We wanted to take it step by step to help you achieve your goal in starting a pool league for you and others interested in your area. Keep in mind this is just a guide, please do more research if you’re interested in starting your own league.
– Research all of the main league organization options and figure out if you would like to start one of these or your own that is not associated with these and just for fun. Our suggestion is to build a list of pros and cons for each. We have a list below of the most popular leagues, most are year-round and offer both 8-ball, 9-ball, singles, doubles, mens, womens, and coed leagues.
APA (American Poolplayers Association)
TAP (Pool Amateur Tour)
BCAPL (Billiard Congress of America Pool League)
USAPL (United States of America Pool League)
VNEA (Valley National 8-Ball League Association)
* If you create a sanctioned league, players from your league are automatically accredited by your league to the national level of league. This means that by competing in your local league, you and anyone on your team can play at the national tournaments or events for that organization.
– Once you decide the type of league, make sure you have a group together before you begin recruiting/advertising for your team. That way, if recruiting starts off slow, you are still able to play.
– Call local pool halls and figure out where you could have your league night matches, hours of operation and the costs associated with it. Also note, the table types and equipment they supply because you might have to bring your own accessories to achieve your best play.
– TIME TO SIGN UP! Select the league you decided on, your opening match competitor, time and the first venue.
– PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE! Sign people up to join your league. Start social media pages, build a website, put up fliers around town, tell your league players to tell their friends and family etc.
– Find sponsors for discounted and possibly free products… maybe even a donation. Be creative! Offer incentives for their participation like displaying their logo on your banner, scoring sheets and/or other ideas that can be mutually beneficial. Some leagues even use the free or discounted product for the winnings each week.
– Equipment. Figure out what your going to allow everyone to use or set up a list for everyone to pick from. I.e. Delta-13 Racks, Magic Racks, Plastic Racks and Wood Racks. Each of these affect the overall game, so you will need to draw out which one or ones that are acceptable. Sometimes the organizations have this in the guidelines, if so, no need to define your own.
– Learn the rules and make sure each person on your team does too! Each organization will have its own set of regulations that everyone will need to know.
– Figure out how much each person will have to pay for league dues to cover the cost of the pool hall and any other expenses. Maybe increase the cost more and provide some type of beverage or snack? Will you use some of the dues as the winner’s prize for that week? Is there an organization membership fee?
– You will need to decide if you will set up a handicap system, so players of all skillsets will want and can play. Some of these are already set for the organizations.
– Scoring depends on the league and should be reviewed and understood before the league begins. 8-ball? 9-ball? Or maybe a game of straight pool?
– How are you going to set up your matches? The league organizations should have suggestions for you, so you can pick what works best for your league.
* Numbers 6, 7 and 9 can be managed through a Pool League Management System. Sometimes these are apart of the leagues you join and sometimes you need to scour the internet for a good one to use. Here are a few suggestions:
https://www.teamsnap.com/leagues-and-clubs
* I would set up a league meeting to go over all of the rules and guidelines with each of your members before the season begins.
If you sitting at home on your couch and tired of watching Netflix all day this would be a great place to meet people, drink beer, have fun and play some pool!
