Views and suggestions are required on the following article.
IS THE VETS LEAGUE AGEING MEMBERSHIP A WORRY?
Westhoughton Vets currently has 68 members. Approximately 10 of these are social members only and several more are currently unable to bowl because of health problems.
A breakdown of the ages of our membership is scary. Of these 68a total of 50 are well over 70 years of age with only 18 in their 60's. Of these, only 5 are below 65.
I suspect that this situation is duplicated in many of the other clubs in the League and feel it is important that we take stock of the situation now before it is too late. I know from talking to other teams that many are struggling to field a full team for each match. We certainly have this problem at Westhoughton but in order to keep our 2 greens we must not go down to 2 teams.
Since the State Pension age has been raised and is to go higher still, many people are working well into their 60's so are not available to bowl in the afternoons. Also many Grandparents have to help out with child care.
These are facts of life over which we have no control. So what is to be done?
As a sport, bowling has a low profile. Unless a family member plays, many people have no experience of it and the image of it being an old man's game, probably still persists.
In reality, it is a sport which is affordable and accessible to both sexes. It gives us exercise in the fresh air and a social life in both summer and winter. The longevityand mobility of our members is testament to the many benefits it provides.
I recently read in the paper that GP's are being allowed to refer their patients to Weight Watchers to aid weight loss and fitness. Why shouldn't they recommend joining a bowling club? It could be an answer to many health problems, including depression and obesity.
We could also consider promoting the sport on the parks, perhaps with banners welcoming people to give it a go and open days with tuition available. We could liaise with other Leagues, get the Lancashire and British Bowling Associations involved, newspapers, local radio, Local Councillors, our MPs.
To avoid losing teams because of shortage of players, a short term fix would be to reduce the number of players in a team to 10, retaining the ability to play 2 players twice. In the current climate of Council Cuts, it is important to retain every team we can to avoid more greens being taken off us.
I am sure I am not the only one who is worried about the situation. To get a true picture we need to look closely at our membership and analyse the facts and figures. Burying our head in the sand is not an option if we want to survive as a League.
Please give it some thought, to see what can be done to improve the situation.
MarianeJolley
June 2014
