New bowls rules to stop clubs switching their favours
Clubs from around the borders of Shropshire who affiliate to two county associations could have their hands tied from next year.
Many of the clubs in the Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Malpas leagues affiliate to Shropshire and a second county association so that they can compete in leagues in both counties. Now the Merseyside County Association are proposing that, from 2014, clubs must have a 'primary affiliation' to a county association that cannot be changed without the approval of that association or the sport's governing body, the BCGBA.
The proposal will go before the British body's rules revision meeting on Saturday, January 18, at Winnington Park Rec Club in Northwich.
Merseyside officials will argue that the new rule will stop clubs from switching their primary affiliation without a valid reason.
"A mass exodus of clubs from one county association to another could have serious financial implications for a county association," said a Merseyside spokesman.
Clubs on the peripheries of Shropshire have to take many factors into account before deciding which county should get their primary affiliation.
And there are a couple of items looming on the Shropshire association agenda for its AGM on Monday, February 3, at Reman in Shrewsbury that will make them think hard.
First there is a proposal to double the annual club affiliation fee to £10 and secondly one to double the player registration fee to £2 a year.
There is also an attempt to fine clubs who don't attend future annual meetings £10 and, given the distance that some clubs have to travel to Shrewsbury, many border clubs rarely attend the AGM.
Shropshire officials argue that, in the light of their tight financial situation, these proposals need approving to make the county association self-sufficient and not reliant on sponsorship income.
