The American Poolplayers Association, (APA), is the largest pool league worldwide. It has nearly 270,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Japan. They have also been ranked as one of the top small business opportunities by Franchise Business Review.
The sanctioning body of amateur pool competitions in Canada, the United States, and the United States is 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. Members of other pools associations are also eligible to participate. You can apply to join APA by submitting a membership request to your local APA League Operator. The President of APA will then interview you.
APA hosts three other annual championships. These include the APA Junior Championships, which are open to children and teenagers aged 7 to 18 years.
The APA Poolplayer Championships takes place in Las Vegas (Nevada). They are usually held in May or April. This tournament offers qualified players an opportunity to compete with poolplayers from all over the globe.
APA organizes many other international tournaments including the APA World Pool Championships. These tournaments are organised by APA League Operator franchisees. Qualifying tournaments are open to anyone who does not qualify for national competition. Some players call the "Equalizer", APA's handicapping system. Unlike other tournaments, APA's handicapping system is not based on A-D rankings. It uses a proprietary rating system that rates the three best scores. But, an individual can receive more than one rating.
Some APA franchisees have conflicts of interests. One franchisee, for instance, has been accused in some cases of sending players home. APA is entitled to make this determination, but the franchisee has posted in multiple ** groups and recruited players to his area. He claimed that APA had kicked out a lot of his players.
Numerous APA League Operators won the coveted APA League Operator of the Year award. Five of these operators were recognized during the APA Annual Convention 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 are its franchise locations. APA boasts a network of over 270 League Operators located in the United States and Canada. 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.
APA has a network of over 270,000 members. However, there are more that 270 League Operators who organize tournaments. These locations can be affiliated with APA. They may also have additional costs. Depending on where the franchisee is located, it may also include equipment and licensing fees.