The All-in-One Bowls Club Management System
Last year, something quietly significant happened across the bowls community. Forty-seven clubs, including three counties, chose to move their management systems to Bowlr. That's 27 outdoor clubs, 17 indoor venues, and three county associations, all taking the step from diaries and spreadsheets to cloud-based management.
It's a milestone we're proud of, but what matters more is what it represents, because these aren't just numbers. They're clubs like yours, wrestling with the same administrative challenges, looking for the same solution: more time on the green, less time buried in paperwork.
Twenty-seven outdoor clubs made the switch this year. From Scotland to the south coast, from East Anglia to the Welsh borders, the message has been consistent. Modern clubs need modern tools.
The outdoor clubs joining Bowlr in 2025 include: Alton Social, Barton Le Clay, Bearsted & Thurnham, Bedford, Bere Alston, Bloxham, Budleigh Salterton, Burpham, Countesthorpe, Cowes Medina (Isle of Wight), Currie, Delmuir, Fairfield, Felixstowe and Suffolk, Flitwick, Gildredge Park, Girton, Hemingford, Henlow, Hockley, Lyme Regis, Maulden, Mistley & Manningtree, Ponteland, Stock & Butsbury, Thorpe-Le-Soken, and Wolverton Town.
It’s obvious why the number for outdoor clubs would be so much higher. After all, when the season’s short, and the weather is against you, every hour of admin time costs you precious time on the green. A session you could have opened. A competition you could have run. A new member you could have welcomed properly. Bowlr makes sense.
Seventeen indoor clubs recognised the same opportunity, though their challenge looks slightly different. Year-round operation means year-round administration, and the volume doesn't let up.
Our indoor club community now includes: Auchinleck, Banbury Cross, Denton Island, Dereham, Elgin, Fairford, Ilford, Isle of Wight, Leicester, Malvern Hills, Nottingham, Pacific (Canada), Sudbury, Thornaby, Tweedbank, Watford, and Worthing.
Of note there is the presence of Pacific in Canada, demonstrating the global reach of Bowlr – more and more clubs from around the world are making the switch.
And it makes sense, too, as indoor clubs face a particular challenge, and that’s complexity at scale. More sessions, more competitions, more moving parts. The clubs that joined us this year weren't looking for bells and whistles. They were looking for systems that actually work when you're managing fifty bookings a week, not five.
Three counties stepped forward in 2025:
When a county adopts new technology, it sends a signal. It says this isn't just about individual clubs saving time. It's about building infrastructure that serves the whole sport. County backing matters for two reasons.
First, it gives clubs confidence. When your county association uses the same system, you know it's been tested at scale. You know it handles leagues, competitions, and member management across dozens of clubs simultaneously.
Second, it creates consistency. Counties can communicate with their clubs more efficiently. They can run competitions more smoothly and support grassroots development with better data and clearer insights.
Here's what strikes us most about this year's growth. The diversity.
Small village clubs like Hemingford. Historic town clubs like Lyme Regis. Urban venues like Ilford. Scottish clubs like Auchinleck and Tweedbank. Island communities on the Isle of Wight. Coastal clubs like Felixstowe and Suffolk.
Every one of these clubs has different needs, different challenges, different traditions. But they share something fundamental, and that’s the belief that club management shouldn't consume the time and energy of volunteers who'd rather be bowling.
Stock & Butsbury in Essex runs things differently to Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. Thorpe-Le-Soken has different priorities to Denton Island. That's how it should be. Bowlr doesn't flatten those differences. It supports them by handling the boring bits so clubs can focus on what makes them unique.
The clubs that joined us this year aren't just reducing admin time. They're creating capacity for the things that actually matter, and that’s better member experiences, smoother competitions, and more time spent building community rather than managing spreadsheets.
At Bowlr, we're continuing to support the clubs already using Bowlr, listening to what they need, and making the system better based on real-world use. If more clubs decide that's the approach they want, we'll be ready.
The conversation around club management is changing. Clubs are asking better questions. Not "can we afford new software?" but "can we afford not to modernise?" Not "will members adapt?" but "how can we serve members better?"
Looking back at 2025, we saw that clubs across Britain (and beyond) are ready for that conversation. They're ready to swap diaries for dashboards, phone calls for online bookings, and spreadsheet chaos for simple, reliable systems.
If your club's wrestling with the same challenges these 47 clubs faced at the start of 2025, perhaps it's time we talked. Not because we're chasing numbers, but because we know what a difference the right system makes.
Here's to a 2026 where more clubs spend less time on administration and more time doing what they love: keeping the great sport of bowls thriving in communities across the country.
Ready to see what Bowlr could do for your club? Get in touch on 01202 684400 or by completing our contact form.