The American Poolplayers Association (APA) is the largest pool league in the world. 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 for amateur pool competitions in Canada and the United States is APA. They organize many major pool tournaments each season, 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 holds eight-ball and 9-ball tournaments. Each player in an APA team is required to have a membership in APA. You can also participate if you are a member of another pool association. If you want to join APA, you can apply by submitting a membership application to your local APA League Operator. You will then be interviewed by the President of APA.
APA has three additional annual championships. These include the APA Junior Championships which are open to teenagers and children aged 7-18 years.
The APA Poolplayer Championships takes place in Las Vegas (Nevada). They typically take place in the late April or early mai. These tournaments allow qualified poolplayers to play against poolplayers around the globe.
APA also hosts many international tournaments. These tournaments were organized 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. Unlike other tournaments, APA's handicapping system is not based on A-D rankings. It instead uses a proprietary system that ranks the highest 3 scores. It is possible to get more than three ratings.
Some APA franchisees have conflicts of interests. One franchisee has been accused, for example, of kick-out players. APA can make this decision. However, the franchisee had posted in many ** groups and recruited players to the location. He tried to claim APA had removed a number of players from his territory.
Many APA League operators have been awarded the coveted APA League operator of the year award. Five of these operators were honored at the APA Annual Convention, Las Vegas. One of them was also the only APA site to receive 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 locations offer in-house divisions. 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 more than 270,000 strong network, but there are also more than 270 League operators who organize pool tournaments. These locations are often affiliated with APA. Additional costs may apply. Depending on the market and the APA franchisee, the franchise fee may include licensing fees, equipment, and marketing expenses.