Community Engagement – the Key to Modbury’s Latest Success
The Modbury Bowling Club has gone from strength to strength in the past two years since appointing General Manager, Jamie Thomas, to combine with a motivated membership base and Bowls Committee – led by President Jose Gil.
Not only has the club returned strong financial results, the club has seen a significant increase in use of the club facilities – both for bowls and external function hires. This success can be attributed to what General Manager, Jamie Thomas, describes as a welcoming environment in which all members are viewed as bowlers and treated equally no matter their class of membership. The club has also put a significant focus on engaging with the local community, both through their Night Owls competitions which now host over 70 teams across two nights each week as well as engaging their local community with Come & Try Bowls mornings twice per week.
The club has found that being open more often for the Night Owls and Come & Try Bowls mornings has contributed to their growth in external function bookings as well as the increase in both social members and pennant players. Currently, the club hosts social bowls 4 days per week and says that around 15% of the players attending social bowls each week have been introduced to the club through Come & Try Bowls mornings, as well as around 10% of the current membership of the club coming through either these trial sessions or Night Owls.
As a club with leadership obsessed with growth and improvement, the club is always open to new opportunities – including nominating for State Events and the BPL Cup this year, as well as continually looking for ways to improve their club. The club has put a significant focus on member satisfaction in the past two years, as showcased by what is known as the ‘best stocked fridge in Adelaide’, which is designed to cater for everyone’s taste. The club has also recently implemented the latest in a string of initiatives – their very own smartphone app. This is designed as a fast, easy way for the club to communicate news and for players to find team listings, player contact details, sponsor offers and directions to their matches. From a facilities point of view, the club has had two new synthetic greens laid in the past 12 months which have been a major part in the growth of the club by allowing the greens to be used at any time. The next projects for the club includes a roof covering for both of the new greens as well as an upgrade to the club’s lighting to ensure that bowls can take place at Modbury, no matter the time or the weather.
Overall, the club’s main goal is to exist as a successful venue that is at the heart of their local community and can provide a safe, welcoming, inclusive place for all people to enjoy our great sport.