard, Katelyn Inch, Leeane Poulson and Val Smith.
The Australian men’s team produced a stunning two-week campaign, claiming medals in all disciplines.
In the Men’s Fours, the Australian team of Corey Wedlock, Aaron Teys, Carl Healey and Aron Sheriff fired on all cylinders to claim the gold medal and world title, defeating Scotland’s star-studded outfitof Jason Banks, Derick Oliver, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall 12-10.
In the Triples event, Wedlock, Sherriff and Healey reigned supreme again, defeating the Scottish team of Paul Foster, Derick Oliver and Alex Marshall 17-8 for their second world title.
In the Pairs, the Australian due of Aaron Teys and Aaron Wilson claimed the silver medal after going down to strong Ireland pairing of Adam Mckewon and Australian-based Gary Kelly 11-19.
In the blue-ribbon Singles, it wasn’t to be for Australia’s Aaron Wilson who claimed bronze after going down to Gary Kelly in the semi-final.In the finalit was Ireland’s Gary Kelly up against Canada’s Ryan Bester, both Australian-based. The contest didn’t disappoint the big crowds on hand to witness a fantastic edge-of-your-seat thriller. Ultimately, it was third time lucky for Bester, claiming the title 21-16.
A dominant two weeks on the Gold Coast secured the Jackaroos the Overall Men’s Champions trophy, the fourth time Australia has claimed the honour. Similar to the New Zealand women, all ve members of Australia’s men’s team walked away with a medal from the 2023 World Championships. Gold in the triples and fours, silver in the pairs and bronze in the singles helped Australia to 94 points, narrowly edging out Ireland. The Irish came close to collecting their fist ever team accolade, just two points shy of Australia and with medals from all disciplines. Despite missing out on gold, Scotland’s three men’s medals helped them to 88 points to finish thid.
Australia’s Overall Men’s Champions team included Aaron Wilson, Aaron Teys, Corey Wedlock, Carl Healey and Aron Sherriff.
Firstly, BA’s High Performance (HP) team acknowledge the ongoing and tremendous support afforded by the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport, Commonwealth Games Australia, State and Territory Associations, clubs, families/friends, team sponsor ‘Right at Home’ and all other stakeholders who have contributed to another historic year for our Australian Team.
The Jackaroos competed in the very fist World Bowls World Championship that included Para athletes, finishig with two gold and a bronze medal along with the Overall Champions Trophy for the best performed team.
Overall, including our open and para, women and men, the Jackaroos secured fie gold, two silver and three bronze medals to secure the title of the world’s overall number one ranked nation and provide Australia with its most successful World Championship medal haul in history.
The team returned across the ditch for the fist time in many years to play an away series against New Zealand, in what was a new format for the 2024 Trans-Tasman, similar to golf’s ‘Ryder Cup’, the Jackaroos prevailed in a nail-biting finishto take overall honours.
From an operational perspective, the HP team has taken on some additional responsibility during this period, in the management of Bowls Australia’s National Coaching Development; providing an
exciting opportunity for all coaches right across the country from grassroots through to high performance levels of coaching. The current BA coaching framework is undergoing review, in conjunction and collaboration with STAs, the Australian Sports Commission, coaches across sport and any other industry experts.
We were also delighted to acknowledge the reappointment of National Selectors Dave Stockham, Therese Hastings, Gary Willis, Karen Murphy AM and Steve Glasson OAM (as Chair of the Panel), all returning with endorsement from the Bowls Australia Board, to what is one of the toughest roles in sport.
Dave has now served in this role for over ten years during what has been one of the greatest eras for bowls in Australia to date from a results perspective, with Therese and Steve serving alongside in coaching and selecting roles for much of that time.
As a group they have a strong and purposeful vision in providing opportunity through factsbased evidence and to ensure Australia’s current and long-term success, both culturally as a team and from a performance perspective, remain the highest priorities.
Finally, we would again like to acknowledge Therese Hastings, who recently retired from her role as the Western Australian Pathways Coach. Therese has made a significantand positive impact on athletes
and the program itself for over 10 years and to say she will be missed in this role, both personally and professionally, would be a huge understatement. Thankfully ‘T’ will remain in the National Selection role.
Please enjoy further reading regarding all things, Performance Pathways, Coach development and para bowls and Athlete well-being/engagement.
Right at Home Australian Jackaroos Aron Sherriff and Kelsey Cottrell were recognised in World Bowls’ inaugural world rankings as the top bowlers on the planet.
World Bowls announced a new rankings system, called the World Bowls Series, in June 2023, to recognise the world’s with the two Australians’ success in recent years recognised, named as the number one male and female bowlers respectively.
The Performance Pathways Program continues to act as a strong feeder program for the Jackaroos and it was fantastic to see four athletes (Nathan Black, Nick Cahill, Cassandra Millerick and Brianna Smith) from this program elevated to the Jackaroos in 2024.
There was some great success amongst athletes within the program across a range of international events, including the Burnside Pairs, Burnside U-26 Singles and the IIBC World Under-25 Indoor Championships; congratulations to Nathan Black who secured the singles gold medal along with a bronze medal with Jessie Cottell in the mixed pairs, supported at the event by Pathways Coach Ian Ewing.
Congratulations also to one of our newest Emerging Squad additions, Samantha Atkinson, who claimed the gold medal at the World Bowls Indoor Championships, alongside former Jackaroo Ray Pearce, in the mixed pairs.
The workforce within the program have played a key part in the success of the National Performance Pathways Program. Coaches underwent personal development support and education throughout the year to continue to better themselves and enhance their coaching capabilities. The workshop covered topics such as; Purpose, Planning, Pushing, Participation and Probing.
The program also welcomed Gabrielle Mahon as Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Coordinator, working directly with Pathways and Emerging
athletes to support them and assist them in their own personal excellence journey.
The Mental Performance in Competition (MPC) Program curriculum was finalisedand modules have started to be rolled out and implemented with athletes to enhance their development journey. The MPC Program provides access and education on effective mental skill preparation and then implementation throughout competition.
Athletes continue to undergo annual physical strength and conditioning testing at the AIS to build a profileand data for improvement as they progress through the pathway. They were also able to participate in workshops covering topics such as nutrition, recovery and team culture.
The National Development Series was held once again and continues to be one of the flgships of the Performance Pathways Program. The event has been overwhelmingly received as a positive experience and development opportunity for athletes, coaches and staff. The event combines a mix of Para and open athletes from within the pathways program, divided into four teams, and gives the athletes the opportunity to compete under the same format and conditions as benchmark events and offers the opportunity to ‘live the life of a Jackaroo on tour’. This experience allows the athletes to draw on their learnings from AIS Camps and other aspects of our High Performance program and draw a strong connection to directly assist and impact their performance on and off the green throughout the event.
Coaches play a vital role in Bowls in Australia; they are often the first person that a new participant engages with or the person who can help an existing participant re-kindle their love for the game. They are the front line of our sport and have a critical role to play in recruitment and retention.
Over the past twelve months, coaches from across the country have continued to access online learning through BowlsLearn and face to face learning and assessment days in their State organised and delivered by STAs.
Whilst it’s been business as usual from an accreditation perspective, behind the scenes, Bowls Australia in conjunction with STAs and the support of the Australian Sports Commission have been continuing an exciting review of its coaching framework and coach education delivery.
