The game of bowls dates back to the time of Sir Frances Drake and possibly even earlier and is a gentle but competitive sport exercising the body and possibly more importantly, the mind. Whilst it carries the reputation of being a sport for the elderly, this is far from true. Yes many of our members are retired but most of the best players in the world are younger than 40 and we are fortunate to have a number of younger players who often represent the club at county level. We also host Under 25 County competitions with superb players as young at 11 years old. The beauty of the sport is that you can play from 10 and into your 90’s (or older) and many times, our older players show the youngsters how the game is played properly because there are a lot of tactics involved as well.
Ilford Indoor Bowls Club was formed in 1937 and moved to its current home in Perrymans Farm Road Newbury Park in 1986 when it also changed its name to Ilford and District Indoor Bowls Club Ltd. We have now become a leading centre of excellence for indoor lawn bowls, serving the people of Redbridge and many surrounding areas with members coming from Essex, Herts and East London. Renowned for its welcoming and friendly atmosphere, we are open from September to April each year and offer first class bowls facilities to women and men of all ages and abilities. Our coaches and experienced bowlers are on hand to offer help and advice to all. New members are more than welcome. We have a full internal league program and club competitions throughout the season complimented with inter-club matches and County competitions on a regular basis. But if you are not that competitive, just come along for a roll up (practice match) or just for a drink and a snack in our lounge and bar with friends or fellow members. We also have a number of popular social events throughout the season including Gala Days, Open Days and quizzes for all to enjoy. All this at really competitive prices.
This year we replaced our playing green so we now have one of the best surfaces in the Country with thanks to Sport England who have supported us with a substantial grant. As a thank you to them, we will be looking to open our doors and offering our facilities to Disabled Bowls England, Visually Impaired Bowls England, groups representing the lonely and recently bereaved and BAME communities in the Borough.
This is a game for all ages, denominations, abilities and genders.
If you do not try it, you will never know what you are missing.
Give us a call on 020 8597 6040 or visit us on Facebook – Facebook.com/Ilfordibc or Twitter – @Ilfordibc for further information.
