bowlsengland.com

Go to bowlsengland.com and use the Play Bowls section, which links to Find Your Nearest Club and Book a Session. These are the two routes for turning interest into an actual visit: one locates clubs, the other books a taster session. Have your location (postcode or town) ready, and note whether you are a complete beginner so you can ask about introductory sessions.

Finding your nearest club

The homepage presents Play Bowls with the options Find Your Nearest Club and Book a Session. The club finder is the starting point for locating affiliated clubs in your area.

What to prepare before you search:

• Your postcode or nearest town, to narrow results to a workable travel distance
• Whether you want indoor or outdoor bowls, since the two are organised separately (see the merger note below)
• Your experience level, so you can filter for clubs that welcome newcomers

Once you have a shortlist, check each club's details for contact information and how to arrange a first visit. If a club's page does not state session times, contact them directly and ask what a beginner should expect.

Booking a session

Book a Session is the direct route for trying the sport rather than committing to membership. It is aimed at people who want to sample bowls before joining a club.

When you book, be ready to provide:

• Your preferred location and rough availability
• Your experience level (complete beginner is a normal answer)
• Any equipment questions — ask whether bowls and shoes are provided for a taster session

Clubs commonly run beginner-friendly or introductory sessions, so it is reasonable to ask specifically for one if it is not obvious from the booking page. Confirm what to wear and whether you need to bring anything.

What else the site covers

Beyond playing, bowlsengland.com organises information into a few areas that may matter once you are involved:

A note on indoor and outdoor bowls

The site states that Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association are working towards a proposed amalgamation under the name England Bowls, with Sport England financial support and a specialist consultancy firm having completed a detailed outline of a merger. Until that is finalised, indoor and outdoor bowls remain separately organised, so if you want to play year-round it is worth asking a club whether it covers both.

Bowls England is the national governing body for flat green bowls in England. It oversees the sport at a national level, supports affiliated clubs, runs major competitions and events, and provides ways for new and existing players to get involved. If you are looking for a club, want to book a taster session, or need to follow the sport's biggest events, Bowls England is the organisation to start with.

What Bowls England does

As the governing body, Bowls England's role covers several areas:

• Supporting clubs — through club services, affiliation benefits, loans, insurance guidance and greens maintenance advice.
• Running the sport — organising national championships, finals and representative events.
• Growing participation — helping people find their nearest club and book a session.
• Hosting major events — including the World Bowls Championship and the National Bowls Finals.

Getting involved as a player

If you want to try the sport, the site offers two direct routes:

1. Find your nearest club — a tool to locate affiliated clubs in your area.
2. Book a session — arrange a taster or introductory session at a club.

These are aimed at newcomers as well as returning players, and are the simplest way to move from interest to actually playing.

For clubs

Bowls England provides a dedicated area for clubs, covering:

• Club Services — affiliation benefits and what clubs get from being part of the organisation.
• Loans — financial support options for clubs.
• Insurance — guidance on cover for clubs.
• Greens Maintenance — advice on looking after playing surfaces.

Events and competitions

The events calendar lists key dates, including:

Tickets for the 2027 World Bowls Championship are available, and there is also a priority registration for 2027 National Bowls Finals tickets, which secures the lowest available price.

The proposed move to England Bowls

For decades, bowlers have discussed merging the indoor and outdoor organisations. With financial support from Sport England and a specialist consultancy firm, a detailed outline of a merger between Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association has been completed. The proposed unified body would be called England Bowls, bringing flat green bowls indoors and outdoors under one organisation. The site directs readers to follow the latest news for developments on this.

Staying up to date

The Latest News section carries announcements on governance, partnerships and events — recent items include the appointment of Aero Bowls as Official Bowl Equipment Partner for the 2027 World Bowls Championship, and updates from the England Bowls Board Designate. The Events Calendar is the place to check upcoming dates, and the site also links out to World Bowls for the international side of the sport.

In short, Bowls England is the entry point for playing, running or following flat green bowls in England — whether you are an individual looking for a club or a club looking for support.

Bowls England supports affiliated bowls clubs through a mix of practical club services, development and learning sessions, and funding opportunities. The main support areas listed on its site are affiliation benefits, loans, insurance and greens maintenance, alongside online learning such as the Week of Learning and promotions like the Easyfundraising Big Grocery Bonus. These are aimed at clubs rather than individual bowlers, so the first step is usually to check your club's affiliation status and then follow the relevant link or booking route.