The aim is to ensure that the Bowls coaching workforce can access the most up-to-date, relevant content to help coaches provide positive experiences for participants whatever their needs, aspirations and motivations. The review is centred around the modern coaching approach and is underpinned by the philosophy of ‘Person First and Player Second’, making people feel welcome so they join; and feel included, so they stay. Ultimately, everyone plays sport for different reasons, and the role as a coach is to understand this and ensure that an environment is created where people feel safe, have choice and opportunities for connection.
An important piece of work has also been looking at what is delivered and how it is delivered, as well as what ongoing support and professional development can be provided for coaches to ensure that the coach has a positive, supported experience in the sport.
Alongside this review and creation of a new coaching framework, there have been some personnel changes in the coaching area, with Michael Beaumont retiring from his position. Coaching has now moved to the responsibility of the BA High Performance team. In addition, the National Coaching Advisory Group is on pause while its remit and membership are reviewed alongside the framework. 2025 will be an exciting time in the coaching area.
The second half of 2023 was an exciting time for Para Bowls globally with the inclusion of Para Bowls in the World Bowls World Championship program. Three events were held, the Para Men’s Pairs, Para Women’s Pairs and Vision-Impaired Mixed Pairs with Australia claiming two gold and one bronze medal and securing the inaugural World Para Team title.
Thanks to ongoing support from the Australian Institute of Sport and two on-site camps per year, the 18 strong top tier Para Jackaroo squad and four Emerging Para Jackaroos continue to access support services in multiple areas, including performance psychology, mental performance in competition, strength and conditioning, endurance, nutrition, recovery, respectful behaviours and much more. Along with this, Para Jackaroos have received one-to-one coaching and wellbeing support throughout the past year.
To help more participants to enter into the Para pathway, national classificationopportunities have been offered around the country, along with two international classificationdays per year, one prior to the Australian Open and one prior to the Para Nationals.
Collaboration continues with stakeholders such as the Australian Blind Bowls Association, Blind Sports Australia, Disability Sport Australia and Invictus Australia to grow participation including partnering on resource creation and support for clubs.
In addition, relationships have been developed with other National Sporting Organisations with the aim of supporting the talent transfer of athletes.
Finally, thanks to the efforts of the BA media team, with increased hours of live streaming, more profiling of Para Jackaroos across all media platforms and sharing of stories of bowlers with a disability across the nation, BA secured the 2023 Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Media Award accolade for best coverage of sport for people with disability.
Athlete Well-Being & Engagement
The 2023/24 year has seen BA introduce a range of programs and development opportunities for athletes.
Some of the key highlights throughout the year include:
The introduction of the Individual Life Plan, which is a tool that athletes use to help them choose their own direction both on-green and off-green. It allows the individual to flg any areas of personal and professional development that they wish to explore over the coming year, as well as setting both on-green and off-green goals that they strive to achieve.
Pathways and Emerging squads have all completed the Start Strong in High Performance Sport program through the Australian Institute of Sport. This program, specificallydesigned for athletes entering the High Performance environment, helps educate the athlete around the various requirements, expectations and services available to them during their HP journey.
By setting a solid foundation early in their careers, it is hoped that this will ensure individuals are giving themselves the best chance of sustained success as an elite athlete.
With awareness of the ever-growing exposure that the sport receives through various means, athletes completed education around the impact that social media can have on elite athletes. The eSafety Commissioner delivered their Social Media Self Defence program, giving athletes a thorough understanding of the range of tools available to them should they be the target of online abuse/ trolling, as well as the different coping mechanisms and support available to them.
Individually, many athletes have engaged in some of the amazing opportunities that they are presented with as elite athletes. For example, Serena Bonnell is once again an ambassador for the Australian Institute of Sport’s Thrive with Pride Program, and Kristina Krstic was appointed to the Athlete Advisory Committee with the Western Australia Institute of Sport.
The 2023/24 events season will go down as one of the best and busiest Bowls Australia has delivered. The year was full of record-breaking event numbers, which included reaching all time participation highs with the Australian Open to hosting the biggest World Bowls Championships ever staged.
Bowls Australia thank and acknowledge the contribution of all host clubs, volunteers, partners and State and Territory Associations who have contributed greatly to the staging of national and international events across this period.
Without the support of many, these events simply wouldn’t be possible
Club Tweed (QLD)
In the fist tournament of the calendar year, Club Tweed staged the fist Australian Indoor Championships since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The singles format boasted a supersized draw consisting of 64 players in each of the men’s and women’s fieldsthat were littered with Commonwealth Games gold medallists, World Champions and Right at Home Jackaroos.
As they did at the Australian Open, Aron Sherriff and Kelsey Cottrell collected the major silverware, with resounding victories in the men’s and women’s singles respectively, to secure the coveted indoor/ outdoor singles trophy combination.
Sherriff overcame Victoria’s Dylan Fisher in the decider, to continue his scintillating run on the national arena and maintain his status as the top ranked male in the country.
Cottrell’s campaign ended in style with a straight sets victory over Brianna Smith in the decider, as she too continued her stranglehold on the singles format.
Sorrento, Joondalup and Warwick Bowling Clubs, WA
The second staging of the Nationals was held in Perth, Western Australia across three host venues in Sorrento Bowling Club, Joondalup Bowling Club and Warwick Bowling Club.
The two-week event was a great spectacle of bowls, showcasing players of all ages and abilities converging on the one location for their shot at national honours.
Australian Under-18 Championships
In the under-18 girls’ event, medals were spread evenly and showcased a number of new bowls stars on the rise.
Victoria claimed the Overall Trophy in the boys’ event, while New South Wales claimed the girls’. The 2024 Overall Champion Trophy was awarded to New South Wales, with Victoria a close second.
In the women’s event, South Australia’s Laini McGorman claimed her maidan crown after triumphing in fie out of her seven round robbin matches to finishone game clear of New South Wales’ Samantha Ferguson, while the bronze medal was awarded to Victoria’s Cassandra Millerick.
In the men’s contest, New South Wales’ Lee Schraner continued his strangle hold over this event, claiming his record fourth national Champion of Champions crown. Schraner nished one game clear of Western Australia’s Jack East, while bronze was awarded to Queensland’s Glenn Pitts.
The 2023 Para Nationals was held at Warick Bowling Club in Perth, Western Australia as part of the 2023 Nationals, with 54 players across seven states and territories competing for the Para Nationals Overall State title, which Queensland won convincingly.
Player of the tournament was awarded to Queensland’s Serena Bonnell with wins in both the women’s singles and pairs. Warick Bowling Club should be congratulated for hosting the event, and supplying some 150 club members who volunteered across the four days to make it the best ever Para Nationals as described by many competing athletes.
In the men’s event, Queensland proved too strong, claiming six wins from seven matches to take the title, and finisha game clear of Victoria in second position. The best performed rink accolade went to the undefeated Queenland team spearheaded by John Finlayson which included Bill Cornehls, Scott Chamberlain, Ray Kurtz.
In the women’s event, it was Victoria who secured the silverware, with six wins from seven matches, prevailing on a count-back with a greater amount of rink wins to edge out New South Wales. The best performed rink honour went to the undefeated South Australian quartet skipped by Beth Quinlan which included Lea Modra, Christine Thulborn and Anne Merritt.
The Overall Champions Trophy was presented to Victoria, who proved most consistent across the men’s and women’s competitions.
The men’s competition came down to the last round between New South Wales and Queensland, who both sat undefeated after six contests. New South Wales proved too strong on the day, edging out Queensland 60-52 to claim the title, relegating the Maroons to silver.
