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 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 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 hosts nine-ball or eight-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 are interested in joining APA, you can submit a Membership Application to 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. They are open for teenagers and children between 7 and 18 years old.
The APA Poolplayer Championships will be held in Las Vegas Nevada. They usually take place in late April and early May. These tournaments allow qualified poolplayers to play against poolplayers around the globe.
APA organizes many other international tournaments including the APA World Pool Championships. 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. APA is known for its handicapping system, which is called the "Equalizer" by some players. 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, it is possible for an individual to receive more than 3 ratings.
Some APA franchisees may have conflicts of interest. One franchisee was accused of exiling players. APA is allowed to make the decision. However, the franchisee posted in several ** groups and had recruited players to his place. He tried to claim APA had removed a number of players from his territory.
Numerous APA League Operators won the coveted APA League Operator of the Year award. Five of these five operators were recognized at the APA Annual Convention 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 are its franchise locations. APA has more than 270 League Operators throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries. 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 can be affiliated with APA. They may also have additional costs. Depending on which market the franchisee is in, the franchise fee could include licensing fees as well as equipment and marketing expenses.