How are Saturday and Thursday pennant divisions structured, and how do promotion and relegation work?

Structure. Pennant is graded into divisions, each split into colours. Saturday runs Premier League, 1st Division (White and Blue, North and South), 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions (up to 8 colours in 3rd and 4th) and a 5th Division. Thursday has the same structure without a 5th Division, and its Premier League is split North and South. Bowls WA decides the structure of lower divisions, and a club entering for the first time, or adding a side, will generally start in the lowest division. Bowls WA assigns nominated sides to divisions and colours, and a nomination does not guarantee placement.

Promotion and relegation (Open Gender Saturday and Thursday, 2026/27 handbook).

• Premier League: the two sides with the fewest points are relegated to 1st Division White, and no club can have more than one side in Premier.
• 1st Division White: first on the ladder is promoted to Premier League (on Thursday the Grand Final winner is also promoted), and the two lowest are relegated to 1st Division Blue.
• 1st Division Blue: first on the ladder is promoted to 1st Division White (the Grand Final winner is also promoted), and the two lowest are relegated to 2nd Division.
• 2nd and 3rd Divisions: the first side in each colour is promoted, and the two lowest in each colour are relegated.
• Saturday 4th Division: the first and second sides in each colour are promoted to 3rd Division, and the two lowest in each colour are relegated to 5th Division. On Thursday the first and second are promoted.
• Saturday 5th Division: the first and second sides in each colour are promoted to 4th Division.

The handbook notes that promotion and relegation numbers can change depending on the number of colours in the lower divisions.