Chief Executive Officer

As with many organisations the past twelve months has seen great uncertainty within the sport in general, both on and off the green. However, as this report will detail Bowls in WA has weathered this very well with no significant disruptions felt, thanks in part to the stringent lockdown policies employed by Government. Ken Pride

I will divide this report of operations into the four Strategic Pillars framed within the Bowls WA Strategic Plan (2017-2022) being: ● Business Sustainability ● Member Services ● Engagement and Growth and ● Events, Competitions & Pathways (the Game)

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY

As detailed in the Audit, Risk and Finance Report it has been a most unusual financial period. The ultimate surplus of $75,127 was achieved through a growth in Competitions after a strong postCOVID return, a reduction in costs associated with the Annual Dinner & Awards Night with a shift away from Crown Perth and the substantial savings from a cancellation of the Australian Sides Series on the Gold Coast.

The real story however is shown by the receipt over two financial years of Government Assistance via the Government Cash Flow Boost and to a lesser degree the Small Business & Charity Tariff Offset via Synergy. (Bowls WA was not eligible to receive Job Keeper funding). In turn the Board decided to return some $150,000 partly from Government financial assistance to our clubs through reduced Affiliation Fees; a sentiment matched by Bowls Australia in its charge to Bowls WA. It is therefore very difficult to make comparisons with other periods. However, an area that continues to perform extremely well given the improvements in the world’s economies are our investments via IOOF. Our managed funds now sit above $850,000, an improvement of 15.25% or $112,482 over 2019/2020. These investments will continue to underpin the sport in WA for many years to come, with a prudent, conservative policy on investment maintained.

MEMBER SERVICES

In recent years, the Association has very much focused on its support of our member clubs, accepting that strong, financially viable clubs will ensure a strong Association. This focus has seen successful grants being received from the Department of Sport and Recreation which have part funded the Winning Drive program. This excellent program delivered by BWA staff in association with the Bowls Australia Regional Bowls Managers (RBMs) has traversed the state to deliver information and training on Bowls Link, Social Media opportunities, Grants and Sponsorship and strategic planning programs, all designed to improve the operation of clubs. This program will continue with additional funding for a further two years, allowing for the appointment of coordinator Kaitlyn Tyrrell for that period. The following 12 months will see a further intensifying of support for clubs across the State via this program. Already the post-2022 strategic plan, currently at a discussion stage will no doubt seek such support at an operational level for both country and metropolitan clubs. A key element of the on the ground support of clubs is the Bowls Australia RBM program – a key plank in the delivery of services to affiliated clubs. ENGAGEMENT AND GROWTH

The financial viability of our Clubs and Association is inexorably linked to the growth of the sport; whether that be via the casual participant or the fully fledged member; the latter being the most preferred! It is remembered that Bowls WA staff do not sign anyone up to be a member, so it is critical that clubs and club members are armed with the resources required to attract and where

the opportunity arises sign up members. This is a tough market with younger potential members happy to try (sometimes many times over) before they contemplate the buy phase. Barefoot and Corporate bowls transitions are an obvious example. Given limited resources it is the Association’s role to present opportunities to at least get people to the club door. The Gotta Love the Bowlo campaign was built on this premise, which simply sought to attract people to bowling clubs, for whatever purpose – it was up to the club from there. This campaign along with others such as the national Local Legends campaign will continue as will the use of Bowls Ambassador Brad Hogg, a greater social media presence and further broader efforts in Live Streaming of events. It is a tough market but one which must be entered for the success of all.

EVENTS COMPETITIONS & PATHWAYS THE GAME

Bowlers do not like change, whether it is the demographic of the sport or some other reason yet to be identified, I personally am unsure. What I do know however is what suited the “market” thirty years ago is not wanted by the prospective member today. There simply must be a change in thinking by club members and club officials to be open minded about the future “look” of the sport. Irrespective of personal preference we must all be mindful of those that will follow. Our membership has more than halved in just 30 years and the prognosis is for that to continue – why wouldn’t it if we continue to do the same thing each year? On a positive note, those within the game are seeing some great coaching and official’s initiatives, with on-line courses about to be launched which will greatly benefit our regional members. A Junior Development Committee has commenced in recent months, schools continue to be targeted as potential “startup” opportunities and our high-performance program for those within the sport is now streamlined, with obvious linked pathways from under 18 to over 60 levels. The continued development of the BWA Academy under the direction of Linda Warburton continued to “hone” players skill sets. In some ways we have been devoid of high-level competition and the recently commenced Bowls Blitz competition is a start to seek out quality players playing against quality opposition in preparation for higher honours. In summary it has been a positive year – we have been lucky. Challenges remain and perhaps will remain so for a number of years, so the formation of a strong governance base will be critical for the sport to not only survive but flourish into the future.

Personally, I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work of the Bowls WA staff and the Bowls Australia RBMs. Their support over a most trying 12 months for club officials and members collectively has been outstanding; as the CEO I am most fortunate to have them. To the Board, the staff’s thanks for the collective support of the operational work carried out. It will be an exciting next 12 months as we look to tweak several operational practices, some of which will require club support and I look forward to sharing those ideas with members in due course.,