In the UK, the game of choice without doubt is 8-ball pool, the type played in pubs all across the land. There are many reasons for the small ball games popularity. The most obvious reason is to do with space, the majority of public houses in the UK have enough room for either a 6ft x 3ft table or the more standard 7ft x 4ft size.
The American style tables are too big, or at least the one’s we have become accustomed to in pool halls in the UK. The 9ft x 4.5ft full size American pool table will not fit in most bars.
However, to develop any sport or discipline it is important to educate, there are 7ft x 4ft American table available on the market and the USA is full of them. Most leagues and league tournaments in the APA and BCA Pool Leagues are played on what the Americans call bar box tables. The reason these tables have not been made popular in the UK is simply down to a lack of education about what is available and the need to keep the English game in the pubs.
The reason I wrote this post was because of where I was at the weekend (Welsh County Cup Finals). This epitomises what pool and English pool is all about. Too much emphasis has been put on the ‘professional’ game in 9-ball. Players play individually for individual rewards and it can be quite insular and lonely at times especially for someone new to the game and tournament play.
What makes 8-ball great is the camaraderie between team members whether playing in a local league or for a more prestigious prize like a County championships.
If 9-ball is to develop in the United Kingdom then this team building and banter need to be brought to the forefront, it should be emphasized that the game is about fun, not just prize money and ranking points. The only way to make a game grow is through a good infrastructure at grassroots. I got it wrong when I launched APN-Leagues back in 2005/06 as I launched a league based on individual play. Although it would still help to grow the 9-ball player base it was unsustainable due to the huge variations in player ability. This meant that I introduced handicapping systems that penalised better players thus making them cold towards the system. What I should have done and what should be done now, is launch a UK 9-ball league that is based around teams, and teams that play matches on the same table so there is an atmosphere and banter. If this was created then players would see the benefits of the 9-ball game and the fun that can be had with it – you never know we may even see it grow!