The best performed rink accolade was presented to the New South Wales team spearheaded by Lee Schraner which included Daniel Hill, Peter Taylor and Carl Healey, who remained undefeated throughout the event.
In the women’s event, the last round saw Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria all within the mix for a chance of claiming the ultimate prize. Queensland were on top of the standings entering the last contest, however, came up against a star-studded New South Wales contingent who proved too strong in the closing stages, claiming
victory 66-64. Ultimately, the result paved the way for Victoria on the adjacent green, who defeated Tasmania 59-48, to claim the Marj Morris Trophy, with New South Wales earning the silver.
The best performed rink award was won by Queensland’s Kelsey Cottrell, who guided the team of Candice Ayton, Pam Rowe and Bolivia Millerick through the event undefeated.
New South Wales were crowned the Overall Champions after claiming gold in the men and silver in the women’s event.
The 2024 Australian Championships proved to be a hotly contested event, showcasing some the nation’s best and brightest talent and future stars competing for coveted Australian titles.
In the women’s event, New South Wales dominated claiming three out of the four titles on offer.
In the men’s event, the spoils were shared between New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, with many of the sport’s most prolific players in action across the four competition days.
Club Pine Rivers (QLD)
The finalnational event of 2023 saw a pulsating BPL at the tournament’s spiritual home of Club Pine Rivers in Queensland’s Moreton Bay region.
The fast-paced televised showpiece competition was one of the most exciting in history with an abundance of tie-breaks required to separate the top fie on an epic finalFriday night, as the Tweed Heads Ospreys equalled the record for the most titles won by a franchise.
Aaron Teys, Corey Wedlock and Chloe Stewart conquered the event for the third time as a team after overcoming a gallant Melbourne eXtreme squad in a deciding tie-break.
Teys was bestowed his third MVP crown, joining Aron Sherriff as the only players to have won three or more, while Aaron Wilson and Kylie Whitehead joined him in the All Star Team, with Wayne Turley OAM as coach
Club Pine Rivers (QLD)
The 2023 BPL Cup competition continued to grow in popularity with team entries and preliminary events growing across the board, with some 3008 individuals competing. Growth in the preliminary events to 122 nationally, entries increased by 115 to reach 954 the highest ever achieved over the seven years the competition has been staged. South Australia had a 38% increase in entries, followed by NSW with a 27% increase to achieve 247 entries the highest of any state with Victoria a close second with 240 entries.
The 2023 BPL Cup National Final was again held at Club Pine Rivers in conjunction with BPL18 with 12 teams competing for the converted National title with New South Wales’ Ettalong Bowling Club (Darren Morrison, Lee Trethowan & Nathan Malloy) defeating Western Australia’s Victoria Park Carlisle (Pat Keeffe, Lee Such, Graeme Wishart) 8-5, 6-5 with Lee Trethowan awarded player of the match.
(19-23 February 2024)
Moama Bowling Club (NSW)
The Victoria and New South Wales border town of Moama was once again the host of the February edition of the tournament in what was one of the hottest BPLs on record.
In sweltering heat, the Melbourne Pulse conjured up some sensational comebacks to be crowned as the champions for the third time after a scintillating final gainst the Moreton Bay Pirates.
Gary Kelly, Barrie Lester and Ellen Fife took home their third trophy as an outfitunder the guidance of coaches Jeremy Henry and Andrew Breedon-Walton.
Kelly was awarded a maiden MVP trophy, with Aaron Wilson and Dawn Hayman joining him in the All Star Team, with Henry and Breedon-Walton as the joint coaches.
Moama Bowling Club (NSW)
The inaugural running of the BPL Junior Challenge saw the Moama Steamers come up against Club Sunbury’s Melbourne eXtreme in a prelude to the BPL19 finals nigh.
After a mighty comeback win, the eXtreme’s Emilee Davies, Jonty Hayes and Logan Marshall took home the event’s inaugural trophy in a one end tie-break.
In its inaugural staging, the National Development Series strived to give vital experience to the next generation of stars within the sport under international tournament conditions.
Staged at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, four teams combining of Emerging and Pathways Jackaroos of both able bodied and para bowlers battled it out as they looked to develop their processes and routines within competition conditions.
Team Yellow were the eventual champions with Kate Matthews, Brianna Smith, Chris Rosanes, Nick Cahill, Kyle Hansen, Jodie Nikolic and Josh Barry awarded gold medals.
The 2024 Australian Open was a year of records, for the ninth installment on the Gold Coast. This event brought in almost 4,000 entries which equated to 3,500 competitors playing across the 14 host venues.
A huge thank goes to all host venues and their members who volunteered their time to ensuring the event was a success. Volunteer numbers surpassed 1000 this year, which really does show the true magnitude of the event.
To win one singles title at the Australian Open is something special, but to win three in a row and six overall is something truly unique and special, unprecedented in the event’s 19 years lifespan – until 2024.
That feat was achieved by Aron Sherriff, courtesy of a remarkable 21-19 win over his Queensland teammate in Cohen Litfin
In a fieldof 1,312, Sherriff was required to play 12 matches to win the trophy and continued his stunning singles form at the tournament to lift the trophy once more.
Winning an event with a field of that size is an accomplishment in itself, but to win it on three successive occasions is a testament to his stunning ability and prowess on the Gold Coast greens.
As a result of the victory, Sherriff now has eight Australian Open titles, extending his record on the men’s side, and has continued his unbeaten singles run at the event to 1,099 days.
Before the tournament commenced, just one player from outside of the Australian Jackaroos contingent had clinched the player of the tournament honour, in Ryan Bester in 2018.
But Laura Butler was able to make her own history by enjoying a run that will go down in the event’s folklore for years to come.
The Switzerland international and Western Australian spearhead was inspiring in her run to the singles title, eliminating the likes of Lynsey Clarke and Chloe Stewart before taking down Kelsey Cottrell in the decider 21-19.
Butler’s player of the tournament accolade would come after progressing to the pairs semi-finaland fours quarter-final in addition to her singles success.
Seventh time is the charm for Krstic Kristina Krstic entered the women’s pairs decider at the tournament having lost her six previous finals,but the 30-year-old was determined to go a step further this year.
In the finalagainst Tayla Bruce and Jessie Cottell, Krstic and her best friend, Ellen Fife were in blistering form, controlling the heads and converting when needed.
They would eventually gain an unassailable lead with an end to spare claiming the title 17-9.
Youth wows the crowd at Broadbeach
Two years ago, Jack McShane and Joseph Clarke were playing against each other in the under-18 boys’ singles final,but in 2024, they were thrust into the men’s pairs finalagainst Flynn O’Shaughnessy and Nathan Rice.
Having defeated some handy opponents in the run to the final,the 19-year-old pair kept up with their opponents early before gaining the lead late.
Some superb bowls from Rice sent the match to an extra end before McShane played a scintillating finaldelivery to ensure that the duo secured the crown.
It was one of the most remarkable storylines of the tournament, and made all the more remarkable when they would front up just a few hours later to the men’s fours decider.
The pair joined Sean Baker and Ben Twist as they took on the Carl Healey skipped combination of Ray Pearse, Peter Taylor and Gary Kelly. The eight quality players didn’t disappoint as the match went right down to the wire, but it was the Healey lead side that held their nerve to hold onto a hard fought 10-8 victory.
In the under-18s, Victorian stars in Koby Cromie and Akasha Fortune won mammoth finalsin the junior disciplines to set themselves up for the future.
