The American Poolplayers Association, (APA), is the largest pool league worldwide. Nearly 270,000 people are members of the APA in Japan, Canada and the United States. Franchise Business Review named them one of the top small businesses opportunities.
Amateur pool competition in Canada and the United States are sanctioned by the APA. They organize major pool tournaments throughout the year, including APA World Pool Championships. Guinness World Records proclaimed APA World Pool Championships 2010 as the "World's Largest Pool Tournament."
APA also conducts eight-ball and nine-ball tournaments. Each member of an APA APA team must hold a membership. Members of other pools associations are also eligible to participate. If you want to join APA, you can apply by submitting a membership application to your local APA League Operator. You will then be interviewed by the President of APA.
APA holds three other annual championships in addition to the APA Poolplayer Championships. These include APA Junior Championships that are open to kids and teens between 7-18 years.
The APA Poolplayer Championships take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. They are usually held in May or April. This tournament gives qualified players the opportunity to compete against poolplayers from around the world.
APA organizes many other international tournaments including the APA World Pool Championships. These tournaments can be organized by APA League Operator franchisees. Qualifying tournaments can be taken part by those who don't qualify to compete at the national stage. Some players refer to the "Equalizer" handicapping system at APA as the "Equalizer". APA's handicapping method is not based on A/D rankings, as in other tournaments. Rather, it uses a proprietary system that rates the best 3 scores. However, an individual can get more than 3 ratings.
Some APA franchisees have conflicts of interests. One franchisee, for instance, has been accused in some cases of sending players home. APA has the right to make this decision, but the franchisee had posted in numerous ** groups and has recruited players to his location. He tried to claim that APA had evicted a number players from his territory.
Many APA League Operators have received the coveted APA League Operating of the Year Award. Five of these five operators were recognized at the APA Annual Convention in Las Vegas. One of these operators was the only APA locale to win the award two times.
Another reason to join APA would be its extensive network of franchise outlets. APA has an active network of more than 270 League Operators in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Some of these venues offer in-house leagues. APA is considered the largest pool league in the country, however, a local League Operator has no authority to change to another league.
While APA has an active network of more than 270,000 members, there are more than 270 League Operators who 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.