Last summer, a very small proportion of competition bowlers returned to the sport with the cancellation of the competition programme. Aligned to our core objective, our aim is to get as many competition bowlers playing safely as possible. This will require a bit of imagination, adaptability and a recognition that the season will look different to usual.

The government roadmap gives us a structure and we believe national championships and competitions can take place in their entirety with –

• Matches involving greater numbers of people happening later in the summer when restrictions are lifted
• The national finals starting later and taking place over a shorter time frame in order to free up more time for qualification
• A shorter format in all rounds, including qualification rounds, in order to provide the greatest flexibility for participants, clubs and counties when arranging fixtures

These changes are sympathetic with the findings from our recent player survey and competition focus groups, but at this stage are for 2021 only to navigate through the challenges of Covid-19. We will continue to consult competitions players on their experiences in order to ensure our competitions programme delivers the best possible experience for players and attracts new competition entrants.

The above will therefore mean –

• Changes to the qualification timings for different competitions
• Reduced number of qualifiers to the national finals in Championship events
• Later start date and reduced length of the national finals. The provisional dates are Thursday 19th August to Sunday 5th
• Restrictions on numbers at the national finals in order to provide a safe environment for players, officials and spectators.

We appreciate that the summer may feel different and not everyone will feel comfortable about that, but we believe that this is the best approach for the competition programme and that the vast majority will embrace these changes and enjoy getting back to competitive bowls. Unless a competition does not start, we have no plans to return competition fees as we feel that entrants are still receiving good value for their average £3.25 entrance fee and that the vast majority will recognise the need for adaptability to ensure the competitions programme can take place in these unprecedented times.

Please note that players must be affiliated to Bowls England by 1st May through their submission to their county to participate in any of the national championships and competitions. We will provide a more detailed update on the planned programme by the 24th March with national competition draws revealed early in April.