Bowls Australia National Merchandising Program

For the past 10 years, the National Merchandising Program has played a key role in the development of bowls within Australia.

Implemented in mid-1997 and adopted by all state and territory associations by 2005, the NMP was established as a revenue source to help fund the development of the game, as well as its ongoing promotion.

As part of Bowls Australia’s commitment to educating and informing the bowls community on the NMP, BA is currently working with each and every one of its STA’s to formulate a communication plan.

With the program currently facing some genuine challenges, including the illegal acquisition of its logo by a number of non-licensees, the communications plan aims to provide greater education on the NMP, as well as the appropriate means to source the logo and the key stakeholders within the program.

As a direct consequence of these challenges, Bowls Australia recently released a document of frequently asked questions, which provides assistance to its members concerning the program.

The key areas the FAQ’s covers include:

Licensees
Retailers
NMP purpose/ objective
Dress regulations

Click here to see the full list of FAQ’s

While the FAQ’s have been developed as an educational tool, Bowls Australia is adamant that the integrity of the NMP must be retained, and as such, is currently working with its legal team to monitor and ensure that action is taken against anyone who is in clear breach of copyright and the Trade Marks Act.

The discovery of the BA logo being produced through unlicensed manufacturers, embroidery bodies or individuals is continually being addressed and in many cases this behaviour has been driven from club members, be it intentionally or unintentionally.

As a result, BA is currently addressing several breaches of its logo policy, ensuring that pivotal revenue that has been earmarked for the development of the sport is retained.

As time goes on, BA will continue to work with its STA’s to project clear messages on the appropriate means to acquire the BA logo, its representation and the importance of the NMP to the sport.