At MVP Sports we bring you 30 years of experience in assisting clubs and centres with determining their portable carpet requirements. As you will see below it's really easier than you thought!
Choosing Your Surface
A quick measurement of your available space will tell you which carpet is best suited for your facility. You should count on leaving at least 3-4' on either side of each carpet and at least 6' at each end. In a nutshell, if it's the 30' Carpet Bowling games you're looking at setting up you should have a space (per carpet) of between 40' - 42' long and 12' - 15' wide. It can be set up in smaller spaces but we think you'd be better with the dimensions we recommend above.
Choosing Your Equipment
Once you've chosen your carpet your choice will be easy for the playing equipment. You'll need some bowls, a few jacks a couple of delivery mats, all of which you can get from us, and as you'll see in Step 3 there will be a few items a handy club member will be able to make for you!
Choosing Accessories
Some extras are desirable but are not necessary. Every club has a handy person who, with a few lengths of wood, some screws and a little paint can make most of the items below. (Skill level indicated below) If you don't have a handyman or handywoman in your midst then we recommend taking your build needs to a local school and seeing if someone in their co-op, wood shop or community service program might be able to assist!
Carpet Bowling - 30'This game has been popular long before people even knew it was popular! Say what!?!?
It's true. Carpet Bowling has been played in church basements for close to 100 years. They had the space; they had the people; and most importantly they apparently were savvy enough to find out more information about the game... and of course get started!
Gradually, service clubs and more recently community and senior centres are understanding what a wonderful game this is. They are realizing how easy it is to keep their clientele active by taking part in a game of bowls.
They are also coming to understand that the game is quite easy to play, the rules are easy to learn and most of all the fun and fellowship that the players enjoy during a game are a given!
Most Carpet Bowlers enjoy the fact that the bowls themselves, at a diameter of just under 4", can be handled by anyone who wants to take part.
Short Mat Bowling - 45'This game has not been around as long as the 30' Short Mat Game. It was reportedly developed by outdoor bowlers who wanted to more closely emulate their outdoor game of Lawn Bowls. It was also borne out of a desire by the outdoor bowlers to use their own outdoor bowls.
Another reason that the 45' Short Mat game is not as well known or as broadly played is because it really does require more space. Whereas the Carpet Bowls game needs a space of perhaps only 42' x 12' to put down a single carpet, the Short Mat game requires at least 55' x 12' to play. Many facilities just do not have that extra 10' - 15' to spare for the Short Mat carpets.
Another reason is because the cost of the carpets, whether it be the Carpet Bowls or Short Mat carpet, are relatively expensive. We import our Verdemat carpets directly from Dales Sports Surfaces, the world's top Portable and Permanent Artificial Bowls Surface manufacturer. Shipping costs in recent years along with our devalued dollar have made setup a more expensive proposition.
Would it be less expensive to find a North American, or better yet, Made In Canada bowls surface? You bet! But it just hasn't happened as no carpet manufacturer seems interested in producing the same quality that you deserve.
Custom Length Carpets - You name the length!There is also the possibility of custom installations. Verdemat sports surfaces can be made to measure so you can set up anything from a full 8 rink indoor to even a smaller two rink green using, as some centres have done, their full basement to set up a more permanent facility.
One error that many clubs hoping to build a permanent Indoor Bowls Facility have made in the past was to go too large. Say what?!?
It's true! A few years ago, in conversation with Richard White of Dales Sports Surfaces, England (our supplier of the world famous Verdemat bowls surface) he noted that while it might be noble to plan on putting in a full 8 green indoor it would be more sagent to build 3 or 4 rink indoor facilities.
The next tab explains some of the reasons for planning smaller indoor centres
Please call or email us if you wish to have a custom quote provided.
Reasons to be sensible about the size of your new indoor!
There are several Verdemat models available to you.Please call or email for a quotation or to enquire about the availability of a specific carpet. We stock the Fast pace carpets as they are preferred by the majority of bowlers. Clubs wishing to decrease the speed of their playing surface can easily do so by placing an additional underlay beneath their carpet.
Prices will vary dependant on where the British £ sits at the time of Quote/Order.
For more information on any of the Portable Indoor Bowls Games please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
You may also wish to fill in the Portable Bowls Information Form and we will get back to you with the information you require to get up and running in the Portable Indoor game of bowls!
Don't get left out in the cold every winter. Get indoors and get Bowling!
