Bowling News
I don't want to cast gloom over your day by painting a picture of problems and disasters and forecasting the end of bowling as we know it but a reality check is required if bowling clubs are to weather the storm of rising prices and reducing membership.
After listening to a local bowling club official talk about their problems and I want to share his real concerns about the viability of continuing to operate a successful business in these troubled times. I don't want to dwell on the cause of the difficulties be it Covid, Ukraine war or Brexit it doesn't matter. We can't change those things, we have to learn to live regardless of them and take steps to minimise their impact on things that matter to us all.
This club official shared. with me a dire financial situation which he believes is undermining the valiant effort of many club members in numerous bowling, social and working men's clubs. His is a medium size local bowling club that survives on the efforts of its members. They have no lucrative benefactor, they don't have a large building to cater for a range of money-making events nor do they have any assets to sell off to delay the threat of closure.
He told me that the club will be reporting an operating loss of £6,000 over the past year. This is against a backdrop of gas and electricity prices doubling this year. Staff costs to open and run the bar have peaked at £30,000 despite some shifts being filled by volunteers. This increasing dependence on volunteers is not sustainable in the long term and may be hiding even higher losses.
To open the bar for a night costs them around £90 when you add up all the staff, lighting and heating costs. To just break even means selling £190 worth of drinks over the bar in that four-hour session. The only way to recoup some of these costs is by increasing the price of drinks which only puts members off visiting as often as they have done in the past.
I know of another club where they are facing a power bill three times what it was last year up from £8,000 to over £24,000 - how can any business expect to thrive, never mind survive, against such price increases of basic services.
During the winter months it is obviously even worse with no income coming from bowling matches and the dark nights and cold weather making calls on the power budget that is inadequate to cover the demand and fast decreasing.
So what is the answer? Is your club struggling?
Tell us what worries you most about your club's finances and any good ideas you, or the club, may have about addressing them. Troubled times but you are not on your own.
None of us should be surprised at the difficult financial position some Clubs are in.
There is no easy answer. The tempting thing to do is to increase subs but this doesn’t always provide the long term answer.
To do nothing “ and wait in the hope that things will improve “ is the worst thing to do.
My starting point would be to review every item of income and expenditure by a select group who will challenge how things are done - I’d be amazed if savings weren’t possible.
A whole measure of things may be necessary and will vary from Club to Club.
Could your Club eg
Have more bowling competitions ( member and guest?)
More social nights…