Metro Pennant Conditions of Play 2026-27

What’s Changed from 2025–26?

While much of the underlying Conditions of Play remains unchanged, there are several important changes affecting player eligibility, Pennant Permits, marquee players, rink draws, electronic scoring, finals, protected events and club responsibilities.

Top 10 Changes to be aware of

1. Pennant Permit applications must now be submitted seven days before Round 1.
2. A suspended permit player may become ineligible for both their Primary and Permit Club.
3. A new player residency rule determines when interstate/non-resident players count as Marquee Players.
4. World Bowls Champion of Champions and World Bowls Series are now protected events.
5. A Side Manager cannot also be the greenkeeper or greens director.
6. All Metropolitan Pennant rink draws now use the BowlsLink Shuffle Button.
7. Electronic scoring expands to Weekend Division 3 and Midweek Division 2.
8. During the final three rounds, a player who has played the majority of games higher up can only drop one side below that level.
9. Many Sectional Finals move from home-side venues to venues advised by BV.
10. Midweek 7-a-Side Division 2 finals change to 1 v 4 and 2 v 3.

Key Changes Clubs Need to Know

1. Pennant Permit Applications – New 7-Day Deadline

2025–26: Pennant Permit applications were required prior to Round 1.

2026–27: Applications must now be submitted to Bowls Victoria at least seven days prior to Round 1.

Applications will still not be considered after Round 1.

Impact: Clubs intending to use permit players need to identify and organise them earlier.

2. New Rule for Suspended Permit Players

A new provision has been added stating that if a player on permit receives a club-based suspension or higher, they are no longer eligible to play Pennant for either:

their Primary Club; or
the club they are permitting to.

This provision did not appear in the 2025–26 COP.

Impact: A suspension at either club may affect the player’s eligibility across both clubs.

3. New Player Residency Requirement

A new Player Residency provision has been introduced under the Marquee Player rules.

To be considered an eligible player, a player must reside:

in Victoria; or
interstate within a catchment that contains a Bowls Victoria affiliated club.

Players who do not meet this requirement will generally be counted within the club’s Marquee Player cap, although BV may grant exemptions.

Impact: Clubs recruiting interstate or travelling players should confirm their eligibility before selecting them.

4. Protected Events – The Nationals Clarified

The protection available for people involved in The Nationals has been clarified.

The 2025–26 wording referred more broadly to players, coaches, team officials and BA-appointed officials.

For 2026–27, the COP specifically states that:

one appointed coach and one appointed manager are considered Bowls Australia officials.

Other people outside those parameters do not receive protection.

Impact: Clubs cannot automatically seek Pennant protection because additional coaches or officials are attending The Nationals.

5. World Bowls Events Added as Protected Events

A completely new protected-event category has been introduced for:

World Bowls Champion of Champions; and
World Bowls Series.

Where two or more players from a Pennant side are participating, clubs may agree to play without the affected players, seek an alternative date, or have BV/the relevant Region nominate an alternative date where agreement cannot be reached.

6. Side Manager Cannot Also Be Greenkeeper or Greens Director

Previously, the Side Manager could not also be the umpire or controlling body.

The 2026–27 COP expands this restriction.

The Side Manager cannot be the:

Umpire;
Greenkeeper;
Greens Director; or
Controlling Body

for the game they are managing.

Impact: Home clubs need to ensure enough separate people are available to fill these roles.

7. Condition of Green – One-Hour Requirement Added

The Greens Director or their deputy continues to have authority to close a green after a game has commenced due to player safety and/or potential green damage.

The 2026–27 wording now specifically links this authority to the one-hour waiting requirement contained in the inclement-weather provisions.

Impact: A green should not simply be closed and the match abandoned immediately once play has commenced where the relevant one-hour waiting provision applies.

8. All Metropolitan Pennant Rink Draws Move to BowlsLink Shuffle

This is one of the biggest operational changes.

2025–26: The BowlsLink Shuffle Button was required for:

Weekend Premier Division
Premier Reserve
Weekend Division 1
Weekend Division 2
Midweek Division 1.

2026–27: All Metropolitan Pennant rink draws are to be conducted using the Shuffle Button in BowlsLink.

Impact: All Metropolitan clubs and Side Managers need to be comfortable entering teams correctly in BowlsLink before pressing Shuffle.

Remember: once the Shuffle Button is pressed, players cannot be altered within the teams.

9. Electronic Scoring Expanded

Electronic scoring through the BA Scoring App has also expanded.

2025–26

Electronic scoring was required for:

Weekend

Premier Division
Premier Reserve
Division 1
Division 2

Midweek

Division 1

2026–27

Electronic scoring is required for:

Weekend

Premier Division
Premier Reserve
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3

Midweek

Division 1
Division 2.

Impact: Weekend Division 3 and Midweek Division 2 clubs now need to be prepared to use electronic scoring.

10. Finals – Players Cannot Play Twice at the Same Stage

The 2026–27 COP expressly clarifies that the restriction on being named in more than one side in the same round also applies to finals.

