Page 22 - May 2023

36 mat venue

Unbelievably Banned by

the Swedish Federation

The ongoing Swedish Question

Dear Bob Weafer, Indoor Bowler
Thank you for bringing up the problems that exist within the bowls movement in Sweden in your
magazine.Borgholm Bowls (BBs) is Sweden's largest bowls club and the only one to have its own
arena built exclusively for bowls. The arena accommodates 12 fixed mats, cafe, gallery, office, tech-
nical room for heating, ventilation and lighting. In two adjacent halls it works to roll out an additional
24 mats for larger competitions.
The club has very extensive activities with training for beginners and members, competitions,
pub evenings, company meetings. But also many activities in the local community where we help
with many arrangement. That's why we also have over 60 companies as sponsors and lots of support
in the whole municipality.In the Borgholm Bowls Arena, bowls are played seven days a week in dif-
ferent groups and in different levels, mornings, evenings, women's bowls, league games with nearby
clubs every week as well as local competitions once or twice a month. We have also made special
efforts, in collaboration with disability associations, to help people with disabilities play bowls.
BBs have been a member of SBF (Bowls Sweden) for many years. After the conflict between
SBF and Overby in connection with the World Champion in Sweden 2018, we have tried to act for
dialogue, cooperation and that all players must be able to meet, "Bowls for all". But the SBF's board
was against this direction with the result that they excluded us two
years ago, just like they did with Överby five years ago.
Over the years, many others have tried to bring about a change
in SBF, most recently Conny Sander in SBF's board during 2022, who
did several attempts to start a collaboration between all clubs. It was
also stopped by the SBF board with results that Conny Sander and his
club Hulterstad Bowls left SBF. All attempts to dialogue and reconcilia-
tion is stopped by a small group within SBF who primarily look out for
their own benefit and their own power. All talk about democracy and
the values of the sports movement, for example in Indoor Bowls, from
their side rings false when we all see how they act in reality. Together
with our bowls friends in SSMBA (the new association in Sweden) we
arrange national competitions and has players participating in SMPT
competitions, since many years.