Question about church leagues

[billf]

Our alley doesn't have one and we need more leagues for the summer. How are they normally set up? Church vs church? What day is usually best? Any input is appreciated.

I'm also trying to start a youth/adult leauge on Sunday afternoons. With all the single parents out there I figure it would be an inexpensive thing for them to do. Still an idea in progress but I was thinking $10 per pair, includes shoes, fountain soda and a pizza. $8 for each additional bowler minus the pizza. So a parent with two kids can bowl three games each, have a soda and pizza for $28.
These would be non-sanctioned leagues so that helps keep the prices low (no prize fund).

[J Anderson]

Our alley doesn't have one and we need more leagues for the summer. How are they normally set up? Church vs church? What day is usually best? Any input is appreciated.

I'm also trying to start a youth/adult leauge on Sunday afternoons. With all the single parents out there I figure it would be an inexpensive thing for them to do. Still an idea in progress but I was thinking $10 per pair, includes shoes, fountain soda and a pizza. $8 for each additional bowler minus the pizza. So a parent with two kids can bowl three games each, have a soda and pizza for $28.
These would be non-sanctioned leagues so that helps keep the prices low (no prize fund).

Some times a large church will set up its own league and will organize it's members into teams. Most of the time church leagues are set up so each team represents a church and churches may have more than one team.

The church league that I'm most familiar with was started in 1941 by four churches that had decided that duck pin bowling would be a good to encourage friendship between Christians of different denominations. The league reached a peak of about 16 five man teams representing about 12 churches. Most of the churches were in Norwalk, with one from Darien and a couple from Wilton.

The connections between the teams and their churches has faded over time. In the 1980s when one team brought the championship trophy to church the Sunday after the banquet, the minister's reaction was a shocked, "We have a bowling team?" We are now at the point where several teams have no church connection at all.

I think the place to start would be to contact the pastors of the local churches and at least some of the church council members (Deacons or trustees) and let them figure out what day works best.

[ecub]

Our alley doesn't have one and we need more leagues for the summer. How are they normally set up? Church vs church? What day is usually best? Any input is appreciated.

I'm also trying to start a youth/adult leauge on Sunday afternoons. With all the single parents out there I figure it would be an inexpensive thing for them to do. Still an idea in progress but I was thinking $10 per pair, includes shoes, fountain soda and a pizza. $8 for each additional bowler minus the pizza. So a parent with two kids can bowl three games each, have a soda and pizza for $28.
These would be non-sanctioned leagues so that helps keep the prices low (no prize fund).

Youth/Adult league for $10? Who is going to pay for the soda and pizza? On an average, most bowling centers lineage fees are around $10. This fee is for an individual to bowl 3 games. Then you have to additional money if you want prize money, food/drinks, etc. Talk with someone at the bowling center regarding lineage fee for a non-sanctioned league. Then start figuring out if you want to add food/drinks & shoes.

As far as summer leagues. If you want to start a church league, consult with the members to see what works best. I'm assuming Sunday during the day won't work, but maybe later in the evening, like 5pm? This will give people time to get home and relax before the work week starts.

[Koontzy]

Depends on how you want to run it... The church leagues I have been a part of have teams from differant churches. You can have more than one team from a church. My church had two teams. the total league had 12 teams I think, and we set it up to have the bowling on Saturday afternoons.

[GeorgiaStroker]

Around here the church league is set up by teams rather than church vs. church. The larger churches may have several teams and the small churches only one, or even 2 churches combining to form one team. The main thing they are usually concerned about is that there are no alcohol sales during the league or nobody playing inappropriate music on the jukebox etc...They want to be sure of a family friendly atmosphere. As to what day, it's probably best to offer several options and let the bowlers decide. Many churches have mid-week services, others would not allow it on their particular sabbath day. The adult youth league sounds fun. Would like to have something like that here.

[backlasher]

Sounds like a good idea. If there's a minister's alliance in your town that would be a good place to start. We had one with nearly all denominations as members. All the other ideas are good too, Family friendly etc.

[scottymoney]

Our church league is set up with anyone being able to join, you don't have to really have a church per team. My team is actually made up of 4 guys from 3 different churches. Anyway, we are a very friendly league and try not to create too many rules to push anyone out. We have a team or 2 that do drink but they don't get crazy. It is all in good fun and that's the way we want to keep it. Each night before we start practice we have a league prayer which most guys come over and do.

