British Crown Green Bowling Association

What British Crown Green Bowling Association does

The British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA) is the national governing body for Crown Green Bowling in England and Wales, established in 1907. It administers the sport through a federated structure of 15 Men's and 20 Ladies County Associations and over 100 affiliated clubs, serving individual competitive and casual bowlers, junior and veteran players, coaches, officials, and volunteers. Core products comprise county team championships (Men's, Ladies', Junior), senior and veterans individual merit competitions, the Champion of Champions and pair competitions, coaching and qualification programmes, safeguarding services, club development resources, and group insurance. Operational technology includes a centralized digital membership database, the Elavon online payment platform (being introduced for membership and competition fee collection), a public Club Finder tool, MB Bowls for results management, and Google Analytics for web insight. BCGBA is currently transitioning from unincorporated association status to a Company Limited by Guarantee structure and is working toward Tier 3 of the Code for Sports Governance as part of a broader modernization programme begun in 2025.

BCGBA operates a non-profit, community-led go-to-market model. Members are acquired through local affiliated clubs and county associations rather than direct sales, and engagement is driven by a national competition calendar. Revenue is generated from annual membership subscriptions, competition entry fees (transaction-based), club affiliation and insurance fees, and managed services income from group insurance administered in partnership with Howden Insurance. Pricing is set at the club and county level rather than centrally, with new bowler equipment costs of approximately £120 (new bowls) to £40-60 (second-hand). The organization employs approximately 5 staff, is led by CEO Dan Newton and an Independent Chair, and is overseen by a Board of Directors. Headquartered in Kinver, England, BCGBA is the recognized steward of a historically significant but geographically narrow sport within the United Kingdom.

Name

British Crown Green Bowling Association

Legal name

British Crown Green Bowling Association

Website

https://bcgba.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

British Crown Green Bowling Association is the UK national governing body for crown green bowling in England and Wales, founded in 1907, serving affiliated clubs, county associations, and individual bowlers through competition organization, membership administration, insurance, coaching, and safeguarding services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Governance

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Crown green bowling
• Sports governance
• Membership services
• Competition organization
• Safeguarding services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kinver, Stourbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees collected through clubs and county associations, with online payment systems being implemented for 2027
2. Competition Entry Fees: Fees charged for entering national competitions including Individual Merits, County Championships, and other events
3. Insurance Services: Group insurance policy provided to members through partnership with Howden Insurance
4. Club Fees and Affiliation: Fees collected from affiliated clubs for insurance cover and membership administration

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BCGBA is the national governing body for Crown Green Bowling in England and Wales, administering individual bowler memberships, organizing a season-long calendar of county and individual merit competitions, and providing affiliated clubs and county associations with safeguarding, coaching, insurance, and club development services. Revenue is generated through membership fees, club affiliation and insurance fees, competition entry fees, and event sponsorships.

Product overview

The British Crown Green Bowling Association operates as a national governing body managing a portfolio of competitive products and membership services. The core offering consists of county team championships (Men's, Ladies, and Junior), individual merit competitions at senior and junior levels, and the Veterans Championship. Supporting services include membership administration, coaching programmes, safeguarding services, club development resources, and group insurance. The association is undergoing digital modernization with new database and payment systems replacing legacy manual processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BCGBA Membership Administration National membership management providing individual bowler registration, county association affiliation, central member database, and membership fee collection across England and Wales.
• Men's Senior County Championship Flagship men's county team competition featuring four round-robin group sections leading to semi-finals and finals, with Howden Insurance sponsorship.
• Ladies Senior County Championship Ladies county team championship featuring group stage matches and the Mavis Dearden Supplementary Championship for runners-up.
• Junior County Championship Junior county team competition featuring three-round matches plus a supplementary 6-a-Side competition for smaller county teams.
• Men's Senior Individual Merit National individual competition where county qualifiers compete for the men's individual title, held each year at a rotating county venue.
• Ladies Senior Individual Merit National individual competition for women bowlers, with county qualifying rounds culminating in a finals day competition.
• Jack & Jean Isherwood Veterans Championship Veterans individual competition for senior bowlers, sponsored by the Grocott Family Charitable Trust, with county qualifying rounds leading to the national final.
• Coaching Programme National coaching courses, qualifications, and development resources for bowlers, coaches, and volunteers to grow participation and skill.
• Safeguarding Services Welfare and protection services for junior and vulnerable bowlers including DBS checks, training records, and safeguarding case management in partnership with the Bowls Development Alliance.
• Club Development Resources Club development support tools including a health checker, development planning, grants and funding guidance, and easy fundraising resources for affiliated clubs.
• Insurance Services Group insurance policy administered through Howden Insurance covering affiliated clubs, counties, players, coaches, and volunteers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive competitions calendar covering Men's, Ladies', Junior, and Veterans categories throughout the season
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Howden InsurancecoreOthers · 1 November 2025Howden Insurance provides the Group Insurance Policy for BCGBA members and continues as the sponsor for the Men's County Championship competition. They provide both sporting arena insurance and personal insurance products.
• Bowls Development AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025BDA provides interim safeguarding support to BCGBA with Craig Scott helping fulfil safeguarding responsibilities while a longer-term model is developed. BDA also supports collaboration opportunities to reduce duplication and improve consistency across bowls codes.
• John Moore Trading Limited (Wear Parts UK)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Primary sponsor for the 2025 Men's Senior Individual Merit event. Company operates as Wear Parts UK providing additional sponsorship support.
• Grocott Family Charitable TrustminorOthers · 1 January 2025The Grocott Family Charitable Trust, including David and Linda Grocott and the late Ray Grocott, has been committed to supporting their local community in Shropshire, particularly areas near their former business in Whitchurch and village of Prees. They sponsor the Jack & Jean Isherwood Veterans Championship.
• ElavoncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Elavon provides online payment processing platform integrated with BCGBA's membership database for membership fees, insurance payments, and competition entry fees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• English Short Mat Bowling Association: National governing body for short mat bowls in England. Closely comparable as a small UK NGB for an amateur bowling code, with county associations, national competitions, and membership-based structure.
• England Bowls: National governing body for outdoor flat-green bowls in England. Directly comparable to BCGBA in mission, structure, and operational scope, just for the flat-green bowling variant in England; both operate county networks, championships, and safeguarding.
• British Wheelchair Basketball: UK NGB for wheelchair basketball. Comparable as a small national governing body for a niche sport with similar member/club structure, safeguarding duties, and modernization trajectory.

Broad incumbents

• British Gymnastics: National governing body for gymnastics in the UK. Comparable NGB operating structure with membership, club affiliation, safeguarding, and competition organization, but at substantially larger scale than BCGBA.
• England Netball: National governing body for netball in England. Operates a similar NGB model with county/regional structure, national leagues, safeguarding, and junior pathways, but at meaningfully larger scale than BCGBA.
• World Bowls: International governing body for lawn bowls. Connects BCGBA to international competition and standards, and offers a structural analogue for multi-jurisdiction sport governance relevant to BCGBA's regulatory moat.

Others

• Sport England: Arm's-length body of government distributing funding and setting governance standards for sport in England. BCGBA's Tier 3 Code for Sports Governance journey is directly relevant to Sport England's funding framework.
• Bowls Development Alliance: Umbrella organization bridging multiple bowls codes in the UK, providing safeguarding and development support to BCGBA among others. Operates in the same regulatory/ecosystem space as BCGBA but at a cross-code level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@britishcrowngreenbowlingas3328
• Facebookfacebook.com/1506108956402705
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-crown-green-bowls-association

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about British Crown Green Bowling Association