Cromie staged the fightack of the tournament, down 8-18 but clawing his way back to claim the title 21-19.
Fortune held off a gallant Anda Panchawat 21-17 in what was a fantastic standard of bowls by both
players.
Serena Bonnell found herself in the Women’s Multi-Disability Singles final yet again, after falling agonisingly short last year, but was able to go one better this year, claiming victory against fellow Queenslander Louise Hoskins 21-13.
In the men’s event, Damian Delgaldo was in blistering form, defeating David Minns 21-13.
The open pairs competition didn’t disappoint, with the Jackaroo duo of Chis Flavel and James Reynolds claiming the title 19-4 against fellow Jackaroos teammates Tony Bonnell and Josh Barry.
Vision-impaired star Jake Fehlberg became the third bowler to win ten Australian Open titles following his two golds in the 2024 edition.
He partnered with Helen Boardman to clinch the vision-impaired mixed pairs title over Jaqualine Hudson and Fred McConnell 17-10 before backing it up in the singles final moments later, where Fehlberg claimed a gutsy 21-19 win over Western Australia’s Calvin Rodgers.
Fehlberg joins Lynsey Clarke and Kelsey Cottrell as the only three players to have saluted at the event on ten occasions.
In the over-60s men’s pairs event, it was the New South Wales combination of Terry Warder and Stephen Ashdown who claimed gold over fellow Blues, Dennis Williams and William Ahoy 22-6.
While in the women, it was the Sharon McReynolds and Sue Coultas combination claiming the tittle over the New Zealand team of Karina Cooper and Diane Strawbridge 15-13.
The participation and programs team worked tirelessly in 2023/24 to grow, develop and support Bowls across the country.
Through the availability and hard work of BA’s 10 Club Support Managers in the field across the nation - together with us better embracing digital ways of working - more clubs than ever before are being meaningfully engaged and supported to be the very best that they can be; as well planned and managed operations, and welcoming and inclusive environments, that seek to maximise venue usage and community benefi.
The revamped Club Support Program was launched in September 2023. The objectives of the program are to:
1.Increase capability in the Club system by developing a tailored bowls specific Club Development Program.
2.Create welcoming, safe and inclusive Clubs.
3. Use data and intelligence to increase participation of all ages, genders, and cultures and drive long-life involvement in Bowls.
4.Have the ability to scale to meet the needs of Bowls’ 1,766 clubs nationally, including regional clubs.
BA formalised partnerships with industry experts ClubMap, Sports Community and Kinetica, adding capability and capacity to the Club Support Program.
The partnership between BA and CLUBMAP has proven to be an invaluable resource for bowls clubs and administrators across the country. This collaboration offers comprehensive support to all affiliated clubs and members throughout Australia, strengthening education, community and connection. Through CLUBMAP, Bowls Australia has facilitated a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing club administration, member education, and community building.
One of the key services provided through this partnership is the Club Health Check. This service is designed to guide committees in improving their administrative and operational practices. In 2023/24, we received 125 requests for Club Health Checks, with 107 clubs successfully completing the process. Post-assessment, clubs have the option to
collaborate with a Club Support Manager (CSM) to address their specificchallenges and implement the recommendations provided.
Education is a cornerstone of the BA-CLUBMAP partnership, and our tailored webinars have been a significantcomponent of this initiative. The fist webinar, held on November 14, focused on Volunteer and Committee Structure. Since then, seven successful webinars have been conducted, covering a range of topics relevant to clubs, members, and administrators. The most popular session to date, the Coaching, Training & Drills Webinar, saw 383 participants from across Australia engage with the content. These webinars are delivered by professionals in the field, complemented by insights from club personnel who share their real-life experiences. Additionally, all webinars are recorded and made available on the Resource Hub, allowing participants to access the material at their convenience.
The Resource Hub is a vital component of our support system, offering online resources and community-building tools to clubs and members. As at 30 June 2024, 925 unique users are actively utilising the Resource Hub. These resources cover a wide range of key areas, including Volunteers, Committee Structure, Fundraising, Finance, and Governance. On average, users spend approximately 120 minutes navigating and utilising the materials available on the Resource Hub, refleting its value and relevance to our community.
The BA-CLUBMAP partnership has made significantstrides in supporting and empowering bowls clubs across Australia. Through Club Health Checks, tailored webinars, and the comprehensive Resource Hub, BA is committed to promoting a thriving and connected bowls community, and looks forward to continuing this partnership and further enhancing the support available to our clubs and members in the coming year.
The Kinetica partnership delivers to Bowls Australia and affiliaed clubs the opportunity to dive into available data to better understand local communities and where clubs can target promotion of its facilities and programs.
Merging Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data, Kinetica’s own research into Health and Physical activities inclusive of bowls participation, and BA’s own data on membership and club facilities, targeted analysis can be delivered to clubs
based on its local catchment areas. These catchment reports can be tailored from walking or driving times or distances to deliver the demographic information required to build a focused marketing campaign or to support submission for funding from sponsors or grant applications
Sports Community partnership
Sports Community was contracted in late 2023 to assist Bowls Australia in the administration and delivery of the Rookie Rollers program into Primary Schools across Australia. Sports Community commenced its marketing of the Rookie Rollers program into schools in November 2023. The timing provided a limited lead in to securing programs for Term 1, 2024.
The program itself consists of an electronic marketing program (eDM) being delivered to 8500 primary and special needs schools across the country and 1:1 phone calls with schools where interest in the sport of bowls has been recorded. Each term a minimum of four eDMs are sent, highlighting the opening and closing dates for School Sport funding for the next term. The EDM’s showcase various aspects of the Rookie Rollers program, its inclusivity and ease of delivery and the use of the Rookie Roller App.
Sports Community follow up bookings made through the Sporting Schools portal to then arrange delivery of the Rookie Rollers kits, appoint a local program Coordinator, or educate the school on converting from a Coordinator-led to Teacher-led program should the schools funding be limited. Sports Community also follow up on any inquiries and leads from Schools which can be generated by other sports programs that Sports Community deliver to the schools sector.
Sports Community have also provided content for the Bowls Australia Grants and Funding page hosted on the BA website providing quick access to a range of state and federal grants for clubs across the country. As part of the agreement with Sports Community, clubs can reach out to Sports Community for further free information and support for those grants.
Jack Attack
Jack Attack is the fun and fast format of bowls – it is like barefoot bowls, but better. It has continued to be an attractive offering for new participants to try playing bowls. A further 14 clubs embraced Jack Attack bringing the national total to over 350 licences, nationally.
A very successful new Jack Attack licensed club is the CaulfieldPark Sports Club. The bowls section of the club recognised action was required to address the imbalance in male to female participation numbers, as they looked to use a women’s-only Jack Attack ‘bubbles and bowls’ evening as an opportunity to try bowls in a relaxed and social setting. A strong marketing campaign from the club saw Jack Attack launched in January 2024, and resulted in a program where numbers topped thirty-five new bowlers, some already with a connection to the club through their partner, but the majority being new bowlers and new to the club itself. The Wednesday night program is well supported by club volunteers with five club coaches assisting and each night finishig with a BBQ and great social atmosphere. Twenty-fie participants quickly became social members of the club, and many of the new bowlers commenced turning up to the clubs regular Sunday coaching sessions. Progress continued post the Jack Attack summer program, with social members converting to full members and the club has been able to increase its number of winter pennant teams to three with a new side made up predominantly from new female full members. The program’s success was also highlighted in June 2024 by the Australian Sports Commission as a case study in its Coaching Women and Girls Resource section.
