With their unique management system and competitions portal, Poole software, web and marketing agency b4b has transformed the world of bowls for club admins and players alike.
The company’s proprietary system, Bowlr, has already been rolled out to over 110 bowls clubs nationwide, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Billed as a membership and league management system for indoor and outdoor bowls clubs, Bowlr streamlines club admin, provides a simple platform for running competitions and leagues, and lets players manage their bookings from anywhere using their mobile device.
As well as working with local clubs, b4b’s software developers were recently commissioned by the sport’s national governing bodies, Bowls England and the EIBA, to create bespoke competitions portals to help streamline admin and improve the player experience. b4b have also worked at county level, developing systems for both the Essex and Sussex County Bowling Associations.
Alistair Hollis, Head of Sport Development at Bowls England, said: “We have been delighted to work with Bowlr to develop our competitions portal over the past few years. We now have a robust system that enables us to manage our events from the first round to the national finals. The team behind Bowlr is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the sport, which makes all the difference.”
Anthony Tilley, MD of b4b (pictured), says: “It’s been an honour to work with some of the sport’s biggest names. We have ambitious plans for growth, and within the next few years we want to be in as many bowls clubs across the UK as possible. We also plan to take on the international market.”
Excitingly, the Bowlr system also has applications for other sports clubs, such as curling and netball. Anthony adds: “The possibilities are almost endless, and we see the Bowlr system being an established fixture in the wider sporting world.”
A smartphone app is also currently in the works, which will give players complete control over their club membership and rink bookings at the touch of a button. It will also make communication between club management and members even easier.
Ken Joy, Club Manager at Dolphin Indoor Bowls Club (England’s largest indoor bowls club, and the first to start using Bowlr) says: “Bowlr has completely revolutionised how we run our club. It simplifies pretty much all of our admin, and our players love it too. It’s been great to work with Bowlr since the very beginning, and we’re excited to see it continue to go from strength to strength.”