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Do we need change? from Howard Jarrold
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Do we need change ?
I am not a lover of cricket but I am a lover of any sport that is played well and recognise that sport moves on and adapts and changes to reflect the age we live in. I remember well the Laker and Lock era when it was unthinkable that cricket was anything other than 5 day tests and all white strip. It was treasonable to even think otherwise. BUT
Over the years cricket has given birth to a game that is totally different to that of yester-year. It was a long difficult gestation and an even more difficult birth. Along the way a lot of people had to change their previously immovable positions. As the game changed, so did the media coverage and the snowball gathered pace and size to the global game it is today ( and still growing ).
Bowls today is at a crossroads and like cricket it needs to change or it will remain the game played by old men in whites who belong to clubs that don't change and won't change. This is the public perception of our game but we have the chance to start bringing the game up to date and create a more modern perception of the game.
Thanks to Potters and the T. V. coverage we had an enquiry from a mother and son who, having watched on T V wanted to come along and try their hand. How many times is that repeated up and down the country and how can we capitalise on this exposure? In addition, will they find that the club lives up to their expectation of it?
It won't help if we continue to squabble over club shirts and whether trousers are the right shade of grey etc etc. Change must come and with it there will be a lot of differing view points NONE OF WHICH WILL BE RIGHT OR WRONG BUT ALL ARE VALID AND HAVE EQUAL VALIDITY AND THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD.
A prime example is that of telephone booking a rink. A year ago it was heavily opposed and took a few attempts to get it introduced and now is widely used and works well.
Has the time come when , having noticed the potential of T V we draw up a five year plan to take the club into a new age? Warning-- it might involve blue carpet, ever more coloured woods, music ,cheer leaders and people moving in your eye line. What about compulsory 3 x 1hr coaching lessons before being allowed on the rink. OR everybody to take a refresher course on the etiquette of the game.
Whatever we do it behoves us all not to bury our heads in the sand and not to take things personally. It is all about the club surviving and prospering not the people in it.
A PREDICTION -- it won't be long before the bigger clubs like ours start employing people to carry out jobs that are currently not done, eg promoting , revenue raising ,creating brand awareness etc.
All the above is my own opinion and not that of the coaching group. The article came about as a result of the phone call from the lady which got me to thinking.( I must stop doing dangerous things like thinking )
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Submitted date -
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Sunday, 18 Feb 2018
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