Supporting a historic sport in a modern world
The British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA) sits at the heart of crown green bowls in the UK.
As the sport’s governing body, the BCGBA is responsible for:
- Overseeing rules and standards of play
- Supporting county associations, leagues and clubs
- Managing competitions and player registrations
- Promoting participation and long-term development
It acts as the central point of connection between thousands of players, clubs and volunteers — a role that is both vital and, historically, highly complex to manage.
A traditional system under pressure
Like many long-established sports, crown green bowls has faced challenges over recent decades.
Since its peak in popularity during the late 20th century, the sport has seen a gradual decline — driven by a number of factors:
- An ageing player demographic
- Increased competition from digital entertainment and alternative leisure activities
- The cost and upkeep of maintaining bowling greens
- A reduction in accessible facilities in some areas
And yet, the picture isn’t all decline.
There are clear signs of growth:
- Increased participation in certain regions
- A younger demographic emerging within competitive levels of the sport
- A strong appetite to modernise and evolve
The opportunity is there — but to realise it, the sport needs to adapt.
The challenge: modernising how the sport is managed
Behind the scenes, one of the biggest barriers to progress was administration.
Managing:
- Member records
- Club and league relationships
- Payments and renewals
- Communication across multiple levels of the organisation
…was a labour-intensive, manual process.
The existing system (including the use of third-party databases like JustGo) no longer aligned with the BCGBA’s ambitions.
The committee recognised the need for:
- A simpler, digitised system
- Greater self-service capability
- A platform that could act as a central interface between the governing body, clubs and members
A platform built for connection
From database to digital ecosystem
Working with Quiet Storm, the BCGBA began the transition to a fully bespoke CRM system — designed specifically around the needs of the sport.
The project started with a detailed scoping phase, including:
- Analysis of existing data structures
- Mapping relationships between members, clubs and associations
- Defining how each part of the system would integrate
What followed was the development of a platform that goes far beyond a traditional database.
Building strong foundations
At its core, the system provides:
- A centralised database for members, clubs and organisations
- Full data management capabilities (add, edit, delete, filter)
- The ability to attach notes and track interactions
- Clear system views for navigating large datasets
These “foundations” form the backbone of a scalable, future-ready platform.
The right access for the right people
Role-based access that reflects real-world structures
One of the key innovations is a multi-level permissions system, designed to reflect how the sport is actually organised.
Five distinct user roles have been created:
- National Administrator
- County Administrator
- Association / League Administrator
- Club Administrator
- General User
Each role has:
- A tailored interface
- Access only to relevant tools and data
This not only improves usability but also strengthens data security and governance.
Bringing structure to a complex network
The system introduces dedicated modules for:
- Member management (including contact details, communication history and affiliations)
- Club and league structures
- Relationships between counties, clubs and players
This creates a connected, structured view of the entire organisation — something that was previously difficult to achieve.
Self-service that reduces admin and improves experience
Empowering users at every level
A major objective of the project was to reduce administrative burden through self-service functionality.
The platform enables:
- New bowlers to register and pay a £15 lifetime membership fee
- Clubs to manage annual membership payments (£40), with optional insurance (£55)
- Automatic updates to records following transactions
- Notifications and reminders for outstanding fees
All payments are processed securely via an integrated payment gateway into a central BCGBA account.
Why it matters
This shift to self-service:
- Reduces manual admin for volunteers and administrators
- Improves accuracy of data
- Speeds up processes for members and clubs
- Creates a more professional, modern user experience
Data responsibility built in
Designed with GDPR at its core
Handling member data responsibly is critical.
The CRM includes:
- Consent tracking for data usage
- Tools to anonymise or remove inactive records
- Safeguards to prevent deletion of active members (ensuring lawful processing)
These features ensure the BCGBA can operate confidently within GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 requirements.
Supporting the sport’s wider ambitions
This digital transition is about more than efficiency.
It directly supports the BCGBA’s broader goals:
- Growing participation
- Supporting clubs in attracting younger members
- Breaking down outdated perceptions of the sport
- Delivering a modern, accessible experience
Alongside initiatives like the National Development Strategy and “8 Point Development Plan,” the platform provides the infrastructure needed to drive long-term growth.
From administration to insight
Enabling better decisions at every level
With accurate, accessible data, the BCGBA can:
- Understand participation trends
- Identify areas of growth or decline
- Support clubs more effectively
- Plan development initiatives with confidence
In short, it transforms administration into actionable insight.
A foundation for the future
For a sport rooted in tradition, change doesn’t always come quickly.
But with the right tools in place, it becomes possible.
The BCGBA’s new digital platform represents a significant step forward — helping the organisation modernise its operations, support its community, and create the conditions for crown green bowls to grow once again.
And that’s what this project is really about.
Not just managing the sport as it is today — but preparing it for what comes next.