Short mat bowls at Jim Baker Stadium
Two mats in the McConkey Room for club nights, or the full set laid out across the stadium floor for a tournament weekend. Zone and national events run here, clubs hold their own nights and matches, the bar is open all day, and there is free parking for 120 cars.
Built for competition
We keep a full set of match mats, blocks and ditches to competition specification, and can lay them out across the stadium floor with room for spectators down both sides. The stadium runs its own open competitions through the season and hosts zone and national competitions and charity events.
Organisers get the venue from setup to prize presentation: mats laid out to your draw, a scoreboard, PA and the bar open all day. On full-day events we can provide hot food between sessions.
Short mat is its own game rather than a smaller version of the indoor code, and plenty of players here do both. Clubs travel to us from across Antrim, Down and further afield for competitions, and there is space to run a full tournament weekend under the one roof. If you would rather play on a full green, the indoor bowls sessions run alongside it all season.
- 24+match mats
- 200+spectator seats
- £350venue & mats per day
What's on
Full calendar →No short mat fixtures are listed at the moment. The full calendar has everything that is on at the stadium, or ring the club and we will tell you what is coming up.
Enquire about a date
Tell us three things and we will come back with a price:
- Preferred date
- Format & entries
- Club & contact
Included in the hire
- Mats laid out to your draw
- Scoreboards
- PA and raffle table
- Bar staff on site
- Free parking, 120 cars
New to short mat?
Clubs run their own nights here and most welcome new players. Get in touch and we will point you to one.
Find a club here →How short mat works
Short mat bowls is played on a mat roughly forty-five feet long and six feet wide, with a block set across the middle. You cannot roll straight at the jack — every bowl has to be drawn around the block, which is what gives the game its character and why a good short mat player is judged on line rather than length.
Games are played as singles, pairs, triples or fours, and a full game usually takes about an hour. The bowls are the same as those used on the green, so anyone who has bowled outdoors or indoors will pick it up in an end or two. Because the mat is short and the floor is level, it is also the easiest form of bowls to start in: nothing to learn about pace, no long delivery, and you can play seated if standing is difficult.
Competitive short mat here is played to the same rules as everywhere else in Ireland, and our mats, blocks and ditches are kept to competition specification, so a competition played here counts the same as any other venue.
Clubs & new players
Clubs play here
You do not need your own bowls or any experience to start. Clubs run their own nights on the two mats in the McConkey Room, and most are glad of new players. Tell us you are starting out and we will put you in touch with one.
- Visiting clubsClub matches and friendlies, mats laid out to your draw and the bar open all day.
- Competition organisersFloor space, mats, scoreboards and catering for a full tournament weekend.
- Charity and fundraising daysRaffle table, PA and a format that keeps everyone playing.
- Schools and youth groupsDaytime sessions with staff on hand, bowls provided.
Common questions
- Can we run our own competition here?
- Yes. Tell us your format and entry numbers and we will price the venue, mats and catering.
- Do you provide bowls?
- Short mat bowls are available for beginners and visiting players who need them.
- How many mats can you lay?
- We hold twenty-four and can lay them all with room for officials. If an event needs more than that, organisers are welcome to bring extra mats in.
- Is the bar open during play?
- The bar is open all day, and on full-day events we can serve hot food between sessions.
- What is short mat bowls?
- Bowls played on a mat about forty-five feet long with a block across the middle, so every bowl has to be drawn around it. Singles, pairs, triples and fours, indoors, all year.
- How is it different from indoor bowls?
- The mat is much shorter than a rink, the block rules out a straight shot, and a game usually takes about an hour rather than two. The bowls are the same. Indoor bowls →
- Can I play if I have never bowled?
- Yes. Short mat is the easiest form of bowls to begin with. Clubs run their own nights here, so get in touch and we will point you to one that welcomes new players.
- Do I need to be in a club?
- Not for open competitions with individual entry. Club nights and club-entered events go through the club itself.
- Are the mats to competition standard?
- Yes — mats, blocks and ditches are kept to competition specification.
- What does it cost to enter a competition?
- Entry fees are set per event and listed with the fixture, so check the competition you are entering. What's on →
- Can we hold a league night here?
- Yes. Clubs take the venue on a regular night through the season — tell us your format and we will quote for the block booking. Ask about a block booking →
- Where are you and is there parking?
- Ballysavage Road, Parkgate, BT39 0DX — between Ballyclare and Antrim, twenty minutes from Belfast and fifteen from Belfast International. Free parking for 120 cars.