Bowls (or lawn bowling) is more than a sport. It’s a mix of competitive play, social roll-ups, and community spirit, all happening on the same greens. Local bowls clubs keep the game alive. They host matches, social games, and tournaments, often run entirely by volunteers. Coordinating these events isn’t as simple as it might seem.
The coordination challenge
The primary issue is fragmentation. Sharing events is important if you want club members to know about them. But every “share” creates another piece that needs to be tracked, updated, checked.
Then there’s getting people to sign up. Usually, the problem isn’t getting enough club members — it’s that they’re “signing up” through so many methods. Word of mouth, response on the email chain, a text or phone call. Putting together an accurate list of signups is another headache.
Running a club shouldn’t feel like running a full-time job. But for volunteers, coordinating a single event can end up taking hours.
What doesn’t work
- Fragmented scheduling: Event details spread across noticeboards, texts, and email chains.
- Multiple manual updates: If one detail changes, there’s a whole list of manual updates to make.
- No single source of truth: Members aren’t sure where to go for accurate event details.
- Increased volunteer workload: Volunteer coordinators end up fielding questions and providing the same info over and over.
For simpler scheduling, clubs need one place — a central calendar — where everyone can see all the event details and sign up. Volunteers can still promote events in all the places, but only have to make updates (and check signups) on the official club calendar.
Here’s a real example.
Central scheduling with signups
This local club near Brisbane is home to an active community of lawn bowlers, including competitive and social bowlers. Here’s how they use a Teamup calendar as their central scheduling point for bowls events.
Events stay in one place
All events that club members might be interested in are added to the calendar. They’re organized and color-coded: Clubhouse, club and games, and away events. If a detail changes, the update only needs to happen in one place — on the calendar. It’s still easy to promote events anywhere: Just share a link to an event page or to the whole calendar.
Signups stay with the event
Coordinators can enable signups for any events, with a signup deadline and a maximum number. Members can sign up right on the event. All the signups stay with the corresponding event; it’s easy for coordinators to check participants for any event.
Members check one calendar
Their calendar is embedded on the club website. Members can just visit the website to see details and check upcoming events. If they want to invite friends, they can share any individual event easily.
How to set it up
Easier scheduling, more bowling
A shared online calendar brings every event, signup, and update into one space. It’s a simple but significant change. Having it all in one place lowers the administrative burden for coordinating fixtures and social events. And everyone knows where to go for event info.
Looking for an easier way to manage scheduling for your local club or regional organization? Give Teamup a try.
