Rules: Dual or Multi Membership

  • September 12, 2023

Bowls New Zealand has issued a new rule on Dual Membership for the 2023/24 season for centres and clubs.  

Please note that Bowls3Five already has the condition of play in place which reads 3.4 “A team member may only play for one club AND one team in any centre qualifying competition, in one season.”

The Bowls NZ announcement reads as follows:

Over the past 6-12 months there has been a lot of discussion within the bowls community on the matter of dual membership and playing rights. Bowls New Zealand’s position is that we welcome bowlers having membership at multiple clubs. This provides bowlers with more playing opportunities and it strengthens smaller community clubs.

Whilst we appreciate there are a number of clubs (and some centres) that support a “one club / one centre” approach to playing rights, Bowls New Zealand’s approach is that (as a statement of intent) we want our membership to be playing as much bowls as they can.

The matter of bowlers playing in club championships at various clubs AND representing multiple clubs does, however, need some refining. Primarily to ensure some of our ‘top’ bowlers are not denying others’ pathways to centre and national events. To address this concern the following rules will be implemented for the 2023/2024 season.

Club Championship events leading to Centre Champion of Champion Events and beyond (Singles, Pairs, Triples, Fours, and Mixed Pairs)

If a player / and or player in a team wins a club championship competition that qualifies them for a centre champion of champions event, which goes on to a national champion of champions event, they are ineligible to enter another club’s competition in that discipline. 

  1. A player and / or player in a team can only win one club championship or centre champion of champions event per discipline in a single season. For clarity, if a player wins any club championship, in any discipline, then they may NOT enter that same discipline at any other club, in any Centre, in the same season. 
  2. A player and / or player in a team can only play in one active club championship discipline at any one time. For clarity, the player may enter another club’s (if they are a full playing member) championship in the same discipline ONLY after the first club’s championship in the same discipline has concluded and/or they are knocked out of that club’s event.

 

Interclub Sevens event leading to the National Interclub Sevens Championship

“If a player is part of a club’s interclub sevens team, that player is not eligible to represent another club in another centre’s interclub sevens competition, that advances to the National Interclub Sevens Finals, or be selected to represent another club in the National Interclub Sevens Finals. For clarity, players cannot be selected in two clubs across multiple centres in an interclub sevens pathway event. This rule only applies to an interclub event that progresses to the National Interclub Sevens Finals in April.

(The above rules are a condition of play for Bowls NZ and club/centre events that have a national pathway and national final. Clubs and centres are welcome to establish local rules for non-pathway events that best reflect the local membership and community).

We hope these rules are clear and understood.