The American Poolplayers Association (APA), the world's largest pool association, is headquartered in New York. It has close to 270,000 members across the United States, Canada, Japan. Franchise Business Review named them one of the top small businesses opportunities.
The sanctioning body in America and Canada for amateur pool competition is the APA. They organize major pool tournaments throughout the year, 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 conducts eight-ball and nine-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 join APA, submit a membership application at your local APA League Operator. The President then interviews you.
Aside from the APA Poolplayer Championships, APA has 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 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 also hosts many international tournaments. These tournaments were organized by APA League Operator franchisees. Qualifying tournaments may be offered to those who aren't eligible to compete at the National level. Some players call it the "Equalizer" because of its handicapping system. APA's handicapping is different from other tournaments. It does not use A/D rankings. It uses a proprietary system to rate the top 3 scores. It is possible to get more than three ratings.
There are also APA franchisees with conflicts of interest. One franchisee was accused of exiling players. APA has the right of making this decision. But the franchisee had posted to numerous ** groups, and recruited players to his territory. He tried to claim APA had removed a number of players from his territory.
Many APA League Operators have received the coveted APA League Operating of the Year Award. Five of the five winners were honored during the APA Annual Convention. One of them was the only APA location in the world to win the award twice.
Another reason to join APA is the network of 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 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 is home to more than 270,000 active members. There are however more than 270 League Operators who organize pool tourneys. These locations are often affiliated with APA. Additional costs may apply. Depending upon the market, the fees for franchisees may include licensing fees, equipment, marketing expenses, and other costs.