This is not the APA or TAP or VNEA-
Tom In Cincy said:
I've got plans to chat with Mr. Griffin next month in Vegas.
Being a member of the USPPA and running USPPA tournaments and preparing to start USPPA/BCA leagues, I am very interested what the BCA will offer USPPA members for the yearly dues.
League play in Sacramento is not as popular as the tournaments. Most leagues are Bar Leagues and no leagues exist in any of the pool rooms that I know of. But, I am going to start one this fall. USPPA for sure, and maybe BCA sanctioned. It all depends on what the BCA will offer the players.
ACA, CCA or whatever the new name of the day is, is not even being considered.
But, if the ACA or CCA... leagues offer the state and league operators a huge slice of the not-for-profit operating funds, I MIGHT BE interested.
It is very difficult for me to believe there are so many state and local league operators of the newly formed ACA willing to work for peanuts. There has to be lots of money NOW, that the BCA isn't taking a cut. Or, will the NEW ACA and CCA be taking that cut NOW?
Let's see. $10 a year dues. Weekly dues from 60,000 members (at say $3 a member x 24 weeks [that's maybe 3 sessions a year] adds up to about
$10x60,000= $600,000
$3 a week x 60,000= $180,000
24 weeks x $180,000= $4,320,000 a year
total = $4,920,000 (no taxes, because it's non-profit)
League operators get paid, State rep gets paid, and of course,, the directors get paid. Now the promoter for the yearly tournament gets paid and the Venue (tournament site) get their share, table vendor gets their share.
Oh wait.. what about the players that want to continue to be part of the league system they originally signed with? Let's say that figure is 50,000.
Now that's a lot less, it's only $492,000. That's mostly going to the state, regional and national payroll. And, it might just cover the VENUE cost of a national tournament for 64 teams in a gym at a community center.
Good Luck ACA.. I wish you well.
Mr. Griffin won't have any problem making a success of an already established league system with a national tournament with $800,000 added.
It's not broke, you CAN't Fix it.
ACA is the unknown player at this table.
The ACS is not the unknown player, Mr Griffin is...
As far as dollar figures go your first line is some what correct. Of the 65,000 registered members the majority pay $10 per year (League Members), player members pay $25 per year (can only play in the singles event) and special members pay $35 per year or more(Referees, Instructors). Many people , like myself, are listed twice on the member list ($10 for league player and $35 as a referee). Unlike the APA, TAP or VNEA no other funds are paid to the national organization-NONE! The BCA in the past uses this money to pay for the staff that ran the BCA office to the benefit of the Trade association as well as organizing the national amateur tournament and overseeing the leagues.
Most of the league operators in my area have had dealings with one or more of the for profit organizations and are fearful of them. They built their BCA leagues off of the other leagues failings. To see the BCA Board sell the league scares them that things will change. [A truth seen in most political situations, most want the status quo.] In the past as a BCA league operator you could run your league any way you want. No one could tell you how to do it. Mr. Griffin has stated that he will not change the structure of the BCA at this time but that does not mean he will not change his mind later. Remember he has full control, he owns it. By the way, Mr Griffin asked John Lewis to run the new BCA League, if Mr. Lewis was so bad at it why did he ask him to stay on? [see article interviewing John Lewis in this months "On the Break", a northwest pool players paper.]
As to Mr. Harms $7 dues deal. It is not so Special! Go to the new BCA pool league web page and go to "JOIN NOW", at the bottom of the page you will see a special rate list for the number of members you bring into the league system. This is how it has always been. When you register over 1000 members your rate is $8 per member. If you hold a state, provincial or regional tournament you get $1 from the BCA for every league player registered in that area. So if a league operator has over 1000 members they get back $2 in the form of a rebate check from the BCA. If they organize a regional championship they get $1 per player member in that region. I expect Mr. Griffin will continue this policy for state and regional tournaments that are sanctioned by him, he has not said specifically. How a local BCA League operator runs his league is their business whether they do it for a profit, break even, or at a loss as long as it does not damage the National office and local players are happy who cares?
