If you’ve stopped by your local bowls club recently and noticed a change in demographic – it turns out you’d be right.
With the cost of living tightening pockets across all ages, young people are now opting to hang out at their local bowlo on an evening or weekend, enticed by the cheaper booze and relaxed vibes.
With 64 bowls clubs across the Perth metro area, Doubleview Bowling Club president David Cosgrove said their venue – one of the biggest in the area – noticed an uptick in people aged between 18 and 30 over the past few years.
“We started a Sunday session a couple of years ago that had a DJ outside … drink specials and promotions. So we’re fairly proactive in that space now,” Cosgrove told this masthead.
“I think the main reason people hang out here is because we’ve got $10 pints every day, compared to one I had the other day which was $15 for the same thing.
“So all of a sudden, on a Friday and Saturday night, come like 7pm or 8pm, we now probably get 30 to 40 young people come in and start hanging around.”
Free pool and darts, food trucks and pop-up kitchen experiences help draw in crowds of all ages.
“[The evening] is basically the space where our bowling club members aren’t there any more, but we’re still open as more of a community hub. We don’t like to say that we’re a bar or a tavern, but more a community hub for people, for locals to come for a drink,” Cosgrove said.
“We’ve made our pool free, so that’s attractive to young people because they can come around and play pool for an hour or so, and have a few beers … and we’ve got lots of TVs, two Fox stations, so we put all the footy and sports on.”
And the $25 annual social membership includes discounted drinks – and an entry into the Chase the Ace competition.
Meanwhile, down the road and closer to the coast, “the club with the million-dollar view” – Mosman Park Bowling Club – has also noticed an increase in memberships for people in their early 20s.
Club president Steven Swanson believes a combination of the views, cheaper alcohol and overall good vibes are behind the uptick in attendance.
“Sometimes [young people will] come up for a drink … and then they start playing bowls, and next thing you know, they’re back again the next week,” Swanson said.
A social membership is a bit pricier than Doubleview – $50 for the year, with discounted drinks and bowls games. However, Swanson said the newfound interest from young folks is vital to the success of bowling clubs in WA.
“It’s absolutely vital because if they’re not coming through, the club dies, that’s the long and short of it,” he said.
“If they don’t know we’re here, and they’re not coming, and they’re not enjoying the space, then bowling clubs just won’t be around.
“From a bowling club’s perspective, the more energy they can put into the younger audience, the better.”
Further down the coast at the North Freo Bowlo, they’ve also noticed a younger crowd taking part in evening and weekend bowls.
Having just re-opened a year-and-a-half ago, the club actively sought to attract a wide demographic of members.
North Freo Bowlo co-chair Julia Jones said she thought the change in interest is due to young people trying to get offline and doing more physical and face-to-face activities.
“They want to put their phones down, they want a game or an activity, and also young people are healthier, looking for less options that don’t include so much alcohol,” she said.
“We do sell alcohol, but we also have a great range of non-alcoholic drinks, and we have food trucks, and I think that really adds to it as well, so it’s just a much healthier way for young people to socialise.”
A social membership to the club costs $40 a year and gives members access to a pint of beer for $9.
“We say it’s always happy hour for members,” Jones said with a laugh.
North Freo local Michele Hannibaldsen joined the club at the beginning of May and opted to host her 28th birthday there.
“I thought ‘What should I do for my birthday?’ and I figured it would be quite nice just going there,” she said.
“People came with the food, and we just had a big spread of different things, and had some games, and it was good fun.”
Hannibaldsen said the whole atmosphere of the bowls club is what drew her into becoming a member.
“Of course the sport is fun, but it’s just having that upside where you can be competitive if you want to, but you can also just catch up with your friends,” she said.
“It’s just super nice, and slow-paced … and you don’t need to drink if you don’t want to. I think that’s the whole thing about it. There are no expectations, you just show up, and you can do whatever you want.”
The City of Fremantle also noticed the change in socialising habits of its younger residents and opted to host this year’s Hidden Treasures music series at local bowls clubs.
The festival will transform the North Freo Bowlo and Hilton Park Bowling Club into multi-stage hubs featuring pop-up stages, silent discos and performances.
“Hidden Treasures has always been about encouraging audiences and artists to discover unexpected places through live music,” City of Fremantle manager of arts Sarah Wilkinson said.
“Bowling clubs felt like a natural next step because they’re increasingly evolving into vibrant social and cultural spaces that attract younger audiences through more casual, community-led programming.”
“These venues already have deep local connections and a strong sense of community identity, and we saw an opportunity to help reinvigorate them through live music and shared cultural experiences.
“After many years presenting Hidden Treasures in the city centre, this also felt like the right moment to extend the festival into surrounding neighbourhoods and celebrate a different side of Fremantle’s creative community.”
Hidden Treasures will run at the North Freo Bowlo on June 11 at 5.30pm and at the Hilton Park Bowling Club on June 18 at 5.30pm.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
