UPDATE ON BOWLS AT WINDANG – 12TH JUNE 2020
FOR THE INFORMATION OF OUR BOWLING MEMBERS.
UPDATE ON BOWLS AT WINDANG
Representatives from the Men’s and Women’s Bowling Committees met on Thursday 11th July to discuss a return to bowls plan for Windang.
Once the minutes have been drafted, a copy will be sent to Management and the Board, and some decisions will have to be made and plans will have to be implemented.
Topics on the agenda included Social Bowls and Roll Ups.
GENERAL
It’s great to see our Club resume trading, even if it is under COVID restrictions and guidelines. Can’t wait to try out the new Cafe!
Our game of bowls comes under NSW Office Of Sport and was classed as community sport, hence we have to follow the restrictions set by that body.
I’m pleased to announce some very good news from the NSW Office of Sport in a recent media release that adult sport can commence from July 1st.
I have just received a communication from our RBM Nick Hind from Bowls Australia. “While all states and territories are at different levels of restrictions the signs continue to trend positively and today we have heard that gathering of up to 20 people will be permitted outdoors in NSW from Saturday 13/6. What this means for bowls and the conditions for play and social distancing are yet to be determined.”
So things are starting to progress.
ROLL UPS
We do understand that you miss your bowls and can’t wait to get back on the green. With just under 20 days left before July 1st we were all in agreeance that Roll Ups should commence on July 1st with our main focus on how we intend to run social bowls and the engagement of our bowling members. Of course Roll Ups and Social Bowls will be under restrictions and there will be guidelines we all must follow. We intend to have another meeting once we know what the restrictions are. Once we know the limitations we will endeavour to utilise the most practical resources that focus on the safest return for our bowlers, bowls committees, volunteers and staff at Windang. We thank you all for your patience and understanding during this time.
SOCIAL BOWLS
We’re able to commence social bowls on Wed 1st July.
It was recommended that we start with Tuesday to Friday mornings, with scheduled roll ups in the afternoon and of course Saturday afternoons. The format of every session is yet to be determined as it’s based on what the restrictions will be. Green fee’s and prize money may have to be reviewed. Start and finish times may have to vary.
All social bowls days will be classed as open events and at this stage priority will be given to respective full bowling members of Club Windang ONLY. Non Members and visitors will be placed on a spares list and will be able to play if a place is available.
The women’s club will continue to manage Tuesdays and Thursdays. The men’s club will continue to manage Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
There may be times when the greens are full and members may miss out on a spot. These players shall have priority on the next available day suitable to them.
The way bowls is managed will change and a lot of issues will have to be considered such as
- Ensuring we have a safe club with participant hygiene practices, guidelines and registers,
- On-Line & Phone bookings instead of nomination sheets.
- Cashless transactions for green fees and prize money instead of handling cash.
- Conditions of Entry to Club Premises.
- Club opening times and bowls start/finish times
- How the bowlers impact on club patron limits on completion of games.
Of course, these issues will have to be taken to Management and Board for consideration. Some things may be able to be implemented and some may not.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Clubs will be given a month to re-engage their bowlers for social play. August 1st sees the start of Association Events. Some of our Club Championships are almost at completion. I will speak with all bowlers involved so we can come up with a schedule to finish the events without disadvantaging any bowler. The Major Pairs and Singles will have priority and need to be completed before the Zone C of C events which are possibly scheduled for Oct/Nov. Will have to reschedule our Club Major Singles dates as well, which will require new entry nominations. We will see how we’re progressing before we come up with Minor Events.
Our Women’s Club will be meeting at some stage to determine how they address their Club and District Championships.
ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Zone Pairs and Triples are scheduled to be completed early August. They’re at S/F and F stage. Club Windang is still sponsoring the pairs events.
Zone Singles nominations have been forward to Clubs. Entries close end of July and play commences early August.
A decision on Pennants is yet to be made and will be subject to what restrictions are still in place.
CLOSING
There is a circular from Bowls NSW about Membership Fees Relief with the link attached below. Clubs with Financial Year ending March 2020 through to August 2020 will have up to September 2020 to pay their annual fee. Bowling Members of Clubs who have had their annual fee deferred due to COVID-19 from March 2020 to August 2020 will remain eligible to compete in Bowls NSW Association Events in the interim until September 30 2020, when payment is due from the Club.
I’ve noticed that some of you have attempted to use the online rink booking system on our website. That’s great because it helps me to check the functionality of the system, however, at the top of the page in bold black writing it states that the page is still under construction and bookings will not be taken at this stage. There is still an issue with the automated response and confirmation but I’ll work on that with BA. The page should be right by July 1st and we may utilise a similar set up for social bowls.
Information is readily available on several websites regarding our sport and restrictions. To help you out I’ve attached some links below. If anyone has any concerns, or queries, please feel free to contact myself or Kaye Taylor (for Women’s Club issues), we will do our best to answer them with what information we have, rather than ask on a social media post. Social Media is a poor way of expressing an opinion, especially without facts.
At this stage ALL type of bowls activity will be managed by volunteers, so they will be giving up their time in an attempt to get our bowlers back on the greens. It’s not going to be easy and things will not be the same for a long time. We’re going to get through this and we can only do that together.
A reminder that any of the bowls activities, recommendations are all subject to what COVID 19 restrictions are in place at the time and of course, Management and Board approval.
Looking forward to seeing you on the greens!
Regards
Dave Tyrrell
Bowls Australia COVID 19 Restrictions on Bowls
Ready, Set, Go – Adult Sport Recommences July 1
Bowls NSW Circular – Fee Relief For Clubs