Club History

Mann Park Lawn Bowling Club (MPLBC) began in 1957 when Bill McPherson & Percy Cowley met with Jim Hazlett & Walter Hunter to talk about constructing a lawn bowling green on land originally donated in 1947 by Miss Ellen Mann & Miss Emily James at 14560 North Bluff Road.  With hard work and determination these two men spent countless hours screening and levelling the soil and planting the grass that is now are greens area.

​Lawn bowling started on May 21, 1960, with the official opening on July 30, 1960 with 78 members present, plus a wide variety of guests from other clubs.  There was a $20 membership fee for men, $10 for ladies and a $5 fee for Social members. New members paid a $15 Initiation fee and a $15 membership fee.

Like from the beginning of the club, social events continue to be a prominent aspect of social life at Mann Park.  We host Fun Nights, and various holiday-related events where members join in to have fun and be social.  Various card and board games are played during Fun Nights and members have a very fun time sharing stories and memories about lawn bowling and life in general.

Volunteering has been basic to the life of the bowling club over the last 50 years. Ladies have been very busy over the years: in the kitchen, preparing teas; dinners, banquets, holding sales, keeping the flower garden or taking executive positions within the club.  A volunteer roster is established in the spring and members are expected to sign up for kitchen duty and to help out at club tournaments or inter-club visitations. Over the years the ladies have primarily been responsible for keeping the social aspects of the club running in high gear.  

Maintenance on the club house, the green, and the grounds has largely fallen to the men.  Preparation in April for the new bowling season, regular cutting of the green and the associated fertilizing, watering, and repair has mostly done by volunteers over the years, but since 2008 a professional groundskeeper has done much of this work. Coring and sanding of the green in late September before putting the green to bed for the winter is a major volunteer effort. Maintenance of the grounds, benches, and club house are some of the many volunteer opportunities.    Regular Friday volunteer maintenance crews, along with seasonal volunteer crews have kept the club in pristine shape.

The Mann Park Lawn Bowling Club is governed by its members. General Meetings are held in the Spring and Fall to determine Club policy and procedures. The executive for the following year is elected in the Fall.  

There are a number of levels of competition at Mann Park Lawn Bowling Club.  The afternoon drop in allows members to enter their names in an afternoon draw and play with a team drawn up by the Draw Master. This provides an entertaining and enjoyable game for the participants.  Evening League Play allows member to sign up in fixed teams or teams that will be made up to play regular evening competitions.  Special events and competitions allows members to enter into competitive play in one to four day events.  Vancouver and District play allows teams to enter into competitions hosted by member clubs throughout Greater Vancouver.  Provincial competitions involve round robin tournaments to determine the best in the Province. Gold medal winners in the BC Provincials then are eligible to enter the Canadian National Championships.  Mann Park LBC has had some very successful bowlers who have won gold in the BC Provincial Championships and have gone on to success in the Canadian Nationals.