Who would have thought that little old Dubbo would now regularly host one of the premier lawn bowls events anywhere in the world?

That’s the reality, however, with the return in September of the Inland Petroleum 2026 City of Dubbo International Fours Tournament.

The competition will be played out hot on the heels of the NSW State Championships in late June and into July, with both events set to significantly boost the region’s tourism economy and reputation as a sporting venue.

The International Fours is now recognised globally as the richest bowls event of its kind that attracts teams and players from all over the world, Tony Speirs, Chairman of Club Dubbo – home to the event – said proudly.

The competition will run from September 22–24 and the $150,000 total prize pool (including the $60,000 main prize) is set to lure teams from across the country and the northern and southern hemispheres.

“The event is in its fifth year and is only showing signs of getting bigger and stronger; we’ll see Australia’s and the world’s top bowlers on our greens here in Dubbo,” Mr Speirs said.

“When you consider there are over 240,000 registered bowls players in Australia, and bowls is a growing sport in 52 countries across six continents, the Inland Petroleum 2026 City of Dubbo International Fours Tournament is indeed a pinnacle event,” he added.

The 2026 NSW State Championships – June 22 to July 8 - and the Bowls NSW Para State Championships over the first week of the tournament, are the curtain raisers to the International Fours in September.

The state championship event will be hosted across three sites, Club Dubbo, Dubbo RSL Sporties, and the Macquarie Club, with the three-week event likely to bring more than 2000 players and supporters to the region and boosting the economy at a time of subdued local activity in the process, Dubbo mayor, Josh Black said.

“In the current environment, events like the state championships and international fours, are critical to our accommodation providers, as well as our food, retail, and entertainment sectors,” Cr Black argued.

“Our tourism precincts can also expect good visitation numbers as players and supporters take the time to explore the region; Dubbo looks forward to hosting the national and international bowls family across both these big events,” he added.

The parallel, disability-focussed event, is also an important adjunct to the main competition, Club Dubbo Bowls Manager, Anthony Brown believes.

“The Para Championships (Multi-Disability) are part of the championships and will be played across June 22–26 (Monday to Friday),” Mr Brown revealed.

“There’s over 30 players from around the state coming for Para Championships – the event is a great initiative by Bowls NSW,” he added.

Both the state championships and international fours event are an opportune time for potential new players and members to see the game first-hand. The sport of bowls has a wide demographic appeal and attracts both social and competitive players alike.

It’s a game that Mr Speirs is hoping to attract newer, younger members to consider as an alternative to contact and common mainstream sport.

“Bowls is a challenging and strategic game to learn and play – that’s one of its big appeals, we’ve got a very good junior development program,” he explained.

“We’ve had several state and Australian representatives come through our program and I’d encourage younger people who are looking for a challenging non-contact sport to really consider bowls.”

Major drawcard events like this don’t just happen by themselves, Mr Speirs said in acknowledging the ongoing support of sponsors, including major sponsor, Inland Petroleum.

“These sponsors are the only reason we can put on such an event at an international level,” Mr Speirs said.

“Without that support, there’s no event – and that would have an impact on our economic growth as a city, as a club, and as a region.”

Both the Inland Petroleum 2026 City of Dubbo International Fours Tournament 2026 and NSW State Championships are ideal events for spectators to come and view the action, and for potential new players to see the sport at its world-class best, he concluded.