Associated Tour Systems US Pro Tour - Here's the Plan

M

MikeJanis

Banned
For the last 4 years I have been working on bringing all the tours together for the benefit of our entire sport. Basically, I want to create a foundation for our sport so players can have a clear and concise path to be able to earn professional status and participate in the WPA events.

I have tentative agreements between the Viking Tours, Tigers Tour and the Joss Tour to all participate in this system as one unit. If your tour or event would like to participate please call Mike Janis at 1-800-200-POOL to discuss your options.

There are 4 phases to this plan with many considerations. Right now we are in the beginning stages of this plane with trial events in the works. It is going to take 18 months before it is fully in effect but I assure you, I am doing everything in my power to speed up the process. Mj

Below is just the basic fundamental guide for the system. The complete plan for all 4 phases is 70 pages so please forgive me if this basic outline below does not answer all your question right away.

To Create, Sponsor and Sanction a US Pro Billiard Tour

Proposed by R. Michael ?Mike? Janis, a representative of 8002007665, Inc. on February 6th, 2008 to the ------------- Board of Directors. All rights to the following ideas and concepts included in this proposal are retained as property of 8002007665, Inc. and may not be transferred, transmitted, copied or used in any way without the express written consent of 8002007665, Inc. or its representative R. Michael Janis.


Fundamental Purposes Of This Proposed System

A: To provide a clear path for all players to earn professional status in North America and to advance to the WPA events through the Associated Tour System as the governing body of cue sports in North America.

B: To forward the goals of the Associated Tour System and the WPA with respect to promoting a standardized rule system.

C: To enhance the membership of the Associated Tour System by encouraging new and returning members.

D: To inspire everyone in the billiard community to support the Associated Tour System and its members.

E: To provide a focal point for the entire billiard industry to support and benefit from.

F: To create a solid framework for which the sport of billiards can build upon and meet the above stated goals for the next 5 years.

The Above Stated Goals Will Be Achieved Through The Following Avenues

Re: Article A:

A: To provide a clear path for all players to earn professional status in North America and to advance to the WPA events through the Associated Tour System as the governing body of cue sports in North America.

This clear path will be as follows; All players regardless of their current status will be required to begin their eligibility path by participating in existing and newly created regional tour events. Once a player has qualified through a regional tour event that player will be eligible to participate in the ATS US Pro Tour events. Player rankings from their participation in the ATS US Pro Tour will then allow them to move forward and participate as the North American contingents in WPA events.

This clear and concise path will benefit all current players while at the same time encouraging new participants in our sport by providing them a means to a goal.
 
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Re: Article B:

B: To forward the goals of the Associated Tour System and the WPA with respect to promoting a standardized rule system.

All participating regional tours and independent events along with the ATSUSPT will utilize, play under and promote the use of the WPA?s World Standardized Rules.

Re: Article C:

C: To enhance the membership of the Associated Tour System by encouraging new and returning members.

All regional tours, independent events and locations that host their respective events will be required to become members of the Associated Tour System as an affiliate or room owner member.

Re: Article D:

D: To inspire everyone in the billiard community to support the Associated Tour System and its members.

As a result of many room owners, tours and tournaments becoming members of the ATS, I submit to you that this will have a snowball effect. This snowball effect will encourage many other segments of the billiard community to stand up and take notice of the ATS?s initiative lead in the promotion of our sport which will in turn cause others to support the ATS?s efforts by becoming valuable members of the ATS. This new found inspiration in our sport will increase attendance at future ATS Expos and increase the revenues for all of the ATS members in all segments of the industry.

Re: Article E:

E: To provide a focal point for the entire billiard industry to support and benefit from.

In today?s market place many ATS members and other billiard related companies are supporting the growth of our sport in many diverse ways through sponsorships. Currently many of these diverse sponsorship programs are competing with each and hindering the healthy growth of our sport and the promotion of billiards in general. This proposed system will provide a focal point for all these current and future individual companies that support billiards through sponsorship funding to streamline their efforts into one common goal that will benefit the entire billiard community as a whole.

Re: Article F:

F: To create a solid framework for which the sport of billiards can build upon and meet the above stated goals for the next 5 - 10 years.

The ATS?s involvement will be on a 5 year basis with the funding spread out over this 5 year time period. During this time the ATS or its designate will regulate and sanction all events under this system through the ATS?s guidance and required membership sanctioning participation from all regional tours, independent events and host locations that participate in all of the events that fall under this system.
 
