The benefits of installing a full-cover canopy at your lawn bowls club (or any community sports club) are as numerous and varied as the clubs of Australia.

In addition to being able to give your roof an awesome name, like the SkyDome, the RiverDome, or our favourite, City of Geelong’s ThunderDome, here are three more equally important reasons your club needs a canopy.

1. Sun and Shade Protection
2. Year-Round Usage
3. Inclusive Sporting Opportunities

 Sun & Shade Protection

One of the main reasons your club needs a canopy is sun protection. As our summers become hotter and longer, providing sun-safe sporting activities and protecting your club members from the sun will become more and more important.

A tensile membrane bowling green canopy blocks 100% of harmful UV rays.

“The major cause of skin cancer is exposure to UV radiation from the sun. With good protection against UV radiation, most cases of skin cancer can be prevented. Shade is one of the easiest ways to protect against UV radiation. The provision of shade is also an important component in the design and creation of safe and healthy communities.” Extract from the Cancer Council Website – READ MORE HERE.

What is quality shade?

Well-designed and correctly positioned shade provides protection from UV radiation where it is needed, at the right time of day and at the right time of year.

Well-designed shade ensures that: 

• The outdoor space is comfortable to use in all seasons.
• A shade structure protects users from direct and indirect sources of UV radiation.
• The shade is attractive, practical and environmentally friendly.

Shade can be natural or built:

• Natural shade: trees with a canopy that is dense and close to the ground.
• Built shade: stand-alone, portable or add-on structures positioned to provide shade during the middle of the day when UV is highest, or positioned to provide shade when the area is in highest use.

Year-Round Usage

Adding a membrane bowling green canopy can help to maximise the use of your bowling green all-year round, which can bring both economic benefits to the club, as well as offing surety of play. Here are some more great reasons why your club needs a canopy.

• Tensile Membranes are non-permeable and provide weather protection from sun, rain, hail and wind meaning year-round bowling, even in regions where clubs often shut down their bowls activities over the winter.
• With a canopy-protected bowling green, club pennant games can be held year-round, regardless of the weather (no more delays or rescheduled games).
• Many clubs with canopies have been able to schedule additional competitions, with the surety of knowing the event is guaranteed to happen.
• Increased membership or patronage including non-regular bowlers who come for barefoot bowls and utilise the club’s food and beverage areas. Increased revenue can be used for supporting community sporting teams or local events.
• Increased green availability time for club members ie night time even lighting across the green, summer time comfort and protection from rain in winter.
• Increased potential for event usage such as weddings, corporate events, Christmas parties etc particularly where clients are looking for a weatherproof activity with their food and drink.

Inclusive Sporting Opportunities

The benefits to the local community extend beyond the members of the club.

• With an all-weather playing surface, the club has the ability to offer inclusive sporting options to the wider community regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity or background.
• Participation in sport and recreation provides positive physical, mental and social health outcomes for all people, and is equally as beneficial for those with a physical and/or intellectual impairment – having the ability to offer an all-weather sporting facility removes even the weather as a barrier to inclusion.
• An all-weather sporting facility also offer opportunities to grow the grass roots of the sport by offering lawn bowls as a school sports activity for your local community. You might find a future Jackaroo at your club having learnt to bowl at school.

Bowls Australia is a one of Australia’s leading organsiations promoting all-ability bowling. They provide a range of stories and links to various sporting body toolkits to help your club build inclusive sporting opportunities. www.bowls.com.au/club-support/inclusion/ 

Meet the Right At Home Australian Para Jackaroos.

Looking for more reasons on why your club needs a canopy – check out the article about Protecting Your Synthetic Green With A Canopy.