Jack-hi article No. 2

May edition 2005

Player payments

A touchy subject in most bowling clubs, Should any player be paid to play a game of pennants? In One Red Division there are most certainly some players who are being paid. {All clubs deny that they pay players to play for obvious reasons} In the lower divisions there are some players that I know of also, that are being paid to play pennants for their club.

From what I have been able to ascertain is that in the One Red division, if a club wishes to play and stay in that division, they have to pay some of their players. {Not all members of the team, just the very best players}. I have no problem with that at all, why shouldn’t the best players be paid for their very obvious skills that can turn a match to their clubs favor because of their skill. In all sport the best players get paid or get more money than players of lesser ability.

In all sport there is a front window, Football has the AFL, Cricket has the Test Side and so forth. In Lawn Bowls, One Red division is that front window of the sport in this State. It is the only division to receive any newspaper coverage because many of the best players play in it and also the skill it takes to play at that level. In the other states Lawn Bowlers are openly paid for their skill; however they do have the poker machines to help fund that payment.

OK we don’t have poker machines here in W.A so how do players get paid. Does the money come out of club funds or through sponsorship or is there some generous supporter or supporters helping out? It seems that all three options come into play, and mostly it is kept very hush hush by the clubs, again for very obvious reasons.

Is there any benefit for a club to have a One Red side if some players are paid? Most certainly yes there is, firstly it creates a higher standard of competition, increases the chance of attracting good quality players to a club and also gives incentive to players to strive to become better players. figures show the bar turnover for the day can increase as was the case in the recent Archie Marriot Memorial game held at Bedford against Yokine, where there was a late start to allow club members and visitors the opportunity to see a One Red pennant game.

Cambridge and Doubleview night games have been well attended in the past and certainly the bar takings would have increased, which in turn benefits the clubs. I am very much unaware of any other division in pennants that can do this for their club. So we can see there are some obvious benefits for clubs in this case.

The recent success of the Yokine Bowling club is a very good example of what can be achieved by spending some money to strengthen its playing list. Not forgetting Doubleview some years back doing the same thing.

We see clubs who do not pay their players, come into One Red and go straight out again and maybe never to return. It seems that these clubs will become a quite backwater in the world of lawn bowls if they do not address the fact that if they want to play in the One Red division, they will have to attract better players to the club, which means they will have to pay for a top class player or players. Failure to do so will see the club possibly slide down the grades as did Yokine some years back.

Those who might remember when Tennis turned professional how Rod Laver was ostracized by all and sundry for turning his back on playing Davis cup for Australia so he could be paid for playing tennis, Look at Tennis now. All professional. The same for Athletics, swimming among others.

We see the upcoming Tri-Nations event to be played at Melville, all the players will be paid and the public will pay to see them. So why is it that people from bowling clubs have a hang up as to whether a player should be paid if he can assist the club to survive in or gain promotion to the strongest division of lawn bowls. Shouldn’t that be the aim of any club, strive to be the best it can be.

From where I sit, I think it is simply a lack of understanding of what is at stake and what it means to the sport of lawn bowls and the benefits to your club. One day not to far away, there will be some change to the structure of pennants, where all One Red clubs will have at least one paid professional to lead their club. Then promotion--demotion might be a thing of the past.

This day cannot come quickly enough. At the end of the day it is my view that if a club wants to play in One Red they will have to pay some of their players, if they don’t, they will be faced with playing in a lower colour or, at best, being the also rans in the One Red pennant competition.

Sherro