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Re: Outside Industry Corporate Sponsorships

The structure of this system will be extremely vast. It will encompass almost every part on North America with hundreds of events ranging from local grass roots style events and promotions to national and international television exposure. The huge majority of market segments that this system will cover is exactly what will attract large outside industry corporate sponsors to our sport. We will no longer be trying to sell multi billion dollar companies one or two events at a time but instead be selling to them hundreds of events that cover every market segment that our industry has to offer. This in its self is one of the main reasons the ATS will take the initiative lead in this excellent opportunity to create the foundation for which our sport can build upon for many generations to come.
 
Hope this work out Mike, I will support you and this tour as much as I can!!!!!

Jackson
 
Sounds like a start to something big! Lets keep our fingers crossed!

I will be the first in line as a member.

Thanks Mike and keep up the good work!

Kev
14and1.com
 
Tiger Tour Support

Just chiming in to confirm that Mike and I have been in discussions and the Tiger Tour is definitely supporting the project!
 
nineballcc said:
Just chiming in to confirm that Mike and I have been in discussions and the Tiger Tour is definitely supporting the project!
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That's right! I am wearing my Tiger-Tour shirt at work today. Honestly.
 
I too believe that this is the way to build a strong tour and I believe Mike is one of the people that could pull it off.

I'm sure there will be other plans by other powerhouses in the pool scene that will come out with their own plan now that Mikes is out in the open. Those will have to be looked at too, and debated. That's why change in pool takes so long to happen if it happens at all. Very hard to get everyone on the same page. Johnnyt
 
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I understand if negotiations mean keeping things under wraps, but I am interested in whether the Jacoby Coarlina Tour or the Greater Southern Billiard Tour have been approached.
 
Phidget said:
I understand if negotiations mean keeping things under wraps, but I am interested in whether the Jacoby Coarlina Tour or the Greater Southern Billiard Tour have been approached.
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Unfortunately, when this system was initiated in 2004 under the N.U.T.S. program those tours did not even exist then. At the initial starting phase of this program every tour nationally and in Canada was approached. In the beginning under this agreement for the associations to be included it had a binding clause that in no uncertain terms defined a regional tours territories and called for non-compete agreements. In the Eastern US those territories are defined and are taken by the 3 tours mentioned earlier. There are a few smaller territories available that do not interfere or compete in the Eastern regional territories but they are very limited. Each current tour operator that meets the Associated Tour Systems requirements in those territories will again be approached. However, at this point it is recommended that individual tours or events contact me directly to discuss their options.

Additionally, there are many additional territories available all over the country and that is partly why existing tours are scrambling to expand and new tours are being started right now. Obviously we would like the inclusion of all the most popular and respected tours to join in with this system and give the oldest standing tours the 1st chance. However if they do not wish to participate we will pass the opportunity along to others with each of them having a defined territory that only they can host the Associated Tour System events in.



Mj
 
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Just a suggestion, but the FL Pro tour would be a huge one to add to your setup. It is also being regularly filmed by propoolvideo.com.
 
Neil said:
Mike, it's great what you are doing! And long overdue too! Ihave have one question that will be answered at a later date, but I think others might like to know now too- Since regional tours will determine who gets to go to international events, what about the international players playing in the regional tours? Could they take spots away from U.S. residents?
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Technically, the regional tours will not have anything to do with the WPA events except to provide qualified players to the Associated Tour Systems Pro events which under the new guidelines issued from the BCA days ago would allow players to earn points to be elibible for participation in the WPA events throgh their participation in the ATSUSPT events..

Mj
 
Neil said:
O.K., so say the Phil., for example, get easier visas, and 50 or so come over here and play in the regional tours. They then are qualified for the ATS events, which detemines who gets to go to the international events. Theoretically, no U.S. players could qualify to represent the U.S. ?????

Or, in a scaled down version, 4-5 'foreign' players such as Soquet, Efren, Bustamente, Parica, Holmann, ect., could take spots away from the U.S. players. True??? Or would the U.S. reps still be chosen by nationality, and not necessarily top rankings??? (top rankings among ATS players overall, but still chosen by top rankings among U.S. players)
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Yes and No :confused:

No matter what event it is that garnishes points towards WPA participation. Each player from their country can possibly go to the WPA events but as I understand it they can only go through their membership from their own country as their contingent. So NO, overseas players can not take Amercan contingent spots from US players no matter what. But Yes they can play in our events to earn what we will consider an earned professional status and the adjoining prize monies.
 
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