The American Poolplayers Association is the world's largest pool league. It has almost 270,000 members in Japan, Canada, the United States and Japan. 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 numerous major pool tournaments annually, 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 team is required to have a membership in APA. Eligible to participate are members of other pool associations. You can apply to join APA by submitting a membership request to your local APA League Operator. The President then interviews you.
APA has three additional 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 is held in Las Vegas Nevada. They typically occur in the latter half of April or early May. These tournaments allow qualified poolplayers to play against poolplayers around 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 are open to anyone who does not qualify for national competition. Some players refer to the "Equalizer" handicapping system at APA as the "Equalizer". 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.
There are also APA franchisees with conflicts of interest. For example, one franchisee has been accused of kicking out players. APA has the right to make this decision, but the franchisee had posted in numerous ** groups and has recruited players to his location. He then tried to claim that APA had kicked out a number of players in his territory.
Numerous APA League Operators have won the coveted APA League Owner of the Year award. Five of these operators were recognized during 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 the largest league of pool players in the world. However, a local League Operator can not switch to another league.
APA has a more than 270,000 strong network, but there are also more than 270 League operators who organize pool tournaments. These locations are affiliated with APA and may have additional costs. Depending on where the franchisee is located, it may also include equipment and licensing fees.