But the state, regional and provincial associations all had to submit papers to the BCA national association for their approval before they could open a sanctioned area charter (ie states or provinces). Those papers where is essence articles of incorporation and bylaws, all the charters I know of are formed under the non-profit articles of incorporation for that state. One common denominator in all the bylaws is that each league operator in that area had the right to sit on the board of directors and have an equal voice and that none of these people could (profit) receive a salary for this service. Those operators who participated in the process of forming such associations are very proud of their accomplishments and fearful of the BCA Boards actions. Most feared the sale would go to the APA (which still could happen in the future). Mr. Griffin would have you believe that he is the saving angel of the BCA league system by him buying it. Rather than no one buying it. Oh! didn't you know that all other offers were removed from the Brokers office after the state and regional associations threaten to start their own organization if the BCA Board sold the League. Mr Griffin was the only offer left on the table! But didn't he object to the sale of the league system? Yes he did. He thought it would hurt the BCA proprietor members and give them no reason to be BCA trade members. Oh, by the way Mr. Griffin sits on the BCA Board of Directors as the West Coast Proprietors representative. [The regional associations also offered to buy the league if the BCA would accept annual payments and form a operating committee as a division of the BCA using league operators for the Board of directors.]
The ACS is the result of the threat. The new ACS members don't want a lot of change, if any. They have seen their local leagues grow under this system. Not all league players can afford to go to Las Vegas but most can afford the regional. Small leagues can afford to send a team to regionals. The fact that we have at least 10% more people every year at the western annual 8 ball team event for 9 years says people enjoy it (over 800 people this year), even though we had to add half a day to the event this year. The western regional association has grown from 600 members to over 2540 in nine years. In two events we paid out over $110,000 in prize money this year. National BCA referees receive a fee for services from a donated source, when we had a tournament director they recieved $250 for five days work (not enough to pay for a room in the hotel next door). Gary Benson runs the tournament on the same basis as the Nationals. We are voting to pay our league secretary for the first time for her work. Processing 2500+ peoples statistics every two weeks, verifying eligibility on entry forms and filling out payout checks has become a serious burden and deserves payment. She is not a league operator, she is a player representative elected to her position. No one else is paid any money out of league funds. Usually State non-profit laws prohibit Board members from receiving pay. I know this is true of the BCA Board. they receive $500 per person for expenses per meeting. We don't do this in our association. A minimal amount of dues money goes to advertising, insurance and operating costs, the rest is added money. Our balance sheet is an open book, any player member can look at it. We will be voting on regional association alignment June 13th at our next meeting. League operators can still cross sanction no matter what the result.
If any thing this experience with regional associations has shown those league operators that have participated what can be accomplished under this form of governing body. It is so far from being about money it is ridiculous. All of this will be the same for the ACS, except the president of each state or regional association will sit on the board of directors and direct the employees (John Lewis and Betty Harris) as to how the league system and national tournaments will be run. No long will John Lewis be stuck between a rock (the BCA Board) and a hard place (the players that pay his wage). The ACS is not "the unknown player". The ACS is your league operator with other league operators in your area, joining together to bring more to the local players. If you are lucky enough to live in one of those areas with an association then you have experienced it. And, if you wish, you can be a part of it if your willing to donate the time!
The BCA League system was never BROKE or broken under the BCA. Part of the reason for the sale was the APA convinced members of the board that they should not be in competition with any members of the BCA trade association. Namely since the APA is a member of the BCA the BCA should not be in the league business. The other part relates to getting recognition by the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) for the BCA as the sanctioning body of pool. To do this the Board would have to put two Professional players on the Board of Directors. Though everything was in place to do this the Board failed to act causing the USOC to not recognize the BCA. The BCA Board immediately put the League system up for sale making it impossible for the BCA to ever be recognized by the USOC. This is the other reason for the ACS. [see ACS web site for futher details]
Don't think that Mr. Griffin isn't spending league money. He basically said he won't profit (ie take a pay check) directly from the league. He will charge the league for league expenses. Such as flying to and from Colorado for training on how the league operates, phone calls relating to league business. In 2006 the Nationals will be played on Diamond tables, who will run the event remains to be seen. I don't think that Gary Benson will buy 200+ Diamond tables just so he can run the event, especially since they cost nearly twice that of a Valley table and do not travel as easily. All such expenses will be passed on to the players at the events in the future. We could all be paying $2 a game at BCA nationals in the near future.
The BCA receives $52,000 in room fee kick backs from the Riviera which goes to added money along with about 30 rooms for staff and referees. A lot of this money has been diverted to the Pro event. At last years Las Vegas League Operators meeting the League operators asked the board to acknowledge the contribution of player monies as a partial sponsor to the BCA OPEN 9 BALL along with the APA. Though I never heard what the BCA Board response was I think we can all guess. Mr. Griffin will control that money next year if he meet performance criteria.
The rumor in Las Vegas during the BCA trade show last month was that Donald Trump was trying to buy the Riviera. He has not been receptive to pool tournaments in the past. At any rate a new contract needs to be negotiated as the old one expires in 2005. [Another bad manuver by the BCA Board]
