We’re thrilled to be able to share the news of our new strategic partnership with the Bowls Development Alliance.
Together, we’re bringing bowls into schools across England, creating fun, inclusive, and engaging opportunities for thousands of young people to try our sport. 🏆✨
This collaboration will provide schools with innovative equipment, activity kits, and resources to inspire the next generation of bowlers, all while supporting confidence, wellbeing, and a love for physical activity.
Read the full press release on the link here (also reproduced below) 👉
https://bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com/2026/01/02/bda-bowlsbuddies-partnership/
Bowls Development Alliance and Bowls Buddies LLP Announce Strategic Partnership to Inspire the Next Generation of Young Bowlers
The Bowls Development Alliance (BDA) is delighted to announce a new partnership with Bowls Buddies LLP, bringing together shared ambitions to grow the sport of bowls in schools across England. This collaboration will support and enhance delivery within the Youth Sport Trust (YST) framework and the School Games network, enabling thousands of young people to experience bowls in a fun, accessible, and engaging way.
Research from the Youth Sport Trust shows that 71% of young people want to be more active at school, yet only 36% currently take part in sport or physical activity beyond PE on three or more days per week, highlighting the need for more inclusive and accessible opportunities. Enjoyment-led activities such as bowls can help engage pupils who are less attracted to traditional competitive sports, supporting confidence, wellbeing and a stronger sense of belonging.
The partnership unites the leadership and development expertise of the BDA with the creativity and innovation of Bowls Buddies LLP. Together, the aim is to create a sustainable pathway that introduces bowls to children at an early age while supporting schools, teachers, and School Games Organisers with high-quality resources and guidance.
Bowls Buddies’ revolutionary equipment and activity kits, already used by more than 500 clubs, schools, and community groups worldwide, will form a key part of the offer. Their specially designed, lightweight, and colourful products make bowls instantly accessible to young people, encouraging participation, skill development, and confidence in a safe environment.
Lisa Graham, Managing Director of the BDA, said:
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Bowls Buddies. Their innovative approach perfectly complements our vision for broadening the reach of bowls within schools. This collaboration will significantly strengthen our ability to inspire more children to discover our sport and enjoy all the physical, social and wellbeing benefits it provides.”
Steve Clamp, Co-Founder of Bowls Buddies LLP, added:
“This partnership represents a fantastic opportunity to take bowls to the heart of school sport. Working with the BDA, the Youth Sport Trust and School Games Organisers, we look forward to giving even more young people the chance to try bowls in a way that is fun, inclusive and easy for teachers to deliver.”
Ian Gill, Co-Founder of Bowls Buddies LLP, also commented:
“When we set out with the Bowls Buddies concept, our aim was to introduce our products to schools across the country. Through this exciting partnership, that ambition has become a reality. When children try bowls for the first time, they love the sport and the challenges it provides, and we are excited to see how this can help build a new generation of players.”
Through coordinated programmes, shared expertise, and a commitment to innovation, the partnership will provide schools with a high-quality offer that aligns with national school sport priorities. Both the Bowls Development Alliance and Bowls Buddies LLP believe this collaboration marks an exciting step forward for the sport and for the development of future generations of bowlers.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Bowls Development Alliance – Schooldevelopment@bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com
Bowls Buddies LLP – Bowlsbuddies@gmail.com
Bowls Buddies 
Dear Bowls Buddies and Bowls Development Alliance Team, Congratulations on the announcement of your new partnership — it is inspiring to see such a strong, shared commitment to growing bowls through schools and the School Games network. I was particularly encouraged by the focus on enjoyment-led, inclusive activity and the clear alignment with the Youth Sport Trust framework. The evidence around engagement and accessibility strongly reflects what we are seeing on the ground in schools. Within our HWSSP partnership, we have been actively delivering bowls tasters, workshops, festivals, and competitions across our schools since 2022. The response from both pupils and staff has been extremely positive, particularly from young people who are less drawn to traditional competitive sports. Building on this success, we are also exploring the introduction of bowls this year across Welwyn Garden City & Hatfield SSP, St Albans SSP, and Hertsmere SSP, with the aim of widening participation and strengthening local pathways. My ambition — and long-term dream — is to see Bowls Buddies equipment in every one of our partnership schools, embedded within curriculum and enrichment provision, alongside the development of active school-based bowls clubs that create clear, sustainable routes into community clubs. I would be very keen to learn more about your partnership and explore how we might work together to make this vision a reality. I would welcome the opportunity to: * learn more about your joint project and future plans* explore how schools within HWSSP and other SSPs could be supported* share our current delivery model and insights from school engagement Please do get in touch — I would love to continue the conversation and explore how we can collaborate to inspire the next generation of young bowlers. Kind regards,Colleen ShelleyHWSSP Assistant📞 07905 356925 PSI have already purchased a set of Bowls Buddies sets and I use them regularly across all my workshops — they are a fantastic engagement tool and pupils really enjoy them. From a school-delivery perspective, I wondered whether there may be future scope to explore making the bowls slightly more robust and durable, similar to the older Just Bowls models. After under a year of use, some bowls are showing staining that is difficult to clean, and while the softer, squishy material is excellent for safety, a few pupils tend to pick at it, which has resulted in small divots. Please do take this as constructive feedback from regular school use — the concept is excellent, and I wanted to share practical insights from the field.
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Hello Colleen, we are really pleased that you have found Bowls Buddies have been so successful in engaging children within your SSP. Thank you for all your feedback, it is much appreciated.
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