For example:

a player who has played in one Semi-Final cannot then play another Semi-Final in the same Pennant competition;
the same principle applies to Preliminary Finals and Grand Finals.

This is an important clarification of finals eligibility and player movement.

11. Premier / Premier Reserve Player Movement Rules Updated

Because the Premier and Premier Reserve schedules differ from the lower divisions, the specific rounds and weekends governing player movement have been rewritten for the 2026–27 fixture.

The new COP includes specific restrictions around the corresponding Premier/Premier Reserve and Division 1-and-below rounds, including Rounds 13 and 14.

Impact: Selectors should not rely on last season’s round-number examples when determining whether a player may participate in both competitions.

12. New Restriction During the Final Three Rounds

The existing rule remains that, during the final three rounds, no side may include more than two players who have played the majority of their games in higher-graded sides.

A new restriction has now been added.

Where a player has played 51% or more of their games in higher-graded sides, they can only be included one side below the level at which they played the majority of their games.

Example: A player who has played the majority of their games in a club’s Division 2 side cannot simply drop several sides during the final three rounds.

Impact: This is an important new selection restriction for clubs with multiple sides.

13. Additional Reason for Abandonment by Agreement

A new provision has been added allowing a match to be abandoned by agreement for:

reasons approved by BV or the relevant controlling body.

The existing reasons—weather, safety, death of a player and government restrictions—remain.

Impact: This gives the controlling body greater flexibility to deal with exceptional circumstances not specifically contemplated by the COP.

14. Bowler’s Arm – Modification Rules Clarified

The 2025–26 COP allowed a player to change to another approved bowler’s arm if their arm became unplayable or was deemed modified.

The 2026–27 COP goes further and specifically states:

modifications to bowler’s arms are not permitted; and
the exception is replacement of the rubber grip on the bottom of the arm as it wears out.

Impact: Players and umpires now have much clearer guidance about what constitutes an allowable modification.

Changes to Finals

15. Sectional Final Venues

There has been a significant change to the venue arrangements for many Sectional Finals.

2025–26

In many divisions the Sectional Final was played at:

the venue of the winner of the Section Semi Final.

For example, this applied in Weekend Divisions 7 and 8.

2026–27

Many Sectional Finals are now listed as being played:

“at a venue to be advised by BV.”

Weekend Divisions 7 and 8 are examples.

This approach also appears throughout a number of Midweek and Weekend divisions.

Impact: Clubs should not assume that winning the earlier Section Semi-Final automatically gives them home-green advantage in the Sectional Final.

16. Midweek 7-a-Side Division 2 Finals Draw

There is a genuine change to the Division 2 finals draw.

2025–26

Semi-Final 1 – 2 v 4
Semi-Final 2 – 1 v 3.

2026–27

Semi-Final 1 – 2 v 3
Semi-Final 2 – 1 v 4.

Impact: Division 2 now uses the same 1 v 4 / 2 v 3 format as Division 1.

Administrative / Process Changes

17. Pennant Complaint and Exemption Forms Consolidated

Several separate links used in the 2025–26 COP have been replaced or redirected to the new Pennant Complaint / Exemption processes.

This includes areas such as:

green complaints;
attire complaints;
BowlsLink result reviews;
player exemptions; and
marquee-player complaints.

Impact: Clubs should use the current forms linked in the 2026–27 COP rather than saved bookmarks from last season.

18. Uniform Registration Process Changed

2025–26: Clubs were directed to a Uniform Registration Form.

2026–27: Clubs are instructed to email the club name, club contact, manufacturer and artwork to Bowls Victoria when registering uniform garments.

Impact: The administrative process for registering new uniforms has changed.

19. Weekend Rescheduled Game Provision Consolidated

The 2025–26 Weekend section separately stated that where a rescheduled game commenced and was subsequently abandoned, points would be allocated under the abandoned-game provisions.

The 2026–27 COP deals with the same circumstance under the preceding abandoned/rescheduled-game provisions and removes that additional clause.

Impact: This appears to be a consolidation rather than a change in intended outcome.

Areas That Are Substantially Unchanged

Our comparison indicates there has not been a material change to the underlying rules in several important areas, despite their new clause numbers.

These include:

pre-game practice requirements;
trial ends;
bowls identification discs;
basic uniform requirements;
music during Pennant;
live streaming requirements;
walkover notification requirements;
points for wins, ties and byes;
general finals eligibility of four games / six for permit or marquee players;
Midweek scheduled breaks;
Weekend scheduled breaks;
Midweek promotion and relegation; and
the majority of Weekend promotion and relegation provisions.

For example, the detailed pre-game practice requirements in both versions remain materially consistent.

Likewise, Midweek promotion and relegation remains substantially unchanged between the two seasons.

Questions?

Questions relating to the Conditions of Play should be directed to:

Josh Thornton 0474 741 177
Sam Rogers 0490 804 249
Ky Shennan 0481 812 221