YOUTH ACADEMY
Are you aged 8 to 18 and want to learn to play bowls? Come and join our Academy
At Newport Pagnell Bowls Club, we’re delighted to run an Academy for junior players aged 8 to 18 years of age. This is rare in the world of bowls, so we consider ourselves very fortunate to be in a position to offer the opportunity to local youngsters.
The Academy is open to all juniors looking to try their hand at bowls. It has new intakes every 6 weeks during the summer season (May to September) and meets on Mondays from 5.30pm to 6.45pm.
The first six training sessions are completely free of charge. After that anyone wanting to continue with the Academy is asked to join the Club for a small fee.
Training is based around a structured programme run by qualified coaches.
Classes are based on the experience, skill & age of the junior and the Academy Manager works with the juniors and their parents to determine the speed of progress through the grades.
Members are encouraged to play against their peer group and, when ready, represent the Club in both friendly and competitive games.
Ultimately the most successful juniors will be invited to attend the North Bucks Bowls Academy which is based at the Clun from where youngsters are selected to play at County and National level.
Programme:
Our 2025 programme will appear here soon
Equipment:
Initially there is no requirement for juniors to purchase any equipment, Bowls are available for beginners to use – many go on to purchase their own set so as to get totally comfortable with the unique behaviour of different styles but advice will be given before money is spent!
Clothing:
We ask that you wear flat-soled shoes or trainers on the green in order to protect the grass, and, to uphold some of the traditions of bowls, we ask that juniors wear predominantly white shirts, with black or grey bottoms (knee length or longer).
Youth Academy Team
Fran Llewellyn
Academy Manager
Fran is a very experienced county player and level 1 coach and as a former nurse uses her past professional experience to be the Club’s Safeguarding Officer.
Howard Jones
Head Coach
Howard is Head Coach for both the Club and County.
In 2021-22 he was awarded “Coach of the Year” by both Coach Bowls and Bowls England and uses his vast experience to introduce ground-breaking training programmes for our youngsters.
Valerie Hayward
Academy Secretary
Unfortunately, an ongoing shoulder injury prevents Valerie playing bowls as much as she would like, but she is actively involved in the management of the Club as Assistant Secretary and a member of the Social Events Team.
Adults from the Club who work with the Academy have current DBS certificates and are supervised by a fully qualified Safeguarding Officer.
See our Safeguarding Policy
