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. Franchise Business Review ranked them as one of the best small business opportunities.
The sanctioning body for amateur pool competitions in Canada and the United States is APA. They organize many major pool tournaments each season, including the APA World Pool Championships. Guinness World Records proclaimed the APA World Pool Championships the "World's Largest Pool Tournament" for 2010.
APA also runs eight-ball, nine-ball tournaments. Each player in an APA team is required to have a membership in APA. Eligible to participate are members of other pool associations. To apply for membership in APA, please contact your local APA League Operator. The President will interview you.
APA also has three annual championships. These include the APA Junior Championships. They are open for teenagers and children between 7 and 18 years old.
The APA Poolplayer Championships takes place in Las Vegas (Nevada). They usually occur in late April or early May. This tournament offers qualified players an opportunity to compete with poolplayers from all over the globe.
APA also organizes several other international tournaments, such as the APA World Pool Championships held in Singapore. These tournaments are organized by APA local League Operator franchisees. Qualifying tournaments can be taken part by those who don't qualify to compete at the national stage. Some players call the "Equalizer", APA's handicapping system. Unlike other tournaments, APA's handicapping system is not based on A-D rankings. Rather, it uses a proprietary system that rates the best 3 scores. However, an individual can get more than 3 ratings.
Some APA franchisees may have conflicts of interest. One franchisee has been accused, for example, of kick-out players. APA is allowed to make the decision. However, the franchisee posted in several ** groups and had recruited players to his place. He then tried to claim that APA had kicked out a number of players in his territory.
Several APA League Operators have won the coveted APA League Operator of the Year award. Five of these operators received recognition at the APA Annual Convention held in Las Vegas. One of them was the only APA location in the world to win the award twice.
Another reason to consider joining APA is its network of franchise locations. APA boasts a network of over 270 League Operators located in the United States and Canada. Some of these areas 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.
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 associated with APA, and may have additional fees. Depending on which market the franchisee is in, the franchise fee could include licensing fees as well as equipment and marketing expenses.