Club services and affiliation benefits

Under its "For clubs" section, Bowls England groups support into four headings:

• Club Services – affiliation benefits for your club
• Loans
• Insurance
• Greens Maintenance

The site describes Club Services as the place to "Discover affiliation benefits for your club." That means the starting point for most club-level help is confirming your club is affiliated, then working through the services listed for affiliated clubs.

Practical help: loans, insurance and greens maintenance

Three of the four club headings cover day-to-day running needs:

These are listed as separate services, so if your club has a specific need — for example, green upkeep or insurance questions — go directly to that heading rather than the general club services page.

Development and learning opportunities

Week of Learning

Bowls England highlights an October Week of Learning, hosted by the BDA. It offers online sessions designed to help bowls clubs develop and plan for the future. The site invites clubs to "Book your session now," so places are booked in advance rather than dropped in on.

This is a development resource: it is about helping clubs plan and improve, not about match play or competitions.

Funding: Easyfundraising Big Grocery Bonus

Bowls England also promotes a funding opportunity through Easyfundraising — the Big Grocery Bonus, with £2,500 to be won. The site frames it as a funding opportunity for bowls clubs, so it is worth checking if your club already uses Easyfundraising or wants a low-effort way to raise funds.

Competitions, events and staying informed

Beyond direct club support, Bowls England runs the competitive and events side that clubs and their members engage with:

• Events Calendar – lists upcoming dates, such as the World Champion of Champions in New South Wales, Australia (4–11 October 2026) and the Champions Dinner 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Coventry (24 October 2026).
• 2027 National Bowls Championships – entries open from 30 November 2026.
• World Bowls Championship 2027 – general sale tickets are available, with priority access registration promoted for the lowest available price.
• Latest News – covers governance and sport developments, including the proposed amalgamation of Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association under the "England Bowls" banner.

For clubs, the events calendar and championship entries are the practical routes to enter teams and plan the season.

How to make use of this support

1. Check affiliation – Club Services is described as the route to affiliation benefits, so confirm your club's status first.
2. Pick the relevant service – loans, insurance or greens maintenance, depending on your club's need.
3. Book development sessions early – the Week of Learning sessions require booking.
4. Look at funding – the Easyfundraising Big Grocery Bonus is a specific, time-limited opportunity.
5. Watch the news and events pages – for governance changes such as the proposed England Bowls merger, and for competition entry dates.

The site does not state costs, eligibility criteria or application deadlines for loans, insurance or the Week of Learning in the material available, so check the individual service pages or contact Bowls England directly before relying on any of these.

Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association (EIBA) are working towards a merger that would bring indoor and outdoor flat green bowls together under a single organisation, provisionally called England Bowls. According to Bowls England, the proposal has been developed with the financial support of Sport England and a specialist consultancy firm, and a detailed outline of the merger has been completed. If you want to follow or act on the proposal, the practical next step is to track the official news updates and the "Find Out More" page on bowlsengland.com.

What the proposal actually covers

The stated aim is to unite the indoor and outdoor sides of flat green bowls in England. Bowls England frames this as a long-discussed idea: "For decades bowlers have talked about merging the indoor and outdoor organisations."

The published details are limited to the process so far:

• Support: Sport England funding and a specialist consultancy firm.
• Work completed: a detailed outline of a merger.
• Working name: England Bowls.
• Status: a proposal, described as "the proposed amalgamation of Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association."

The site does not publish a confirmed timetable, voting process, membership fee impact, or final governance structure. Treat anything beyond the outline as unconfirmed until it appears in an official update.

Who is driving it and what has been said publicly

The board preparing the transition is referred to as the England Bowls Board Designate, chaired by Jo Doust. A Bowls England news item, "England Bowls Board Designate: Preparing for a Unified Future," describes the board as "leading a clear route for the proposed amalgamation of Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowls Association."

A separate news item, "Get to Know the Chair of the England Bowls Designate," is an interview with Jo Doust conducted by BBC Radio West Midlands presenter Donna Alos. These items are the main public sources on the direction of the proposal.

