The American Poolplayers Association (APA) is the largest pool league in the world. It has close to 270,000 members across the United States, Canada, Japan. They have also been ranked as one of the top small business opportunities by Franchise Business Review.
Amateur pool competition in Canada and the United States are sanctioned by the APA. They organize many major pool tournaments each season, including the APA World Pool Championships. In 2010 the APA World Pool Championships were certified by the Guinness World Records as the "World's Largest Pool Tournament."
APA also conducts eight-ball and nine-ball tournaments. Each member of an APA team must have a membership. Participants from other pool associations are also eligible. You can apply to join APA by submitting a membership request to your local APA League Operator. The President will interview you.
APA holds three other annual championships in addition to the APA Poolplayer Championships. These include the APA Junior Championships, which are open to children and teenagers aged 7 to 18 years.
The APA Poolplayer Championships take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. They usually take place in late April and early May. This tournament gives qualified players the opportunity to compete against poolplayers from around the world.
Several other international tournaments are conducted by APA, including the APA World Pool Championships in Singapore. These tournaments are organised by APA League Operator franchisees. Those who do not qualify to compete at a national level can still take part in qualifying tournaments. Some players refer to the "Equalizer" handicapping system at APA as the "Equalizer". APA's handicapping system, unlike other tournaments is not based upon A-D rankings. Instead, it uses a proprietary system which rates the 3 best scores. An individual may receive more than 3 ratings.
There are also some APA franchisees who have a conflict of interest. One franchisee was accused by kicking out players. APA is allowed to make the decision. However, the franchisee posted in several ** groups and had recruited players to his place. He claimed that APA had kicked out a lot of his players.
Many APA League Operators have received the coveted APA League Operating of the Year Award. Five of the five winners were honored during the APA Annual Convention. One of them was the only APA location in the world to win the award twice.
Another reason you should consider joining APA, is the extensive network of franchises. APA boasts a network of over 270 League Operators located in the United States and Canada. Some of these locations offer in-house divisions. APA is considered the largest pool league in the country, however, a local League Operator has no authority to change to another league.
APA boasts a strong network with more than 270,000 members. But there are over 270 League Operators that organize pool tournaments. These locations are affiliated with APA and may have additional costs. Depending upon the market, the fees for franchisees may include licensing fees, equipment, marketing expenses, and other costs.