The American Poolplayers Association (APA), the world's largest pool association, is headquartered in New York. It is home to nearly 270,000 members from the United States, Canada, Japan and other countries. Franchise Business Review ranked them as one of the best small business opportunities.
The sanctioning body for amateur pool competitions in Canada and the United States is APA. They host several major pool tournaments every year, including the APA World Pool Championships. Guinness World Records certified the APA World Pool Championships as the "World's Largest Pool Tournament" in 2010.
APA also runs eight-ball, nine-ball tournaments. Every player on an APA team must be a member of APA. You can also participate if you are a member of another pool association. If you are interested in joining APA, you can submit a Membership Application to your local APA League Operator. The President of APA will interview you.
APA hosts three other 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 take place 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.
Several other international tournaments are conducted by APA, including the APA World Pool Championships in Singapore. These tournaments are organized by APA local League Operator franchisees. Participants who are not qualified to compete at the national level may still qualify to take part in qualifying tournaments. Some players call the "Equalizer", APA's handicapping system. APA's handicapping is different from other tournaments. It does not use 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 also have conflict of interest. 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 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 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 locations have in-house divisions. APA is the largest pool league worldwide, but a local League Operator cannot switch to another 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 can be affiliated with APA. They may also have additional costs. Depending on the market, the fee for a franchisee may include licensing fees and equipment. Marketing expenses are also possible.