I am the commissioner of our area church softball league, now that is more structured and we have about 8-10 churches each year during the summer that play. It is a fun time and it is set up church vs. church. Most teams create their own rules like you must attend a service each week to be eligible to play, but we don't monitor it all as a league. I use the rule mainly to help manage the number of guys I have each week as our team has an over abundance of players.

Well back on topic, it is worth a shot and if you get the right people to start it will grow itself.

[Hammer]

Our church league was set up by members of our church. We asked the members of our church in the church bulletin who would like to join a church league. If we needed extra bowlers the church members were told to ask friends to join our league. They set an age limit of at least 16 years old to be a participant. The league is non-sanctioned to be cheaper with cost. We charge enough per night so at the end of the end of the season every team gets prize money depending on what place your team finishes. Plus money for stuff like mens and womens highest scratch game on highest team scratch series and so on. We set it up for our league to bowl every other Saturday at 6PM. This has been going on for 27 years.

[YODA]

Our church league was set up by members of our church. We asked the members of our church in the church bulletin who would like to join a church league. If we needed extra bowlers the church members were told to ask friends to join our league. They set an age limit of at least 16 years old to be a participant. The league is non-sanctioned to be cheaper with cost. We charge enough per night so at the end of the end of the season every team gets prize money depending on what place your team finishes. Plus money for stuff like mens and womens highest scratch game on highest team scratch series and so on. We set it up for our league to bowl every other Saturday at 6PM. This has been going on for 27 years.


WOW 27 years? Sounds like it is going good then.... I would like to see a church league in my area get started, but the nearest bowling alley itself is 45 mins away, so makes it hard to really do it around here...

[Mike White]

WOW 27 years? Sounds like it is going good then.... I would like to see a church league in my area get started, but the nearest bowling alley itself is 45 mins away, so makes it hard to really do it around here...

Maybe with enough donations, the church could put a few lanes on church property.

[ArtVandelay]

Get a team from each denomination and tell them whoever wins is right.....?

Thats what I would do....

[billf]

Youth/Adult league for $10? Who is going to pay for the soda and pizza? On an average, most bowling centers lineage fees are around $10. This fee is for an individual to bowl 3 games. Then you have to additional money if you want prize money, food/drinks, etc. Talk with someone at the bowling center regarding lineage fee for a non-sanctioned league. Then start figuring out if you want to add food/drinks & shoes.

As far as summer leagues. If you want to start a church league, consult with the members to see what works best. I'm assuming Sunday during the day won't work, but maybe later in the evening, like 5pm? This will give people time to get home and relax before the work week starts.

Our normal summer league fee is $10. Our sanctioned leagues, including lneage, are $12 & $13. That includes prize fund, secretary fees, etc. Naturally before finalizing anything I would need the owner's stamp of approval. To help keep costs down I would run the league myself and the alley during that time so it would save him labor cost too.

[chrono00]

Our normal summer league fee is $10. Our sanctioned leagues, including lneage, are $12 & $13. That includes prize fund, secretary fees, etc. Naturally before finalizing anything I would need the owner's stamp of approval. To help keep costs down I would run the league myself and the alley during that time so it would save him labor cost too.

At this point shouldn't u just live in the back to save yourself money on a regular rent/mortgage when sleep is probably the only time your home more than bowling lol

[barcar]

I bowl in a ten team church league on Tuesday night.
The only thing we say is only water or sodas at league.
As far as the price fund goes we take what every funds we have and donate it to a local charity at the end of each season.
We have received some very nice thank you letters from the the different charities we have donated to.
We also do a quick league pray before each league night begins.
There is at this point one church that has two teams, but the roster has to be set at the beginning of the year, so one team can not be loaded up, when they are bowling a tough lineup/team.
I ended up getting invited to bowl on Thursday night by one of the league members, and we have since got about 7 guys from the church league bowling in what can only be called a NON-church league, but still have a great time in both leagues.

[billf]

Thank you all for the input. I really want to increase our league members and get more of a family atmosphere at the lanes.

Between work and bowling I am pretty much only home to shower and sleep. It's gotten so bad at times, like this past Thursday and Friday, that I even forgot to eat. I realized it Saturday after youth leagues when I was practicing and almost passed out. When I told my wife she said she just assumed I ate at the bowling alley and confirmed I ate nothing at home those days. Good thing she is a facebook junkie and doesn't mind me bowling every day.