Metro Pennant 2021/22 & Beyond

by Team BV


After years of conducting surveys and speaking to clubs, players and key stakeholders in our game, time for change has come.

Pennant playing numbers have declined year on year for several years, and we need to align our competition with the needs of today’s society, to ensure there is a future for pennant in our wonderful game. 

We’ve listened to feedback from across the sport and have worked to accommodate the below recurring requests:

  • A pennant format that is tailored for everyone, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
  • Removal of ‘double-headers’ for Division 2 and below.
  • A longer break over the Christmas period to enable clubs to maximise valuable commercial opportunities available during this peak time, and to cater to requests from Greenskeepers for a longer break during this period.
  • Clear and easier to interpret Conditions of Play, with ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for easy reference.


Pre-season Timeline

As we progress into the 2022/23 season, for most divisions there will need to be a reduction of sections at the end of the 2021/22 season, to get back to a fair and workable post-sectional finals system. This will mean at the end of the coming 2021/22 season, promotion and relegation will look different to what it has in the past, and will be dependent on the number of entries into the upcoming 2021/22 season. An update on what this looks like will be communicated, as per the timeline below (before the season starts), to allow clubs ample time to plan.

The desired outcome is to move all Weekend divisions from Division 2 downwards to 8 sections of 8 teams for the 2022/23 season, and all divisions in Midweek to 8 sections of 8 teams. The 6-a-side, 7-a-side and new 9-a-side competition section numbers will be dependant on entries received.


Weekend Metro Pennant Structure – Season 2021/22
Midweek Metro Pennant Structure – Season 2021/22

Pre-Season 9’s – a new competition for all of Victoria!

We’re delighted to announce a new competition, available to all clubs and regions across Victoria. Designed to take the hassle out of organising pre-season games, this new competition offers a variety of formats across a short period of time, for those who want a taster of what inter-club competition is all about.

The 9 players will play in the following format:

•             1 x rink of 4’s, playing 15 ends.

•             1 x rink of 2-bowl triples, playing 18 ends.

•             1 x rink of 3-bowl pairs, playing 18 ends.

This mixed format offers clubs the unique chance to trial players in various positions within a team/rink. Entries will be taken via your region, for Metro clubs this entry can be found along with all other competitions via the link above. Each region will communicate with their clubs the format of the divisions. Regions will also set the dates for their region, with the fixtures and results being managed within BowlsLink. Bowls Victoria will be managing the set-up of the competitions within BowlsLink for all regions.

There will be no entry fee for this inaugural year of the competition.