Scottish Women & Girls in Sport Week 2024 - Jaclyn Neil
To celebrate Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week 2024, we are profiling a number of inspirational females that we are fortunate to have involved in bowls. First up is 25-year-old Jaclyn Neil from Arthurlie Bowling Club.
Jaclyn began bowling at the age of 10 alongside her twin brother, Jonothan, after being encouraged to take up the sport by her family. Her dedication and commitment ensured she continued to progress as one of the most talented young female players in the Renfrewshire area.
Despite already gaining international caps at under 25 level indoor, 2024 was set to be Jaclyn’s big breakthrough year as she qualified for the Bowls Scotland National Championships in both the Ladies U25 Singles and Ladies Singles.
After winning a bronze medal in the Ladies U25 Singles in the first half of the week, Jaclyn regrouped and battled her way through five straight knockout matches to be crowned one of the youngest ever winners of the Bowls Scotland Ladies National Singles title. A run which featured an impressive quarter-final victory over defending champion Emma Mitchell and a 21-15 triumph over Coylton’s Donna Clark in the final which was live streamed on the BBC Sport Scotland website.
We spoke to Jaclyn to find out more about her bowls journey. Read the full Q&A below.
Q1. When and how did your bowls journey begin?
JN: “I started when I was 10 along with my brother, my dad had just passed his coaching qualification and set up a junior section at our first club. A year later moved to Arthurlie Bowling Club, where we’ve been ever since. It’s always been a family sport for us.”
Q2. What’s your favourite thing about bowls?
JN: “I like how competitive and inclusive it is. You never know who you can come up against, whether it’s age, ability or even gender in some competitions. The people you meet and friendships you make as well make it all the more fun.”
Q3. How did it feel to win this year’s Ladies National Singles title?
JN: “I honestly don’t think it has fully sunk in yet and don’t think it will for a while. It was such an amazing but also slightly overwhelming feeling. Having my friends and family there supporting me meant so much.”
Q4. What does the sport need to do more of to encourage young women and girls like yourself to participate?
JN: “I would say that everyone should have equal opportunities as sometimes it feels that female standards are lowered in comparison to men's.
“Also, a lot of women’s competitions happen during weekdays and the majority of young girls and women are in full time education or work which means they are unable to go out and represent their club and counties and to prove their ability.
“We need to encourage clubs and associations for equal chances, either with more flexibility or more opportunities to play in the evenings or at weekends.”
Q5. Do you have any ambitions that you would like to achieve in the future?
JN: “I’m looking forward to going and representing Scotland at the British Isles Championships next year, I’ve not played at international level outdoors so I’m excited to see how it goes. I will also hopefully be participating in the World Bowls Champion of Champions singles event following that as well.”
A huge thanks to Jaclyn for taking time out of her busy schedule to share more details about her bowls journey. Over 16,000 women and girls currently participate in bowls throughout Scotland, if you are keen to get involved find your nearest club here: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/club-finder