Club in Focus: Roma Bowls Club leads the way with BowlsLink
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and for Roma Bowls Club, embracing BowlsLink has been a joint effort that has made running competitions easier, more accessible and more efficient – showcasing what clubs can achieve when they make the most of the platform.
Located around 480 kilometres west of Brisbane, Roma has 89 members, with all of the Club’s members connected digitally by being linked to BowlsLink.
This has allowed Roma Bowls Club to utilise BowlsLink to its full potential, having entered 17 competitions for 2027, including every club championship and its annual carnival, with all club championships now fixtured.
Rather than entering competitions into the platform one at a time, Roma enters the entire year’s competitions all at once, helping streamline the process for both members and administrators.
The results are already showing, with the Club having recorded 189 entries for its 2027 competitions, compared with 147 entries in 2026 when nominations were completed manually.
Of those 189 entries, only five required assistance from a club administrator, highlighting how user-friendly the BowlsLink platform is.
For members who live outside Roma, the ability to enter events online has been particularly valuable, as it removes the need for them to manually enter at the Club, making it far more accessible.
The Club has also found a way to bring its members into the process.
Traditionally, Roma conducted its competition draws with members in attendance, and this year was no different.
Club members gathered at the Club to watch as the draw was conducted through BowlsLink, providing people the opportunity to see the system in action while maintaining the sense of involvement and community.
This is a proactive example of a club using new technology to support an existing tradition, rather than replace it.
The technology impact at Roma Bowls Club hasn’t been limited to competition administration.
The Club recently hosted a Bowls Queensland Officials Committee umpire’s course, with six Roma members and one member from Injune Bowls Club participating in the course’s online component via BowlsLearn without any issues.
Furthermore, the Club has recently started using the email campaign function to keep its members informed and connected, with open rates between 76 and 93 per cent.
This is another example of how clubs can use BowlsLink to make participation and education more accessible.
Much of Roma’s success with BowlsLink is down to Jocelyn Haylock.
A member of the Maranoa-Warrego District Committee and a recent addition to the Bowls Queensland Match Committee, Haylock has become a passionate advocate for BowlsLink and is actively helping other clubs throughout the district learn the system.
In 2026, Bowls Queensland mandated that any competition starting at club level and progressing through to a state final must be entered into BowlsLink.
Roma Bowls Club has gone above and beyond those requirements, choosing to run all their competitions through the platform and fully embracing the benefits that come with BowlsLink.
Roma’s experience with BowlsLink provides a great example of how the platform can help clubs save time, increase accessibility and keep members involved and connected.