How to follow developments

1. Go to bowlsengland.com.
2. Open the Latest News section for merger-related items (the board updates and the chair interview are listed there).
3. Use the "Find Out More" link in the "Bringing Together Flat Green Bowls as England Bowls" section, which Bowls England describes as the place to "stay up to date with all the latest news and developments."

Expected result: you get the organisation's own statements rather than second-hand summaries. If a detail you need — such as club affiliation, membership, or competition eligibility during transition — is not on those pages, it has not been published yet.

What this means if you are a club or member

The merger is not presented as completed. Until an official announcement says otherwise:

• Your current affiliation and competition arrangements remain as they are.
• Club services (affiliation benefits, loans, insurance, greens maintenance) continue to be listed under the existing Bowls England structure.
• Any change to how indoor and outdoor clubs are governed would come through the designate board's published route, not through individual club action.

For clubs, the most useful habit is checking the Latest News and "Find Out More" pages periodically rather than relying on a single announcement.

Common points of confusion

• "England Bowls" is not yet the operating body. It is the name used for the proposed unified organisation.
• The outline is not the final agreement. A completed outline is a planning document, not a ratified merger.
• Indoor and outdoor are both flat green. The proposal concerns flat green bowls specifically, not other formats.
• No pricing or membership terms are published. Do not assume fees, voting rights, or timelines that are not stated on the site.

The World Bowls Championship 2027 is described by Bowls England as "the biggest bowls event in 2027," and general sale tickets are already available through the Bowls England website. If you simply want to attend, you can buy tickets now via the site's ticket link. If you are also interested in the 2027 National Bowls Finals, that is a separate ticket process: you register for priority access, which the site says secures the lowest price available. The two are not the same event, so decide which one you are buying for before you start.

Buying tickets for the World Bowls Championship 2027

The homepage carries a "World Bowls Champs General Sale" banner with a "BUY TICKETS" button, alongside a "WBC 2027 TICKETS ON SALE" label. That is the entry point for general sale purchases.

What the site confirms:

• General sale is open — tickets are not limited to a presale list.
• The purchase route is the ticket link on the Bowls England homepage.
• Aero Bowls is the Official Bowl Equipment Partner of the 2027 World Championship, announced in a news item dated 5th October, 2026.

What the site does not state: prices, seat categories, session times, venue, or any booking or account requirements. Treat those as unknown until you reach the ticket page itself.

Steps to buy

1. Go to bowlsengland.com.
2. Find the World Bowls Championship banner or the "WBC 2027 TICKETS ON SALE" panel.
3. Select "BUY TICKETS" to reach the ticket sales page.
4. Complete your purchase there.

Expected result: a confirmed ticket order for the 2027 World Bowls Championship. If the button leads to a third-party ticketing platform, that is normal for large events — the site does not specify which platform is used.

Common sticking points

• Confusing the two ticket offers. The World Bowls Championship general sale and the 2027 National Bowls Finals priority registration sit next to each other on the homepage. The Finals offer is a registration for priority access, not an immediate ticket purchase.
• Assuming a price. No pricing appears in the site content, so do not budget from the homepage alone.
• Looking for event details first. The site points to a dedicated World Bowls Championship information page ("Find out all you need to know about the biggest bowls event in 2027") if you want background before buying.

Registering for 2027 National Bowls Finals priority access

This is a distinct offer: "Register today for priority access to 2027 tickets and secure the lowest price available." If your interest is the National Bowls Finals rather than the World Championship, register rather than buy — registration is what puts you in line for priority access and the lowest available price.

Note that entries for the 2027 National Bowls Championships also open on 30 November 2026 according to the events calendar. That is the competitor entry route, separate again from spectator tickets.

Other dates worth knowing

The events calendar on the site lists:

Where the World Championship fits in Bowls England's wider picture

The 2027 World Championship lands during a period of structural change. Bowls England news items from October 2026 cover a proposed amalgamation with the English Indoor Bowls Association under the banner "Bringing Together Flat Green Bowls as England Bowls," supported financially by Sport England and developed with a specialist consultancy firm. A "Board Designate" is preparing for that unified future. None of this changes how you buy a ticket today, but it explains why some site content is framed around "England Bowls" rather than Bowls England alone.

If you want to play rather than watch, the homepage also offers "FIND YOUR NEAREST CLUB" and "BOOK A SESSION" — a separate route from event ticketing.