How a community’s attempt to save their local club ended in a bitter battle with Norths

Not everyone was sold when the Northern Leagues Club galloped into Bangalow on the state’s north coast to save the local bowling club from administration.

Some locals were concerned that Norths would import a gaming-focused business model into their small community. Others were hesitant to hand over their assets to a megaclub group that did not look out for their interests.

But with a dilapidated clubhouse and accumulating debts, there were few alternatives. Norths promised to pay off the club’s debt, renovate the clubhouse and improve the bowling green. Members voted two to one in favor of the merger.

Now they feel like they’ve been played.

When staff arrived for work in late October, the doors were closed and a sign was attached to the inside of the door: “The club is closed until further notice.”

Far from receiving an upgrade, the clubhouse had fallen into such disrepair that Norths claimed it was now unsafe for occupation. But Norths chief executive Tony Mathew wrote to Bowlo’s advisory committee that the business outlook did not support further investment. In the three years since they signed the contract, losses had exceeded $900,000.

“The Norths board has determined that the only responsible and sensible course of action is to immediately cease trading at the Bowlo premises,” he wrote.

The 15 staff who lost their roles at the club that day soon hung their own sign on Bowlo’s billboard: “FCK YOU NORTHS LIARS $AVE BOW1O”.

Bowling clubs, once the backbone of regional and suburban communities, have been reshaped over the decades as regulations on gambling policy shifted to whales or krill.

Having benefited from positive gambling policies in the 1970s and 80s by stocking their premises with poker machines, the clubs were well placed when the Carr government allowed pubs to introduce slot machines in 1999.

However, those who had few or no poker machines found it increasingly difficult to operate. Its greens are expensive to maintain, its décor is outdated, costs are rising, and its members are aging. Boards often lack the experience of competing with bars that have become slick and corporate thanks to slot profits.

About 44 per cent of small clubs in NSW are currently operating at a loss, according to ClubsNSW. Approximately 80 clubs have closed in the last decade.

An increasing solution has been consolidation. This allows smaller clubs to achieve economies of scale and larger clubs to increase their asset base and borrow on land. A ClubsNSW spokesman said they were “an opportunity to invest in and protect important community assets”. 90 percent of the 68 clubs that have merged since 2015 are still operating.

But the merger could also lead to perceptions at struggling clubs that they are being exploited.

Cash-strapped Paddo RSL members last year accepted an offer from the Coogee Diggers to rescue the club in exchange for its assets, including a 1,550 square meter parcel on popular Oxford Street. But after the vote they learned that another club had also offered to help their club return to profitability without being bound by the same terms, resulting in threats of legal action and a complaint to the regulator.

At the North’s annual general meeting on Monday night, the Bangalow Bowlo was the last item on the agenda and was not discussed until 10pm, by which time most people had left.

Participants recalled one director in particular becoming visibly frustrated, repeatedly leaning back in his chair and raising his eyes to the ceiling. When a Bangalow local took the microphone, he cracked a joke off it, which was met with a chuckle from his fellow director.

The words could have been anything, but it appeared to the Bangalow residents who took the 30-minute bus to Tweed Heads to attend the meeting that the real joke was on them. On the way home, local filmmaker Brett Stephens said this out loud. “They’re laughing at us,” he said.

In 2022, it was Norths who was the suitor as he looked for clubs to join his collective, which includes The Greens bowling club in North Sydney, the Seagulls at Tweed Heads, the Verandah at Beecroft and The Alcott at Lane Cove. The 112-year-old Bangalow Bowlo supported numerous local sports teams, provided employment and acted as a social centre, but failed to meet its obligations and was at risk of falling into administration.

Then Norths CEO Luke Simmons reassured locals: Echo The community newspaper said a partnership would help bowlo thrive for many years to come. “We have never merged with a club, only to close it down and sell its assets,” he wrote.

Bangalow Bowlo had a property interest assessed by the auditor general at $1.08 million in 2022. Within months of the merger, the Norths had the land revalued for $5.3 million and took out a loan against the property.

It was initially intended to increase bowlo’s gambling income by transferring poker machine powers from its sister club, the Seagulls, at Tweed Heads. But that plan was dashed by an unrelated decision by the NSW Court of Appeal in 2024 that allowed the gambling regulator to take measures to minimize harm to gaming machine applications.

When Norths applied to transfer the rights, it feared the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority might decide to roll back opening hours for Seagulls, which was then allowed to run its 221 slot until 3am.

The Norths club group was already facing further financial pressures after two consecutive years of losses and $7 million in debt. In mid-2025, the club reclassified land at The Alcott in Lane Cove as “non-essential” allowing it to be sold, entered talks to sell the Seagulls for $30 million and appointed a new general manager in Mathew.

He gave Bangalow until July 14 to find an acceptable business model before other clubs expressed interest in a merger. In December, Norths offered to return the club to the community by retaining a $2 million mortgage on the land for 25 years and the right to reclaim ownership if Bowlo recorded an operating loss in any month.

But Asren Pugh, of Bangalow, said this option did not provide enough security and the Norths brand was so rotten that the community wanted to cut ties altogether. He said residents are considering all options, including legal action.

“They promised to fix our building,” Pugh said.

“They knew the building had some problems and that’s why people wanted to merge. They breached the agreement, closed our club and now they’re trying to get as much money as they can for it.”

Under the memorandum of understanding with Bangalow bowling club, Norths were required to provide all necessary repairs, improvements and refurbishments, maintain the bowling green, keep the facilities in a good state of repair and develop trade, among other commitments.

But a building inspection carried out a month after Norths closed the club found major and minor defects built up over the years, including mould, leaks, loose taps, subfloor deterioration and a faulty sliding door. “These findings highlight the need for regular maintenance to prevent escalation and maintain functionality,” the audit said.

Three months before Norths closed the club, the general manager resigned and was not replaced, leaving bar staff to manage operations. Regular events such as open mics and trivia nights have been canceled.

Mathew said Norths wants the bowl to remain open. “There will always be debate about the degree of maintenance that needs to be done.”

Bowlo’s debts were higher than expected and required capital expenditure. He said the business also faced resistance from local residents who opposed the merger from the beginning.

“It is worth noting that although the sector is strong overall, not all clubs are performing well,” Mathew said.

“The cost of opening the doors is ever-increasing, with many people struggling with the cost of living. We have a long history of supporting distressed clubs, but this is becoming increasingly difficult given our current level of debt.”

The community raised $122,000 to buy back the club; Along with a $60,000 paper commitment and a $1 million low-interest loan offer. He continued to protect the green at his own expense. But at the annual general meeting on Monday it became clear that the plan would not be accepted unless it included plans to pay $2 million to cover the costs Norths claims it had sunk.

Finally a member of Bowlo’s cricket sub-club stood up. He said Norths doesn’t listen to the community and doesn’t care about the community. He wanted to sell Bangalow Bowlo to save his own scalp.

It was late now and the room was almost empty. The executives gathered to leave.

“We’ll take that as a comment,” Mathew said.

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