Brad Hogg Bowls Ambassador
Ex WA and Australian cricketer Brad Hogg will once again roll down a bowl this summer – but this time as the Bowls WA Sport Ambassador.
Hogg will pull on the blue and gold of the Manning Eagles where his father Greg is the current club President and mother Sue one of Australia’s leading bowls officials. Hogg has already committed to midweek competition and Saturday’s when his cricket commentary commitments allow.
His role as a Bowls Ambassador will see him the face of the sport in a concentrated social media campaign this summer, promoting the many opportunities that bowling clubs as community hubs bring. This is an important aspect now of Hogg’s life as he promotes the message of community support at a personal level.
As the SPORT FOR LIFE bowls offers a healthy outlet for people of all ages, gender and ability with many clubs offering not only bowls, but a range of other activities such as pool, darts, dance classes, function venues, meals and of course the ice-cold refreshment at the end of the day in a safe, secure environment.
To kick it all off he has starred in a new video, dragging in his new clubmates to show the many options available to bowling club members – playing or just social. As could be expected it is a light-hearted look at the sport as he transitions from the cricket ball to the lawn bowl.
Hogg noted that “after 30+ years of cricket, my knees, hips, shoulder and most other body parts had experienced a fair level of wear and tear, but I still have that competitive instinct to compete. Bowls is the perfect outlet for me, because I had to be quite selfish to have the career in cricket that I did. I trained alot. I was away alot. I missed alot of family moments. Now I get to spend some quality and competitive time with my parents, my daughter and even my non-sporty wife as they can play too, so it’s a whole family experience.
I can also aim for high levels of competition if I am good enough.
There’s also such a great community feel about a bowls club, and I need to replace that team and club support chain or I’d go mad and become very isolated missing my past if I didn’t do something active and social. The Bowls Club for me is just like a cricket team, with loads of experienced mentors and team mates that really embrace newcomers. I spend a lot of time laughing, on and off the green.
The thing is, a Bowls Club is so much more than people know and so easy to access for people with limited physical abilities or knowledge – whether they play the game or just join in the community events, because they have strong, welcoming communities.
I’m really looking forward to honing my skills and competing to the best of my ability. Is Bowls campaigning as an Olympic sport by any chance … hope so!’
For further information contact Aaron Delaporte Bowls WA Operations Manager 9340 0800
