Do you like football? Do you like bowling? Have you ever dreamed of combining the two into a new activity called “fowling”? (It rhymes with “bowling.) Of course you haven’t, but fowling is a thing, and it’s slowly taking over the Milwaukee area. Last summer, First And Bowl opened in Wauwatosa, giving the state its first taste of the football/bowling/a-little-bit-of-cornhole hybrid. Now, according to city records, a new facility called Fowling Warehouse Milwaukee is set to open at 1230 W. Bruce St. on Milwaukee’s south side. June 15 is listed as the projected opening date.
Fowling Warehouse Milwaukee is the brainchild of Andrew and Christopher Cunningham, who opened their first Fowling Warehouse in Hamtramck, Michigan in 2014. (The term “fowling” is a registered trademark.) Since then, locations have opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cincinnati, Ohio. Locations in Atlanta, Georgia and Indianapolis, Indiana are listed as “coming soon.”
The Milwaukee location, which is currently under construction, has been home to Badger Building Supply Inc. The building is 44,364 square feet, with an attached 900-square-foot warehouse “that may be sublet, but is currently not planned.” According to a Class B Tavern License application, the new business will be an “entertainment venue with tavern, assembly hall and indoor/accessory outdoor recreation areas.” It will feature a beer garden and boast a capacity of 487. Alcohol sales are projected to make up 50.1% of the business, with entertainment coming in at 49.9%. Hours are listed as Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-12 a.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m.-1 a.m.; and Sunday, 12 p.m.-10 p.m.
So what is “fowling,” exactly? The object is to take a football, throw it, and knock down all 10 of your opponent’s pins before they knock down yours. Fun! The official rules can be found HERE.
“The philosophy behind the Fowling Football Bowling Pin game is sportsmanship,” reads the “Etiquette” section of the rules. “At the end of every game or match, it is customary to reset the pins on the lanes and meet the opposing players at mid-lane to exchange a friendly ‘Good Fowl.'” Here’s to many “Good Fowls,” Milwaukee.