Tournament Licenses update

Following a decision of the Board of Bowls Scotland, from 2026, tournament licenses are not required for open/invitation tournaments held in Scotland.

This decision follows feedback from member clubs. Many clubs have told us they do not see value in purchasing tournament licenses. They have also felt a sense of unfairness that some clubs have run unlicensed competitions without any consequences.

The option to purchase tournament licenses has been removed from the Bowls Scotland website and JustGo. As a result, there will no longer be a listing on open competitions on the website. As part of the competitions review, we will consult with clubs and players on whether a free competition listing section on the Bowls Scotland website would be seen as helpful by clubs and players.

Commenting on the decision, Malcolm Dingwall-Smith, Bowls Scotland’s CEO said:

“We are committed to listening to feedback from our members. While tournament licenses have provided revenue to Bowls Scotland to support the development of the game throughout the country, following careful consideration of our overall budget and the decision of our members to approve an increase in affiliation fees in 2026, we are able to take this decision which we feel is in the best interest of our clubs”.