OK let’s assume that the first goal is to increase the earnings of players.
To address this goal several things are needed. As Bob points out there are not nearly enough players who make a living playing pool to form a lobbying group that would have a meaningful impact. Therefore there is a need for a larger group who could support the goals of the organization. In addition you will want to enlist the support of the industry to help establish credibility and to have influence on those who hold tournaments. Given the limited number of tournament players there is a need to include people who can support the organization in various ways depending upon their level of commitment. Hence my prior proposal for membership structure that allows for thousands of members.
Exactly how I see it. The top players, alone, are not enough. We've tried that, and it has repeatedly failed. That's why I would include anyone playing in added money tournaments as a professional. They are putting up money for the chance of making money, so it is a business investment, even if not a wise one. Who cares how much they make, or what percentage it is of their income, they'd like to make more. So I would try and include all the players participating in open added money events that wish to be included, plus non playing supporters or sponsors that wish to join and or donate to the cause.
When the organization has been set up you will need a way to communicate with the members by newsletter, web site, and through face to face meetings. There will be a need for committees to meet and discuss the issues of the day and this involves expenses.
No law says we must have newsletters or face to face meetings. Some groups of players could get together at tournaments. But I think most decisions that need a lot of thought would be better discussed on the web so people have time to make informed decisions.
Issues include the complete design of the organization, voting structure, committee structure such as membership, public relations, lobbying efforts, legal counsel, players rights and code of conduct, etc There will be a need to house the organization in some physical location and to have access to the necessary office equipment. The list goes on but I think that you get the idea. Many of these issues would have temporary solutions in the start up phase and would mature over time. The idea would be to plan for an organization that would be around for several years.
Again, most decisions that need a lot of thought would be better discussed on the web so people have time to make informed decisions. The group should have no right to regulate player conduct, that has proven to be a recipe for disaster. No blacklisting tournaments or players. Let the players go where they want. And the more tournaments on a given date, the better.
There should be ways for a useful organization to raise money besides player dues.
Most importantly, there will be a need to have one or more people who lobby tournament directors and other members of the industry to enlist support and help with getting others to agree with your guidelines.
In a preliminary design there is a need for a director preferably a paid position whose full or part time job is to implement the organization’s goals. The director is usually responsible for organizing meetings, getting people together and in general carrying out the business of the organization. In a small organization the director is also the lobbying agent. In larger organizations there may be other positions within the organization with various assistants employed to carry out the work.
If we have a good workable system that gives value to tournament directors and players, they will come to us. For the most part, I think our guidelines should be as broad as possible to let promoters run their tournaments the way they want. Of course they would have to at least mention some added money though, lol.
It is not simply a matter of having a list of objectives to be accomplished. There is a need for meetings where the objectives are spelled out and agreed to. This is then passed to the lobbying agent and the newsletter editor. The person responsible for communicating with members and general public relations is also a paid or contracted position. This person or group must set up the web site (as one of the lest expensive vehicles for communication) and have the resources to produce the best quality printed information the organization can afford.
In the initial stages this work is usually performed at no cost by members committed to the organizations goals. However, this can not be a permanent solution or the quality of product produced soon deteriorates.
The way I see it is most of the decisions must be made before anyone is going to join anyway. So if it can be started with a shoestring budget, there shouldn't be much problem after it is established.
While many of these things can initially be accomplished on a shoestring budget it would be better to plan for long term development so as to have a significant impact on the industry. In the early stages a few thousand dollars are needed to get it off the ground. The goal would be to obtain several hundred thousand dollars within a few years to create a highly credible organization. Recognizing that several administrative personnel including player representatives, lobbying personnel and general office staff are going to be needed it would be best to plan for an organization with some sort of continuous funding.
Several hundred thousand?????? Player representative? Volunteer. Lobbying personel? No. Office staff? To the minimum.
Tournament directors and players could be asked to do some of their own data entry work if they want sanctioning and points.
I think that a review of other players’ organizations might be the place to begin. Baseball players, football players and similar groups have players’ organizations that could be contacted to learn how they go about conducting their business as it relates to pool players. This would be the place to begin in a small group of three to ten people who were seriously interested in forming such an organization.
I think only individual sports are going to be much help. Good luck in finding any major one not corporate owned, which is one reason I want to see pool players take control of their sport.
Over time such an organization could build health insurance plans, retirement packages, and set aside some money for player expenses and development. It could also find ways to encourage young players in meaningful ways. Such an organization could do much with regard to improving the image of pool players.
A player's organization should keep to the very basics, imo. Get more money to the players, let them decide what they will do with it. That will improve the image of pool plenty and encourage young players.
I forget the number of people who play and or are interested in playing pool but it is quite large and a highly credible organization could substantially change the world of pool players. If your going to dream, dream big. Shoot for the stars and see what is created over the course of many years.
While many of these things sound overwhelming initially consider the Girl Scouts. They are highly organized locally and nationally. They will even sell you cookies so you too can help their cause. This is one way of saying it is a very doable sort of thing that only requires 10 - 20 dedicated people to get the ball rolling.
