The death of the bowlo: another Sydney club closes as others struggle

The turf remains manicured and free of weeds, but the bowling greens at Waverton North Sydney Club might have hosted their last games.

Everywhere you look, bowling clubs are shutting up shop. The probable demise of the Waverton club - members are set to meet on Wednesday to vote on whether to appoint liquidators - is just the latest in a spate of closures.

Greg Helm, the chief executive of Bowls NSW, said about 40 bowling clubs in Sydney have closed or amalgamated in the past decade because of declining membership and directors who lack the skills to reinvent the business.

The bowling greens at Waverton North Sydney Club fell silent after the club ceased trading last month.Credit: Peter Braig

A spokesman for Clubs NSW said there were 500 registered bowling clubs in NSW and 60,000 active bowlers - an average of just 120 for each club.

He said clubs spent an average of $80,000 a year to maintain one bowling green.

“When you consider many clubs have two or three greens, it’s clear that the sport is being heavily subsidised by community clubs – many of whom are finding it increasingly hard to fund first-class bowling facilities for such a small percentage of their membership,” he said.

Some bowling clubs had replaced bowling greens with facilities such as childcare centres or improved dining options to attract more visitors, he said. Bowling clubs in Petersham and Marrickville also host barefoot bowls and live music to boost patronage.

“In some instances, amalgamation with another club has provided the best way of securing a venue’s future,” he said. “At the end of the day, the best way of ensuring the future viability of bowling clubs is for participation numbers to rise.”

Waverton club, which is situated at Waverton Park on crown land that is zoned for public recreation, is $224,000 in debt. The club ceased trading on January 19.

A statement on the club’s website says: “Due to an extensive downturn in trade in the second half of 2018, the directors have resolved that the [club] can no longer pay its debts as they fall due."

North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson said: “As a patron of Waverton Bowling Club for more than 25 years, I’m saddened to hear the club is no longer financially viable.’

“If the bowling club folds, the site should be integrated into Council’s adjoining park and recreation area,” she said.

The probable demise of Waverton’s bowling club follows the stark warning issued to one of Sydney’s oldest bowling clubs by developers.

The Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club, which merged with Waverley Bowling Club in 2010, submitted plans in December to bulldoze the clubhouse and redevelop the site into seniors housing and a childcare centre, with smaller facilities for lawn bowls.

Easts warned in its development application that the club was struggling financially and faced closure if “alternative-use strategies” were not pursued.

Bowling clubs have been in long-term decline, with running costs, smoking bans, ageing members and competition from pubs and restaurants contributing to their woes, the Herald reported in 2012.

Mr Helm warned against merging with larger clubs that who may have a short-term interest in keeping the club open but “long-term interest in developing the land and/or obtaining gaming licences”.

Besides the 40 clubs that have closed or amalgamated in the past decade, Mr Helm said some clubs were no longer affiliated with Bowls NSW, which governs the sport.

“There would be a number of clubs who are struggling financially in Sydney,” Mr Helm said.

The financial viability of bowling clubs depended on more people playing socially or competitively, Mr Helm said. “Clubs also need to adapt to the needs of their community offer a range of services and activities to become a social hub.”

However, Easts said in its DA that Waverley Bowlo had continued to struggle despite the introduction of social activities such as barefoot bowling.