Strategic Plan

Bowls Australia launches Bold Bowls | Fun Bowls, Action Agenda 2025-2028

July 28, 2025

Bowls Australia has officially launched its new strategic plan, the Bold Bowls | Fun Bowls, Action Agenda 2025-2028, outlining an ambitious four-year foundation phase designed to shape the sport’s long-term future through to and beyond Brisbane 2032.

Unveiled at a national celebration marking 180 years since the first recorded game of bowls in Australia, the Action Agenda is unapologetically bold, setting out a transformative roadmap to grow participation, elevate club experiences, drive innovation, and amplify bowls’ place in Australian life.

Framed around four key pillars – Play Well, Win Well, Tell Our Story, and Grow Financially – the strategy is deeply aligned with national sporting objectives of the 2032+ Play Well and Win Well frameworks developed with and for the industry by the Australian Sports Commission / Australian Institute of Sport, while also championing inclusivity, digital connectivity, and club-first thinking.

Bowls Australia President Iain Evans said the Action Agenda represents a critical direction-setting moment for the sport – one grounded in community and focused on legacy.

“This is not just a strategic document; it’s a call to action,” Evans said.

“We are determined to ensure bowls thrives as a sport that enriches lives, brings people together, and contributes to the social fabric of Australia and its society.

“The Bold Bowls | Fun Bowls, Action Agenda provides the direction, momentum and ambition needed to lead us through the next chapter of our journey towards a bolder, more inclusive, and more visible sport.”

At its core, the plan aspires to grow bowls into a sport of choice for every Australian, transforming clubs into the ‘happy place’ for participants of all backgrounds, and ensuring both traditional and emerging formats meet the evolving needs of modern society.

It also reinforces Bowls Australia’s commitment to sustained international success, strengthened performance pathways, greater digital connectivity, and more purposeful government, commercial and community engagement.

Bowls Australia CEO Matthew Kennedy said the Action Agenda represents a bold step forward that positions bowls to thrive in a rapidly evolving sporting and social environment.

“It’s clear that we have a huge constituent of people who love bowls, but we must evolve boldly and deliberately to keep pace with a rapidly changing sporting environment,” Kennedy said.

“This plan is about unlocking bowls’ full potential – from increasing participation and our digital footprint to creating better club experiences, celebrating our champions, and building new commercial pathways.

“It’s a platform for progress, but it’s also a blueprint for belonging, and speaks to the essence of what makes bowls special: welcoming communities, meaningful connections, and the chance for every Australian to find their place on and off the green.”

The Action Agenda will be supported by major national campaigns, strategic partnerships, and a series of amplified events, including a new national participation event to be developed, ongoing enhanced delivery of the Australian Open, The Nationals, Bowls Premier League and BPL Cup, as well as high-performance initiatives aligned to the build-up for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026, the World Bowls Championships in England 2027, and national and global activity beyond that all the way through to the celebration of elite sport that will be Brisbane 2032.

As the sport reflects on 180 years of rich history, the Action Agenda invites all corners of the bowls community to contribute to the next era of growth, with boldness, with fun, and with purpose.

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