Our state teams are our elite squads who compete at a national level around the country; going head-to-head with the various States and Territories.
Bowls Victoria supports a large number of volunteer staff who assist in guiding, support and managing our state team representatives, which include national and world champion bowlers who represent our sport on the world stage and proudly call Victoria home.
SENIOR SQUADS
Each season our Men’s team and Women’s team contest several interstate Test matches against individual states. The Test Series competition culminates in the Australian National Sides Championship which sees all the States and Territories take on one another. Each team is 12-strong and contest in Fours events.
UNDER-18 SQUADS
The Under-18 State Program focuses on the growth and development of Victoria’s best Under-18 bowlers. Bowlers learn skills on and off the green. Our junior team (five boys and five girls) play test matches against South Australia in January and Tasmania in July, ahead of the Under-18 National Championships in the first week of October.
OVER 60s SQUADS
Victoria’s Over-60 team trials in September before competing once a year in the Australian Senior State Sides Competition against each of the other states and territories.
THE ARMED VICS
The Armed Vics are our Bowling Arm squad, a state representatives’ team for bowlers with a Bowling Arm. Each year the team compete in the National Arm Bowlers Championships in September, which Victoria are a seven-time winner (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). In 2011 the first interstate challenge was played between Victoria and NSW, which has expanded into an annual interstate tournament.
DISABILITY SQUADS
Bowls Victoria has elite pathways for bowlers with a disability in our four Victorian Disability squads for: bowlers with a hearing impairment, bowlers with an intellectual disability, bowlers with a physical disability and bowlers with a vision impairment.
VIC SCHOOLS SQUAD
Our VIC Schools Squad compete in the Australian Schools Super Series, currently contested between Victoria, New South Wales CHS and Queensland and is growing each year. The Victorian team is made up of 15 students from across the state from Years 5 to 12.