The world financial meltdown has forced the United Kingdom to slash sponsorship and the International Professional Bowls Association has lost $635,000.
"The impact of the meltdown has been bigger in the United Kingdom than there," Ken Walker, the South Island co-ordinator for the New Zealand PBA, told the Otago Daily Times.
"They have not been able to replace the sponsors who have pulled out."
Walker, who has competed at seven PBA finals, knew the economic outcome for the PBA was bleak after competing in the world pairs early this year.
The PBA, bankrolled by the United Kingdom since it started, gives bowlers the opportunity to compete against the best in the world if they qualify for the trip.
"The United Kingdom organisers wanted the PBA to become global to add to the prestige of the events," Walker said.
"There has been more growth outside the United Kingdom than in it."
The reduction in sponsorship money will affect New Zealand PBA members this year.
"Last year, we had 13 entries into PBA finals in the United Kingdom," Walker said.
"This year, there will only be six."
It will affect the Dunedin pairs team of Walker and Paul Girdler, who have represented the New Zealand PBA in the pairs finals for the past three years. No pairs team will qualify this year.
"The pairs combinations will be formed from the four singles players who qualify for the singles," Walker said.
The Westpac Indoor Bowls Stadium in Dunedin will be one of four venues for tournaments from which the winners will gain direct entry to the PBA finals.
The New Zealand PBA has been forced to make changes to its programme in response to more streamlined qualifying standards for World Bowls Tour events in the United Kingdom.
Only one New Zealand bowler will play in the international open singles in England, and only one will get the chance to compete in both the Scottish and Welsh open singles. To find the two recipients for these events, a PBA finals weekend will be reinstated in September.
World Indoor Singles direct entry tournaments will still be held in Pukekohe, Hamilton, Hastings and Dunedin.
Schedule of PBA events
• May 30-June 1: Scottish-Welsh singles qualifier.
• June 20-21: International singles qualifiers.
• July 25-26: World Indoor Singles direct entry.
• August 15-16: Ranking singles event.
• September: Finals weekend.
