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Writer's pictureWinter League

Proud to be The Paperless & Cash-Poor League


Winter League


We are different from any other local League in so many different ways. We bowl during the winter months, we are a mixed-gender League, we are for the over-60s and we only bowl on two greens all season. No other league can claim to have more than one of these elements associated with them. These are obvious and well-documented differences but we go much further than this.


We are proud to be different, and innovative, in the way we fund our league and promote paper-free administration. No handbook, no transfer forms, no bowler registration forms, no result postcards, no paper records of meetings. Everything you need to know about our League is online.


In addition, we are the League that is proud to have no money.

We are not taking money from our teams to haemorrhage it in a bank or savings account.

We do not charge annual entry fees for teams to play in our League.

We do not charge entry fees for teams or individuals to join in our KO competitions

We do not give cash prizes for team or individual success.

We do not pay cash honorariums to League Officials.

The match fees go directly to the host club and pay for the green fees, hot drinks and biscuits and a raffle ticket per bowler.

We are definitely the poor relations of the local leagues.

Any money we do have is spent on memorabilia for teams and bowlers in recognition of playing achievements.


We need a minimum of £200 to function each year.

This pays for our affiliation to the Yorkshire CCGBA and BCGBA.

We also pay an annual insurance premium to provide personal indemnity cover.

An annual fee to use Bowlsnet and we pay for individual trophies to present to bowlers in our successful team and individual competitions.


Cheap and Cheerful. What more do we need?


We still need to raise that £200 each year somehow. In year one we were fortunate to receive financial support from Tony Lockwood, Mike Ralph and David Union which covered all these basics outgoings. In addition we received tremendous support from local bowlers when they donated a total of £520 to our Founders Fund. This sum is allocated to paying for three new trophies that we still hope to award to successful teams and individuals this first winter season.


Looking ahead to the 2021 season we need to think about how we can raise sufficient money to ensure that we don't have to charge teams to enter our league. Can anyone think of how we might do that or maybe there is a benefactor out there who would like to support our League?




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paw4647
paw4647
Jan 16, 2021

I wonder if its possible to build on Martin’s second idea of the 14 teams contributing £10 per month for 3 months in a 50/50 draw which would generate £210 for the League and open it up to the bowlers ( could it be extended to any bowler even if not registered to play?) to pay £30 . If say 20 participate then , on the 50/50 basis it would generate another £300. This would allow a bigger monthly prize of £170 , or a 1st and 2nd prize perhaps. And what about a grand Christmas raffle to further supplement the main fundraising decision if money looked a bit tight ? I hope we’ve given the Committee a few ideas.

Philip of…

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Martin Holt
Martin Holt
Jan 15, 2021

Just a couple of fundraising ideas for what it’s worth.

1. Why not charge the teams an entry fee? At the moment there are 14 teams competing so a nominal fee of £16 = £240 .

2. Try something like a 50/50 draw for the teams. If the season is say over 3 months ie Oct-Dec the 14 teams each contribute £10 per month = £140 x 3 = £420 = £210 (3@£70) to the clubs and the same to the league.

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Jeff Jacklin
Jeff Jacklin
Jan 15, 2021

Thanks Philip I am sure that there will be some discreet sponsorship in the future and Well Bowled did offer to support some of the website competitions this time around but then lockdowns 2 and 3 meant that they were shut and it didn't seem right (to me) to follow that up with them at that time.


But as said sponsorship of the website would benefit Kirkwood Hospice not any of the leagues. It would be unfair for one league to benefit from a website that more than one league is contributing to the costs of. All leagues would have to benefit to be fair and that just complicates life too much for me.

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paw4647
paw4647
Jan 15, 2021

Clearly Jeff’s comments has eliminated any direct sponsorship of the website or making it available to other Leagues as the income would go to the Hospice and sponsorship of a monthly newsletter seems a non starter.

I still believe sponsorship is the way forward even if it is , as Jeff calls it, “discreet sponsorship”.

I am sure that sponsorship could have been achieved for the “ guess the green” competition.

So, perhaps, if similar competitions can be dream up then it will allow sponsorship. I am sure there are people out there who will be happy to make contributions if a purpose can be identified, perhaps the sponsorship of the annual individual bowlers trophies ?


just a thought or…


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Jeff Jacklin
Jeff Jacklin
Jan 15, 2021

Some relevant points are being made and suggestions about how the Winter League might be funded in the future. Some of the suggestions involve sponsorship and/or advertising on the website. I need to stress at this point that the HuddWeb website is entirely independent of any of the leagues. So any sponsorship/advertising on the website wouldn't benefit any of the leagues at all. Any profit that is made from the HuddWeb website is destined for Kirkwood Hospice.


There will be no advertising on the website. That is one of my three golden rules when setting up any of the bowling league websites over the past 7 years, I do not welcome advertising at all. I know that I am ruling…


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