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 also ranked them as one the top small-business opportunities.
APA is the sanctioning body for amateur pool competition in the United States and Canada. They organize several major pool tournaments each year, including the APA World Pool Championships. In 2010 the APA World Pool Championships were certified by the Guinness World Records as the "World's Largest Pool Tournament."
APA also hosts nine-ball or eight-ball tournaments. Each member of an APA team must have a membership. You can also participate if you are a member of another pool association. To apply for membership in APA, please contact your local APA League Operator. The President of APA will interview you.
APA holds three other annual championships in addition to the APA Poolplayer Championships. These include APA Junior Championships that are open to kids and teens between 7-18 years.
The APA Poolplayer Championships are held in Las Vegas, Nevada. They typically occur in the latter half of April or early May. The tournament allows qualified poolplayers the chance to compete against poolplayers all over the world.
Several other international tournaments are conducted by APA, including the APA World Pool Championships in Singapore. These tournaments are organised by APA 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 system does not use A-D rankings like other tournaments. It instead uses a proprietary system that ranks the highest 3 scores. However, an individual can get more than 3 ratings.
There are also APA franchisees with conflicts of interest. One franchisee was accused of exiling 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 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 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 has more than 270 League Operators throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries. Some of these areas offer 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.
APA boasts a strong network with more than 270,000 members. But there are over 270 League Operators that organize pool tournaments. These locations are associated with APA, and may have additional fees. Depending upon the market, the fees for franchisees may include licensing fees, equipment, marketing expenses, and other costs.