The AMF Bowling brand has enjoyed a long and rich history in Penrith for decades, but this week the popular ten pin bowling facility underwent a major name change.
Thanks to new Australian ownership, all AMF Bowling locations across the country – including Penrith – will officially be known as Zone Bowling.
Late last year, Ardent Leisure sold its Australian bowling alleys and arcades to the owner of Timezone arcades – The Entertainment and Education Group.
In recent weeks, bowling lovers across Australia have been noticing the changes take effect.
Zone Bowling Chief Operations Officer Belinda Falzon said nothing will change for bowlers in the interim.
“Apart from new signage and new, brighter uniforms – it’s business as usual,” she told the Weekender.
“You will not notice any difference over the short-term, but over time you will see significant improvements in our bowling centres.”
Ms Falzon said changing the name from AMF, which stood for American Machine and Foundry, to Zone Bowling was a tough decision to make given its rich history in Australia.
“It was not one we made lightly but we see it as an opportunity to refresh and reinvigorate the brand and put the focus back on our customers,” she said.
Before moving to its new state-of-the-art Batt Street location in 2012, AMF Bowling was previously located next to Nepean Village Shopping Centre.
For decades, ten pin bowling has been a huge part of the Penrith landscape, with many adults and school kids enjoying the popular pastime on a regular basis.
“Penrith is one of our favourite centres, it’s in a great position and we have really loyal customers there,” Ms Falzon said.
In some further good news, the company also confirmed that there would be no disruption to the many bowling leagues that currently take place at Jamisontown.
“The name change will not affect the leagues at all,” Ms Falzon said.
“We actually want to continue growing these leagues, especially in Penrith. There’s a couple of new things on the horizon including Bowl Patrol and Bowl Camp, which is a school holiday program.
“We are always on the lookout for new people wanting to join the sport, with a big focus on disability, mature and junior leagues as well.”
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.