AusLeisure

Bowls Australia has joined forces with the Western Bulldogs (AFL) through its Community Engagement program, CALDplay in a unique partnership for the upcoming 2014 Australian Open, which begins today (Sunday 16th February) and runs through to Thursday, 20th February.

Bowls Australia recently announced that in 2014, the Australian Open would have a greater emphasis placed on engaging and involving various groups within the bowls and non-bowls communities to attend and enjoy the best that the sport of bowls has to offer at the country's richest event, the $140,000 Australian Open.

Through CALDplay, the Western Bulldogs Football Club has helped over 2,500 migrants and refugees from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds to engage with their new community through sporting activities including athletics, badminton, lawn bowls, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, water polo and Australian Rules.

In late 2007, CALDplay began working with newly arrived young people aged 18 to 25, who were studying English at Footscray Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES). In the space of four years, the program has grown to include multiple language centres across the West, with adults up to the age of 65 participating.

The visitors are taking part in a five week program, The Western Bulldogs CALDplay Sports Program, exposing migrants to unfamiliar sports - beginning with lawn bowls.

The migrants, many of whom will have never seen lawn bowls before, will not only watch some of the best bowlers in the world battle it out for the sport's most prestigious title but will also get the chance to have a try themselves and meet some of the stars of the sport face-to-face.

Over 120 members of the CALDplay group will attend Thursday's final day of the Australian Open when the men's and women's singles champions will be crowned.

The first AFL player of Taiwanese descent, 20-year-old Lin Jong of the Western Bulldogs, was on hand to launch the partnership between Bowls Australia and the CALDplay Sports Program at Victoria University Whitten Oval on Wednesday alongside members of the CALDplay program and Wayne Roberts from the Yarraville/Footscray Bowling Club who has qualified for the main draw of the 2014 Australian Open.

8th November 2013 - SOCIAL LINKS THE KEY MOTIVES FOR PARTICIPATION IN BOWLS

12th June 2013 - BOWLS AUSTRALIA ROLLS ON WITH IMG STG

25th August 2012 - BOWLS LAUNCHES NEW RADIO PROGRAM

25th May 2012 - SPORTS WITHOUT BORDERS CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS INCLUSION IN SPORT

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.