The Haifa Lawn Bowling Club is in immediate danger of closing • "Suddenly we found ourselves in a big mess"

After 40 years of activity - the lawn bowling club in Haifa is in danger of closing

(haipo) - The Haifa Municipality is working to return to its ownership the fields used as a club for playing lawn tennis located in the southern entrances of the city. The management of the club, which has been operating for decades and is the only one that exists in the north, were surprised when they realized that they had to vacate the premises within a few days and claim that if this comes to fruition, a club that serves dozens of players, including blind players, will be closed, and there will be no replacement.

40 years of lawn bowling in Haifa

The grass volleyball club in Haifa is located on an urban area that was allocated to it in the loan agreement in 1982. "In the beginning, we received the area for 3 years, and later our ownership was extended again and again, and so it was until 2022," explains the club's captain, Shlomo Armoni. "The club is located between the tennis center and the Ana Hostel on the southern slopes of Haifa, in an area of ​​7.2 dunams. This is an area that was rugged when we received it. In the beginning, according to the agreement, a shack was built on it, at our expense. Most of the club's costs came from donations from abroad and members.

We started with one lot and later another lot was built and opened. Since 1988, the club has had two pitches, the size of each of them is 40 m by 40 m, and they are covered with grass."

About the uniqueness of the lawn bowling game, Aramoni says: "Bowling is played on grass, the length of the lane is 38 m. The court is divided into 6-7 lanes, each lane is 4.5 m wide. You roll the target ball and move it left and right, with the goal being to throw the balls so that they are as close as possible to the target ball.

"will lead to the death of the club"

"At the club's 30th anniversary celebrations, the mayor of the city, Yona Yahav, came, presented a beautiful picture and also a support of NIS 20,000. In general, the municipality supported the club, until 2022 we asked to continue the allocation for another 10 years, then the property division came and last year we received a letter in which we were told that they would like to reduce the allocation and request that we return half of the parking lot and one of the fields, for the benefit of other sports activities." .

"Why did you take from us?"

"Next to the club there is a pit area that belongs to the municipality. In recent years, this area has been used as a parking lot. The property committee recommended that the areas be taken from us and it is not clear to us why our allocation should be compromised instead of utilizing this area. We wrote the municipality a letter of response and explained that if their request is implemented, it will lead to the death of the club."

The letter was sent to the late Alexandra, the secretary of the club

"We waited for a new city council to be formed so that we could present our arguments, so that the allocation would not be partially canceled. It turned out that no one told us that last May a meeting of the allocations committee had already taken place and at this meeting it was decided that the entire area would be taken from us. In early June, the city council approved the taking the area without any discussion on the subject.

The letter about not approving the allocation was sent to our club's secretary, the late Alexandra Tirosh, so we never received it. The president of our club, Harry Katz, received a phone call on Sunday of this week, in which he was told that they wanted to coordinate the evacuation of the property. That's how we found out That a letter was sent that, as mentioned, did not reach us at all. On Tuesday, they sent the same letter asking us to vacate the area by July 19, 07. Since then, there has been a big mess."

"There will be no other pitch"

"It's a sport for people of all ages. Students from the Technion come to us and play alongside older people. The students are obliged to exercise throughout their degree and lawn bowling is one of the options, when students come to us every semester and really enjoy the game. The club has over 50 members, some of whom play for the Israeli national team. In addition, In the Visually Impaired Association there is a group of between 10 and 12 blind people who train once a week at the club. They have special instructors, they participate in competitions and also travel abroad and return with trophies. We are the only lot north of Ra'anana, and there won't be another lot in its place. To qualify such a field requires costs of millions and it takes a long time to do it. Along with the enjoyment of the sport itself, lawn bowling also provides a social framework. If they close the club, it will not be established anywhere else."

Aramony says that in the coming days the club's management will examine every way to prevent the evil of the decree, so that it will be possible to continue to operate the club.

"The area is needed for the needs of the city and its residents"

The Chai Pa municipality responded: "This is the area needed for the needs of the city and its residents, and therefore the allocations committee rejected the request. The city council approved the recommendation of the allocations committee."