BA’s Environment and Sustainability Strategy continued its United Nations Sports for Climate Action reporting requirements in 2023. Activities to promote environmental considerations included media focused on the players at BPL19 in Moama with their pledges to do better for the environment, Bowls Australia signing up for, and participating in Clean Up Australia Day, focusing on the sports precinct around the Head Offie in Thornbury and retaining its membership of the Sports Environment Alliance
The second half of 2023 continued to see phase one of BA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy continue to come to life. With a focus on building relationships with other NSOs as well as DEI partners such as CMSport, Pride in Sport, Disability Sport Australia, and Reconciliation Australia. As a result, BA was able to develop Acknowledgement to Country guidelines, obtain bronze status as a Pride in Sport member and continue to create organisational wide training opportunities.
In addition, BA’s DEI Manager was able to attend in-person workshops including the inaugural Pride
in Sport Summit, Victorian Chamber of Commerce Lead Diversity and Inclusion forum, Inclusive Club Workshop, and the Australian Sports Commission’s Intersectionality Workshop.
The fist half of 2024 saw the beginning of key projects including the commencement of BA’s Trans and Gender Diverse Policy development and Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan. BA has also focused on internal staff training opportunities which will underpin our future initiatives in the DEI space.
Average attendance within clubs who have maintained a Roll Back The Clock Program continues to grow with some programs consistently enjoying groups of more than 20 attendees. BA thank Vermont South Bowls, Mackay City Bowls, Club Dandenong, and the Leeton Soldiers Club for their on-going support and just as importantly the local businesses that deliver the program on behalf of BA. In addition, BA look to welcome back recently departed programs located in Avalon, St Leonards, Thornbury, Waverley, Ivanhoe, Lane Cove, St Leonards, Beachmere, Killara and Buderim through new partnerships.
In the last 12 months the use of BowlsLink once again expanded throughout the country with many clubs, leagues, districts, regions zones and associations taking advantage of the various aspects the platform has to offer the sport.
A significantannouncement occurred late in the financial year with Bowls Queensland adopting BowlsLink. Once they have been onboarded, BowlsLink will become a truly National platform and allow the country to align with some key strategies moving forward.
BowlsLink continues to be developed and implemented by a working party comprised of Bowls Australia and State and Territory Association employees in consultation with the system providers Savage Bull. In addition, there is now also a Community User Group of selected individuals across the country whose primary role is to provide feedback on BowlsLink from a club user perspective.
Three releases were implemented in 2024/25 varying from small fixes to more significant improvements which continue to develop BowlsLink as a whole-of-sport technology platform for bowls.
BA takes the safeguarding of the sports membership data seriously and this was significantlyimproved with the introduction of two factor authentication and encryption at rest introduced to BowlsLink in 2022-23. Further improvements were made to this process with the introduction of SMS notification for login improving the ease of access for a number of club administrators. In addition, the session time out was aligned more closely to industry standards at one hour, whilst this may be inconvenient for some, it significantlyreduces security risk factors. BA continues to work closely with BowlsLink’s provider Savage Bull to ensure we have best practice methods in place and these security measures continue to ensure that participants in the sport can be rest assured their personal information is well protected.
With a system which is used nationally by over 1500 clubs, good support and training is vital. A suite of BowlsLearn modules were completed for BowlsLink with ten in total covering all aspects of the BowlsLink system. These learning modules are a great starting point for a new club administrator and relate directly to the functions within BowlsLink. The fact they can be accessed online at anytime gives users flxibility around learning the BowlsLink system.
In addition, BA also launched the BowlsLink Support website, which now contains all the module manuals and additional information about how to get the best out of BowlsLink. We hope this resource will continue to grow and become a go-to place for support and help for all users.
In a sport which is played under many different formats and scoring systems, a bespoke platform for Competition Management is extremely important.
The introduction of a quick competition setup feature has significantlyreduced the time to get started for clubs in this space with just six settings needed instead of the over 50 for advanced setup.
Another important addition was the creation of a Custom Ladder tool, which allows competition administrators to configue ladders and how they sort the standings in any manner possible. This feature has already been significantlyused throughout all levels of the sport.
Other notable changes were the addition of Adds-On allowing the sale of merchandise or
application of additional fees, a multi rink function for sides events such as pennants and a google map application to venues in the results portal.
BowlsLink users can once again expect more positive changes moving forward with some exciting developments planned. BA approved a sizable additional spend of to upgrade the Membership and Finance modules along with the transition of some club data fieldsthat were being stored in a soon to be decommission system moving into BowlsLink.
We thank all those stakeholders within the sport who continue to advocate for BowlsLink, support others and provide feedback to continue to grow the usage and foster the development of a platform that is built for everyone.
The National Officiatig Advisory Group (NOAG) met online five times in this period, with one meeting including State and Territory umpire chairs.
The use of ZOOM meetings has meant that NOAG has met more regularly, where more issues have been covered more effectively and efficientl.
Over the past 12 months the following have been achieved:
•The establishment of National re-accreditation program for Presenter and Assessors
•Ongoing support for online learning modules for Officiatig through BOWLSLEARN
•Continued consultation with World Bowls Board and WB Laws Committee
•Completion of the editing of Bowls Australia Officiatig manual (November 2023)
•Publication of Australian version of Crystal Mark 4th edition - Laws of the Sport
•Continuation of the edit and re-write of Presenter and Assessors guide to assist with the ongoing delivery of the National Officiating Accreditation Scheme (NOAS)
•Administration of ITOs and other administrative support for BA events
•Continued review of relevant BA policies and procedures.
Other NOAG roles continue to include responding to emails, clarifying laws of the sport and conditions of play, approving measuring equipment, approving footwear and providing advice to the Bowls Australia Board, CEO and to all State and Territory Umpire Chairs.
NOAG acknowledges the valued voluntary work of State and Territory Umpire chairs, National Presenter and Assessors, District and Regional Umpire chairs and the continuous commitment made by local markers, measurers, and umpires across Australia.
Finally, we acknowledge the departure of longserving senior BA employee, Chris Wallace, who resigned as General Manager Participation and Programs in August 2023. Chris made and immense and no doubt long-lasting contribution to, and impact on, the organisation and the sport in his over 10 years with BA.
BA’s commercial operations’ key priority areas continued to be focused on creating and strengthening relationships with commercial, Government and tourism partners, and the management and growth of the National Merchandise Program (NMP).
BA’s commercial rights-holder partnership with Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) entered its fifthyear, and was extended for a further 28 months, with the highly valued relationship providing benefitsfrom SEN’s support and expertise across key commercial areas of sponsorship, marketing and television/streaming broadcast production.
The NMP underwent an independent expert review, set about bringing increased professionalism and enhanced standards, resulting in a sizeable increase in revenue generation throughout the 2023/24 finacial year, with the further delivery of the recommendations stemming from the review, including the application process, compliance, reporting and changes to the policy, to occur in the 2024/25 finacial year.
Bowls Australia wishes to acknowledge the incredible support received from all its commercial and tourism partners throughout the twelve-month period.
At home care and disability support provider, Right at Home continued their support of the sport as the naming rights partner of the Australian Jackaroos and associated feeder squads.
As one of Australia's largest group of hearing healthcare providers, Audika continued to provide
access to quality hearing healthcare across the Australian bowls community highlighted by event activations and community level incentives.
