The bowls club that has rebuilt itself

Since the Almijara Bowls Club moved to its new facilities in October 2025, the Nerja club has started to attract more members and is getting interest from the growing Scandinavian community in the town.

The club was forced to find a new place to play after La Raqueta tennis and padel club closed in October 2023. The owner of the land, local estate agent and property development company, Lual, was granted permission from the Junta de Andalucía to change the land use from ‘sports facility’ to ‘commercial’ with a view to selling the land.

However, Nerja town hall found a new plot for the bowls club, in the Santo Tomás residential area of the town, which the club may use, rent-free, for 20 years.

The new facility, which opened in October 2025, has two purpose-built cabins that house a clubhouse for members, a visitors’ room, equipped with bowls and shoes and an accessible toilet, explains the club’s president, David Trippas.

Having owned a construction company in the UK, Trippas was able to lead the project, with the support of the town hall, Lual and some willing volunteers. He costed the project and worked out the club would need around 37,000 euros.

He says that while the club had some money saved, the idea to offer members 1,000-euro bonds was agreed: “They could purchase one or two or more as they may want. This bond we would pay back to them with an interest of four per cent over four years.” The club managed to raise the money and work commenced.

Now, the main goal of the club is to increase membership. David admits that Brexit has affected the numbers and explains that the club offers full and three-month options. “The three-month membership is to allow those who are restricted to the 90-day rule,” he says.

At the moment there are 30 full-time members and six part-time, but David recalls that in the past they have had up to 70. “Unfortunately Brexit changed things,”he says. But, since opening he says that they have gained three full-time and four part-time members.

Regulars are mainly British and Irish although David says that there is an increasing interest from Scandinavians who live in or regularly visit Nerja. They used to have a Spanish member, but, David explains, she “unfortunately had to stop playing due to her age”.

The club meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays when members and visitors can play and members can use the green at any time, “365 days of the year”.

As well as the bowls matches, the club also organises fundraising events, especially for cancer research charities and local social causes. “Over the years we would have raised something in the region of 10,000 euros for cancer research,” David highlights.

He adds that last Christmas the bowls club teamed up with APCUN (association of residents of residential communities in Nerja) and together they raised around 5,000 euros to go towards providing food boxes for local families.

He goes on to say that the club would like to go back to organising other events for members such as dinner dances and is also planning to have a barbecue built on the site “when the weather improves”.

David concludes, “I have been president of the club since 2012 and have devoted a lot of time to fighting to get this club off the ground again.”He adds, “Being persistent and making yourself a nuisance does sometimes pay off.”

For further information about the club, email: trpps@yahoo.co.uk. / Facebook: Almijara Short Mat Bowls Club.