The American Poolplayers Association, (APA), is the largest pool league worldwide. It has nearly 270,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Franchise Business Review has ranked them among the top small business opportunity.
The sanctioning body in America and Canada for amateur pool competition is the APA. They organize major pool tournaments throughout the year, including APA World Pool Championships. Guinness World Records certified the APA World Pool Championships as the "World's Largest Pool Tournament" in 2010.
APA also holds eight-ball and 9-ball tournaments. Each player in an APA-affiliated team must have a APA membership. Members of other pools associations are also eligible to participate. To apply for membership in APA, please contact your local APA League Operator. The President then interviews you.
APA holds three other annual championships in addition to the APA Poolplayer Championships. These include the APA Junior Championships for children and teens aged 7-18.
The APA Poolplayer Championships is held in Las Vegas Nevada. They usually take place in late April and early May. The tournament allows qualified poolplayers the chance to compete against poolplayers all over the world.
APA also hosts many international tournaments. These tournaments can be organized 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 call it the "Equalizer" because of its handicapping system. 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. But, an individual can receive more than one rating.
Some APA franchisees may have conflicts of interest. One franchisee was accused of exiling players. APA has the right of making this decision. But the franchisee had posted to numerous ** groups, and recruited players to his territory. The franchisee tried to claim that APA had thrown out a few players from his territory.
Numerous APA League Operators 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 the winners was the only APA area in the world that received the award twice.
Another reason to consider joining APA is its network of franchise locations. APA has more than 270 League Operators throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries. Some of these locations have in-house divisions. APA is the biggest pool league in the globe, but a local League Operator doesn't have the authority or the right to switch to a new 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 can be affiliated with APA. They may also have additional costs. Depending on the market, the fee for a franchisee may include licensing fees and equipment. Marketing expenses are also possible.