Not-for-profitorganisation DrinkWise continued its relationship to support the increased adoption of a healthier and safer drinking culture within the sport of bowls.
BCiB (Bowls Club Insurance Brokers) continued their long-lasting support of the code at a national level.
Leading Bowling Green shade provider MakMax’s continued as BA’s preferred shade supplier.
Bowls manufacturer Aero Bowls returned as Bowls Australia’s preferred bowls manufacturer.
Internationally renowned performance and lifestyle apparel brand Puma, through its team wear licensee TGI Sport continued as BA’s official apparel partner.
From a Tourism partner perspective, Bowls Australia continued its longstanding and valued relationship with Tourism and Events Queensland and Experience Gold Coast for the delivery of the Australian Open annually, and the 2023 World Bowls Championships, and inked a new relationship with Event Tasmania for upcoming delivery of the 2025 Nationals.
Bowls Australia expresses its sincere thanks and appreciation to all partners for their invaluable support to Bowls across the nation over this twelve-month period.
The operating result for the 2024 finacial year was a surplus of $71,328 (2023: $1,167,003 deficit).
BA’s revenue increased by 19.5% to $9.648M (2023: $8.072M) with expenses increasing by 3.7% to $9.577M (2023: $9.239M).
BA’s hosting of the 2023 World Championships, which had been rescheduled twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, saw one-off event grant income recognised as well as event delivery expenses incurred. Consequently, overall Event Income increased to $4.663M (2023: $3.466M), which represented the largest change to an income line within the Statement of Profit& Loss. On the expense side Program and Event Expenses increased to $3.882M (2023: $3.372M), along with Administration Expenses increasing to
$5,000,000
$4,000,000
$3,000,000
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$-
EXPENSES:
$1.731M (2023: $1.332M), both of which were primarily due to the hosting of the World Championships.
Employee benefitexpenses decreased 12% to $3.651M (2023: $4.134M), primarily driven by a reduced headcount following a restructure of the Regional Bowls Manager Program to create the revamped Club Support Program.
As a result of the surplus recorded, Total Equity increase by 8.7% to $1,142,678 (2023: $1,051,013). Cash remains in a strong position at $1,729,696 (2023: $2,512,524) and together with a ‘Quick Ratio’ (Current Assets divided by Current Liabilities) of 1.41 (2023: 1.19) demonstrates the Company is solvent and a going concern.
ACN 65 427 736 644
June 2024
The directors present their report on BowlsAustralia Ltd for the financial year ended 30 June 2024.
The names of the directors in office at any time during, or since the end of, the year are:
Names Position
Matt Burgess Chair/ President
Lydia Dowse Director
Genevieve Delves Director
Jeunesse de Greenlaw Director
Bronwyn Powell Director
Gerard Robinson Director
lain Evans Director
Graham Hay Director
Florence Witton Director
Paul Zerella Director
Appointed/Resigned
Resigned 20 June 2024
Appointed 22 November 2023
Resigned 22 November 2023
Resigned 22 November 2023
Directors have been in office since the start of the financial year to the date of this report unless otherwise stated.
The profit of the Company after providing for income tax amounted to$71,328 (2023: loss of$1,167,003).
Principal activities
The principal activity of BowlsAustralia Ltd during the financial year was to provide leadership and facilitate the growth, development and the success of the sport of bowls in Australia.
No significant changes in the nature of the Company's activity occurred during the financial year.
The Company's short term objectives are to:
• Increase marketing, communications and media exposure aligned to drive the increased visibility of Bowls and our diverse community with increased key media metrics.
• Increase participation in BowlsAustralia programs and events.
• Implement high performance pathway to assist athletes' progression through pathway to podium.
• Increase external funding from government, commercial and industry partners and a reduced reliance on affliliation fees.
ACN 65 427 736 644
30 June 2024
1.General information
Long term objectives
The Company's long term objectives are to:
• Elevate our sport and brands to a new place of prominence, drawing greater numbers of participants and larger audiences to the sport and connecting more people with Bowls in positive ways.
• More people playing Bowls in more ways, more often.
• World's best performance pathways and national teams.
• Tailor our support to State and TerritoryAssociations, clubs and people facilitating Bowls programs, to inspire and empower them to create outstanding local experiences.
Members' guarantee
BowlsAustralia Ltd is a company limited by guarantee. In the event of, and for the purpose of winding up of the company, the amount capable of being called up from each member and any person or association who ceased to be a member in the year prior to the winding up, is limited to$ 20 for all members, subject to the provisions of the company's constitution.
At 30 June2024 the collective liability of members was$ 160 (2023:$ 160).
2. Other items
Significant changes in state of affairs
There have been no significant changes in the state of affairs of the Company during the year.
Events after the reporting date
No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the Company, the results of those operations or the state of affairs of the Company in future financial years.
Future developments and results
Likely developments in the operations of the Company and the expected results of those operations in future financial years have not been included in this report as the inclusion of such information is likely to result in unreasonable prejudice to the Company.
ACN 65 427 736 644
Directors' Report
30 June 2024
Meetingsofdirectors
Duringthefinancialyear, 6 meetingsofdirectors (includingcommitteesofdirectors) wereheld.Attendancesbyeach directorduringtheyearwereasfollows:
MattBurgess
LydiaDowse
GenevieveDelves
Jeunessede
Greenlaw
BronwynPowell
GerardRobinson
lainEvans
Theauditor'sindependencedeclarationinaccordancewithsection307Cofthe CorporationsAct2001 fortheyearended 30 June2024 hasbeenreceivedandcanbefoundonpage4 ofthefinancialreport.
Signedinaccordancewitharesolutionofthe Boardof Directors:
Director: W.� Matt Burgess 29th October
Datedthis dayof 2024
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
Revenue and other income
Capitation fees
E-Store Sales Income
Events income
Grants and sponsorships
Interest received
Investment income
Operating income
Other income
Profit on disposal of plant and equipment (net)
Cost of sales
Depreciation expense
Employee benefits expense
Motor vehicle expenses
Bad debts
Program and event expense
Loss on foreign currency
Administrative expense
Other expense
Profit /(loss) before income tax Income tax expense
Profit /(loss) for the year
Other comprehensive income, net of income tax
Items thatwill be reclassified to profit or loss when specific conditions are met
Net fair value movementsfor available-for-sale financial assets
Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax
Total comprehensive income/ (loss) for the year
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements. 2024 $ 2,141,725 325,182 1,298,816 4,663,239 46,728 2,796 1,090,625 57,317 21,562 9,647,990 (127,067) (61,992) (3,651,110) (106,001) (6,515) (3,881,804) (1,664) (1,730,866) (9,643) (915761662) 71,328 71,328 20,339 201339 91,667 2023 $ 2,088,516 469,544 941,508 3,465,540 61,050 1,961 889,658 154,447 8,072,224 (187,647) (78,051) (4,133,656) (130,176) (3,372,365) (1,331,957) (5,375) (9,239,227) (1,167,003) (1,167,003) 13,001 13,001 (1,154,002)
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
2024
Balanceat1July2023
Profitfor the year
Total other comprehensive income forthe period
Balanceat30June2024
2023
Balanceat1July2022
Lossforthe year
Total other comprehensive income forthe period
Balanceat30June2023
2,205,015 (1,167,003) 13,001 13,001 13,001 1,051,013
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
The financial report covers BowlsAustralia Ltd as an individual entity. BowlsAustralia Ltd is a not-for-profit Company limited by guarantee, incorporated and domiciled in Australia.
