CueSport TV – The Blog

Back in 2005/06 I started something called the APN 9-ball Leagues in the UK. With the help of Rileys, from one league in Bournemouth, this ‘league system’ grew to around 35 different clubs around the UK at its peak with around 400 players.

Due to a few bad decisions and a lack of funding the system failed towards the latter end of 2007, not through a lack of hard work just through not having a system that was right for the UK market.

Since that time there has been no organised amateur league system in the UK.

This may be about to change with the Corey Deuel backed Universal Pool Leagues. This new league system started in the USA late last year and Jason Lawrence has brought them to the UK. Three leagues are already functioning in the Manchester area and three sponsors have already been brought on board, the latest is McDermott Cues.

However, what this league system needs in order to operate at it’s maximum is the backing of Rileys. The largest pool & snooker operator in Europe is also feeling the pinch with it’s ill-fated poker nights having cost the company a lot of money. Couple this with the ongoing financial crisis and it is easy to see why Rileys may not want to offer support to this latest amateur venture.

It is true and a valid point that amateur players are the lifeblood of any sport, however, the impact that running any league system would have on Rileys would be quite a cost. This cost would come about through free table time in the venues. There is an argument however, that offering the table time gives the club revenue through drinks and food. When we ran APN-Leagues we conducted a survey that concluded that on average each member of a pool league would spend around £20 per head on food and drinks throughout the evening, add to this the number of players that bring partners or friends along for the fun and you are able to make some revenue.

When we look at the cost of the table time though it paints a different picture. Say a league requires 8 tables to complete matches on a Monday night and that the league night lasts for 3 hours. That is 8 tables out of action for the club to paying punters. At an average of £7 per hour this equates to £168.00 in ‘lost’ revenue.

What any league operator now needs to sell to Rileys (I use Rileys as the example because in the UK they operate the most American Pool tables) is not the revenue generated ona league night but more the revenue that can be gained through pool league members returning on non-league nights to spend on the tables and behind-the-bar.

The easiest way to gain Rileys support however would be to offset some of the sponsorship revenue to pay for tables, I am positive a deal could be struck to get big discounts off the table time.

What Else is Required?

Not only do you need the support of club owners and operators but you also need a system that appeals to the players. One thing I felt I got right with APN-Leagues was that we had something more than the ‘local’ prize money to play for. There was a qualification process in place for both regional and national finals. This needs to be in place again to appeal to the amateur players.

It needs to be a fair system that can appeal to a relative novice and a seasoned player alike, but also a competition that means they can compete on a level playing field.

The handicapping system was incorrect with APN-Leagues and I perhaps didn’t listen to the advice I was being given, a much simpler idea would have sufficed. However, I feel handicapping is required in amateur pool otherwise the bulk of your revenue is lost. The lowest ability players need to feel they get value for money and have a chance of winning something – this means they open their wallets and pay the entry fee’s time and again.

In this economic climate it is also very important how the price to the players is set. We had a combination of league entry and weekly fee’s that in hindsight may have been a bit expensive, what about a league membership fee coupled with a league season fee? This may be cheaper for the players and easier to manage from an admistration point of view.

My last point comes down to administration, who will be responsible for fixtures, results, league tables, handicapping systems and all the other the other little jobs that crop up to make a league successful? I realised straight away that players needed convincing in most areas to help with this, and quite rightly too, it is a tough job.

What ever happens with the Universal Pool League in the UK, or any other system that may come about, it is needed to further develop the sport in the UK. We are dominant on the International scene at the moment and have a couple of decent youngsters coming through, however, we need something in place right now to safeguard this dominance for the future.