The principal activities of the Company for the year ended 30 June2024 were the provision of leadership and facilitate the growth, development andthe success of the sport of bowls in Australia.
The functional and presentation currency of BowlsAustralia Ltd isAustralian dollars.
Comparatives are consistent with prior years, unless otherwise stated.
The financial statements are general purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with the AustralianAccounting Standards - Simplified Disclosures and the CorporationsAct2001.
The financial statements have been prepared on an accruals basis and are based on historical costs modified, where applicable, by the measurement at fair value of selected non-current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities.
Material accounting policy information relating to the preparation of these financial statements are presented below, and are consistent with prior reporting periods unless otherwise stated.
2 MaterialAccounting Policy Information
(a)
Revenue and other income
Revenue from contractswith customers
Revenue is recognised on a basis that reflects the transfer of control of promised goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.
Generally the timing of the payment for sale of goods and rendering of services corresponds closely to the timing of satisfaction of the performance obligations, however where there is a difference, it will result in the recognition of a receivable, contract asset or contract liability.
None of the revenue streams of the Company have any significant financing terms as there is less than 12 months between receipt of funds and satisfaction of performance obligations.
Specific revenue streams
Grant revenue
Where grant income arises from an agreement which is enforceable and contains sufficiently specific performance obligations then the revenue is recognised when control of each performance obligations is satisfied.
Grant income arising from non-enforceable contracts or those without sufficiently specific performance obligations is recognised on receipt unless it relates to capital grants which meet certain criteria.
Enforceable capital grants received to enable the Company to acquire or construct an item of property, plant and equipment to identified specifications which will be controlled by the entity are recognised as revenue as and when the obligation to construct or purchase is completed.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
(a) Revenue and other income
Grant revenue
• For construction projects, this is generally as the construction progresses in accordance with costs incurred since this is deemed to be the most appropriate measure of the completeness of the construction project as there is no profit margin.
• For acquisitions of assets, the revenue is recognised when the asset is acquired and controlled by the entity.
Donations received
Donations received are recognised when the right to receive them is established.
Interest received
Interest received is recognised as interest accrues using the effective interest method.
Other income
Other income is recognised on an accrual basis when the Company is entitled to it.
(b) Income tax
The Company is exempt from income tax under Division 50 of the Income TaxAssessmentAct 1997.
(c) Goods and services tax (GST)
Revenue, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST), except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Receivables and payable are stated inclusive of GST.
(d) Inventories
Inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
Inventories acquired at no cost, or for nominal consideration are valued at the current replacement cost as at the date of acquisition, which is the deemed cost.
(e) Property, plant and equipment
Each class of property, plant and equipment is carried at cost less, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation and impairment. Costs include purchase price, other directly attributable costs and the initial estimate of the costs of dismantling and restoring the asset, where applicable.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
(e) Property, plant and equipment
Depreciation
Property, plant and equipment, excluding freehold land, is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the asset's useful life to the Company, commencing when the asset is ready for use.
The depreciation rates used for each class of depreciable asset are shown below:
At the end of each annual reporting period, the depreciation method, useful life and residual value of each asset is reviewed. Any revisions are accounted for prospectively as a change in estimate.
(f) Financial instruments
Financial assets
All recognised financial assets are subsequently measured in their entirety at either amortised cost or fair value, depending on the classification of the financial assets.
Classification
On initial recognition, the Company classifies its financial assets into the following categories, those measured at:
• amortised cost
• fair value through other comprehensive income - equity instrument (FVOCI - equity)
Financial assets are not reclassified subsequent to their initial recognition unless the Company changes its business model for managing financial assets.
Amortised cost
The Company's financial assets measured at amortised cost comprise trade and other receivables and cash and cash equivalents in the statement of financial position.
Subsequent to initial recognition, these assets are carried at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method less provision for impairment.
Interest income, foreign exchange gains or losses and impairment are recognised in profit or loss. Gain or loss on derecognition is recognised in profit or loss.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
(f)
Financial instruments
Financial assets
Equity instruments
The Company does not currently have strategic investments in listed and unlisted entities over which are they do not have significant influence nor control. The Company has made an irrevocable election to classify these equity investments as fair value through other comprehensive income as they are not held for trading purposes.
These investments are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in other comprehensive income (financial asset reserve). On disposal any balance in the financial asset reserve is transferred to retained earnings and is not reclassified to profit or loss.
Dividends are recognised as income in profit or loss unless the dividend clearly represents a recovery of part of the cost of the investment. Other net gains and losses are recognised in OCI.
Impairment offinancial assets
Trade receivables
Impairment of trade receivables have been determined using the simplified approach in MSB 9 which uses an estimation of lifetime expected credit losses.
The amount of the impairment is recorded in a separate allowance account with the loss being recognised in finance expense. Once the receivable is determined to be uncollectable then the gross carrying amount is written off against the associated allowance.
Where the Companyrenegotiates the terms of trade receivables due from certain customers, the new expected cash flows are discounted at the original effective interest rate and any resulting difference to the carrying value is recognised in profit or loss.
Other financial assets measured at amortised cost
Impairment of other financial assets measured at amortised cost are determined using the expected credit loss model inMSB 9. On initial recognition of the asset, an estimate of the expected credit losses for the next 12 months is recognised. Where the asset has experienced significant increase in credit risk then the lifetime losses are estimated and recognised.
Financial liabilities
The Companymeasures all financial liabilities initially at fair value less transaction costs, subsequently financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method.
The financial liabilities of the Companycomprise trade payables.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
At the end of each reporting period the Company determines whether there is evidence of an impairment indicator for non-financial assets.
Where the recoverable amount is less than the carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.
Reversalindicatorsareconsideredinsubsequentperiodsfor allassetswhich havesufferedan impairment loss.
(h)
Cash and cash equivalents comprises cash on hand, demand deposits and short-term investments which are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.
51 ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24
At inception of contract, the Company assess whether a lease exists.
At the lease commencement, the Company recognises a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability for the lease term. The lease term includes extension periods where the Company believes it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised.
The right-of-use asset is measured using the cost model, depreciated over the lease term on a straight-line basis and assessed for impairment in accordance with the impairment of assets accounting policy.
The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the remaining lease payments at the commencement of the lease. The discount rate is the rate implicit in the lease, however where this cannot be readily determined then the Company's incremental borrowing rate is used.
Subsequent to initial recognition, the lease liability is measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. The lease liability is remeasured whether there is a lease modification, change in estimate of the lease term or index upon which the lease payments are based (e.g. CPI) or a change in the Company's assessment of lease term.
Where the lease liability is remeasured, the right-of-use asset is adjusted to reflect the remeasurement or is recorded in profit or loss if the carrying amount of the right-of-use asset has been reduced to zero.
The Company has elected to apply the exceptions to lease accounting for both short-term leases (i.e. leases with a term of less than or equal to 12 months) and leases of low-value assets. The Company recognises the payments associated with these leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
(j) Employee benefits
Provision is made for the Company's liability for employee benefits, those benefits that are expected to be wholly settled within one year have been measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the liability is settled.
Employee benefits expected to be settled more than one year after the end of the reporting period have been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for those benefits. In determining the liability, consideration is given to employee wage increases and the probability that the employee may satisfy vesting requirements. Cashflows are discounted using market yields on high quality corporate bond rates incorporating bonds ratedMA or AA by credit agencies, with terms to maturity that match the expected timing of cashflows. Changes in the measurement of the liability are recognised in profit or loss.
(k) Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Company has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.
(I) Economic dependence
Bowls Australia Ltd is dependent on the Australian Sports Commission for the majority of its revenue used to operate the business. At the date of this report the directors have no reason to believe the Australian Sports Commission will not continue to support Bowls Australia Ltd.
3 Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments
The directors make estimates and judgements during the preparation of these financial statements regarding assumptions about current and future events affecting transactions and balances.
These estimates and judgements are based on the best information available at the time of preparing the financial statements, however as additional information is known then the actual results may differ from the estimates.
The significant estimates and judgements made have been described below.
Key estimates - impairment of property, plant and equipment
The Company assesses impairment at the end of each reporting period by evaluating conditions specific to the Company that may be indicative of impairment triggers. Recoverable amounts of relevant assets are reassessed using value-in-use calculations which incorporate various key assumptions.
estimates
The Company has certain financial assets and liabilities which are measured at fair value. Where fair value has not able to be determined based on quoted price, a valuation model has been used. The inputs to these models are observable, where possible, however these techniques involve significant estimates and therefore fair value of the instruments could be affected by changes in these assumptions and inputs.
Keyestimates - grant income
For many of the grant agreements received, the determination of whether the contract includes sufficiently specific performance obligations was a significant judgement involving discussions with a number of parties at the Company, review of the proposal documents prepared during the grant application phase and consideration of the terms and conditions.
Grants received by the Company have been accounted for under bothMSB 15 and MSB 1058 depending on the terms and conditions and decisions made.
The entity reviews grant and sponsorship monies received during the year and determines the amount utilised from this at the end of each reporting period. At 30 June 2024 $518,222 of the grant sponsorship monies had not been utilised and was deferred. (2023: $1,517,674)
Keyestimates -receivables
The receivables at reporting date have been reviewed to determine whether there is any objective evidence that any of the receivables are impaired. An impairment provision is included for any receivable where the entire balance is not considered collectible. The impairment provision is based on the best information at the reporting date.
Keyestimates - provisions
As described in the accounting policies, provisions are measured at management's best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the obligation at the end of the reporting period. These estimates are made taking into account a range of possible outcomes and will vary as further information is obtained.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
5 Result for theYear
The result for the year includes the following specific expenses:
Administration Expenses:
Advertising and marketing expense
Freight and cartage expense
Subscription and affiliation fees
Website costs
Otheradministrationexpenses
TotalAdministration Expenses
to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
Change in the fair value of available for sale investments are recognised in other comprehensive income - financial asset reserve. Amounts are reclassified to profit or loss on disposal of the investment or when an impairment arises.
16 Members' Guarantee
The Company is incorporated under the CorporationsAct2001 and is a Company limited by guarantee. If the Company is wound up, the constitution states that each member is required to contribute a maximum of$20 each towards meeting any outstanding obligations of the Company. At 30 June 2024 the number of members was 8 (2023: 8).
Key management personnel are those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling activities of the company, directly or indirectly.
The remuneration paid to key management personnel of the Company is$938,240 (2023:$1,065,714). The total remuneration paid to Directors of the Company is$Nil (2023:$Nil).
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
18 Auditors' Remuneration
Remuneration of the auditor for: - auditing the financialstatements - preparing the financial report - auditing the grant acquittal
Total
19 Contracted Commitments
Commitments for:
Minimum development payments under Software contract: No later than one year
Between one and five years
Minimum development payments under Marketing contract No later than one year
Between one and five years
Total Contract Commitments No later than one year
Between one and five years
Total
20 Contingencies
588,000 882,000 140,000 140,000 588,000 110221000 294,000 434,000 294,000 588,000 588,000 11022,000
In the opinion of the Directors, the Company did not have any contingencies at 30 June 2024 (30 June 2023: None).
21 Related Parties
(a) The Company's main related parties are as follows:
Key management personnel - refer to Note 17.
Other related parties include close family members of key management personnel and entities that are controlled or significantly influenced by those key management personnel or their close family members.
(b) Transactions with related parties
There has been no transactions between related parties during the financial year.
For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the Company, the results of those operations or the state of affairs of the Company in future financial years.
23 Statutory Information
The registered office and principal place of business of the company is: BowlsAustralia Ltd
Darebin International Sports Centre 281 Darebin Road THORNBURYVIC 3071
ACN 65 427 736 644
Thedirectorsofthe Companydeclarethat:
1. Thefinancialstatementsandnotes, assetoutonpages5to21, areinaccordancewiththe CorporationsAct2001 and:
a. complywithAustralianAccounting Standards - Simplified Disclosure Standard; and
b. giveatrueandfairviewofthe financial position asat 30June2024 andoftheperformancefortheyearendedon thatdateofthe Company.
2. Inthedirectors' opinion, there arereasonablegroundstobelieve that the Companywill beabletopayits debts as and when they become dueandpayable.
Thisdeclarationismadeinaccordancewitharesolutionofthe Boardof Directors.
Dated 29 October2024
Postan Miller and Associates Pty Ltd
ACN 123 774 569 ABN 59 123 774 569
Suite 32, Level 3, 25 Claremont Street, South Yarra, Vic 3141
Telephone: 03 9006 0880 www.pmassoc.com.au
Report on theAudit of the Financial
Opinion
We have audited the financial report of BowlsAustralia Ltd (the Company), which comprises the statement of financial position as at30 June 2024, the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, the statement of changes in equity and the statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including material accounting policy information, and the directors' declaration.
In our opinion, the accompanying financial report of the Company is in accordance with the CorporationsAct 2001, including:
(i) giving a true and fair view of the Company's financial position as at30 June 2024 and of its financial performance for the year ended; and
(ii) complying withAustralianAccounting Standards to the extent described in Note1 and the Corporations Regulations 2001.
Basisfor Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance withAustralianAuditing Standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in theAuditor's Responsibilities for theAudit of the Financial Reportsection of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the auditor independence requirements of the CorporationsAct 2001 and the ethical requirements of theAccounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board'sAPES110 Code ofEthics for ProfessionalAccountants (including Independence Standards) (the Code) that are relevant to our audit of the financial report inAustralia. We have also fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code.
We confirm that the independence declaration required by the CorporationsAct 2001, which has been given to the directors of the Company, would be in the same terms if given to the directors as at the time of this auditor's report.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
We draw attention to Note 1 to the financial report, which describes the basis of accounting. The financial report has been prepared for the purpose of fulfilling the Company's financial reporting responsibilities under the CorporationsAct 2001. As a result, the financial report may not be suitable for another purpose. Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.
Postan Miller and Associates Pty Ltd
ACN 123 774 569 ABN 59 123 774 569
Suite 32, Level 3, 25 Claremont Street, South Yarra, Vic 3141
Telephone: 03 9006 0880
www.pmassoc.com.au
The directors of theCompany are responsible for the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view and have determined that the basis of preparation described in Note1 to the financial report is appropriate to meet the requirements of the CorporationsAct2001 and the needs of the members. TheCompany's responsibility also includes such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparationof the financial report that gives a true and fair view and is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financialreport, the directors are responsible for assessing theCompany's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial report as a whole is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance withAustralian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individuallyor in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial report.
Postan Miller andAssociates Pty Ltd
Suite 32, 25 Claremont Street
SouthYarraVIC 3141
Hilton Miller Director
Date 30 October2024
