Can this new game help the billiard industry?

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bfefootball

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Here is a project we are working on that has generated excitement and one that I believe can help the industry- Billiard Football.

Heres why....

It may seem crazy but hear me out. About 15 years ago I looked at the billiard industry through fresh new comer eyes (Ex-Military Intel guy here). I researched the industry to see what it was lacking. One thing stood out...there was no youth programs. More specifically, there was no high school billiards programs in the U.S.

After a few years gaining experience and training (becoming BCA Certified Instructor, learning to run leagues and tournaments) I started the hard work of developing a high school program in Dallas, Texas. Some people scoffed at the idea and said it couldn't be done.

Well long story short we are in our 9th year of high school billiards in Dallas. I have had 14 high schools participate playing each other over the years with over several hundred students competing. I had written a program Directors guide and donated it to the Billiard Education Foundation in which now we have other cities and states starting high school billiard programs. It is working. Contact the Billiard Education Foundation for more info.

Now getting back to Billiard Football, I played football in high school and have always loved the game. In fact MANY people love football. The NFL is one of the top sports franchises in the world. I remember years ago hearing of NFL players having a billiard tournament. I thought that was a great idea. The cheerleaders playing idea on ESPN....wellllll not so sure about that.

However, what if we could join the two sports in a unique and simple way that would appeal to a large segment of the billiard/football fan population? Get it on ESPN. Have all 32 NFL teams/cities participate. An NFL player, a pro pool player, and two qualified local city players. A National Billiard Football League.

After all if you go into a pool room or bar and what do you see during football season on TV? Football games. What if you could play along with that NFL or College game on TV nationwide? The league and tournament possibilities are endless. Think about charity events with NFL players in pool rooms. NFL players love to play pool.

Well I developed a Billiard Football game with my experience as a BCA Instructor, High School Billiard Program Director, and as a experienced Tournament Director (BCA & BEF Junior Nationals) . I also have many years of experience playing in leagues.

Its just an idea but one that I think can and will help the billiard industry.

Love to hear your opinions.

The game if anyone is interested is at www.billiardfootball.com

The "Center" ball in front of the rack can be replaced by any NFL or Collegiate teams.
 

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as always any endeavor that promotes pool should be applauded. an excellent job on getting kids in school interested in pool. thats an area that many have identified as being crucial to growing pool in the us. out of curiosity have the high school kids stuck with pool-ie league play, the tourney trail etc...?

now for the billiard football concept. i think borrowing some star power from other sports is a great idea. the average non pool loving consumer may just tune in or stop channel surfing if they saw their fav football (insert any major sport here) player shooting and it could definitely boost attendance at the pool hall if you knew you'd have a chance to meet them in person.

however i think the last thing the sport needs is another game and set of rules. as noted by others here part of pools problem is that there already is a plethora of games to choose from most of which are a complete mystery to the general public. adding a new "pool" game will only add to the confusion and may alienate current pool players. maybe if you kept the nfl (or any major sport) player conceptbut stuck with and already accepted game...

anyway thanks for actually doing something instead of just talking

brian
 
I'd like to see them do what bowling did not to long ago by having lebron james, dwyane wade, rudy gay and some other stars play along side some of the pros.

I know wade enjoys pool, I imagine more then their fair share of star athletes in football/bball play it as well, so it wouldn't be hard to do.
 
Thanks for the posts and opinions.

Pocketspeed we have had several of our high school students go on to play in the leagues here in Dallas including the Masters and did/do very well, many went on to college to play i.e., Texas Tech, Texas A&M, University of Texas, University of Arkansas, etc.

We have had over 30+ students attend the BEF Junior Nationals. One student has even become a BCA Instructor. In fact he is a partner in the Billiard Football project. He even received a BEF Billiard Scholarship.

MANY of the students went on to serve our country in the various branches and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in which we are very proud of them.

Our policy in the high school program is pass-to-play. It has helped many students buckle down in the classroom so that they could compete with their high school team.

The high school program is much needed in the industry. The IOC recognized billiards (pool) as a LEGITIMATE sport in 1998. So we need to take pool now mainly known as a bar game to many and convert it to a sport. The high schools here LOVE it. It is an alternative LIFE time sport that ANYONE can enjoy that crosses ALL demographics.

The road has NOT been easy though. I have dedicated 15 years of my life to this endeavor. If you look at the games history that is when you see the beauty of it. The educational value to students is very unique from other sports. I wish the industry would support youth billiards more.

Our team at Billiard Football.com is made up of high school program parents and a prior program student that wants to continue helping the youth and keep high school billiard alive. Please support us.
 
From a multimillion dollar contract to the salaried board room chairs of big business all industries of popularity give that promise, the promise of becoming wealthy for yourself and future generations.

The publicity of over-valued skills with cash compensation tends to create a lot of competition to be the best at a specific job. That competition can generate a strong recruiting pool. The IPT almost did that but failed to live up to expectation.

Correction: The IPT did live up to expectation but only for a special few. Those special few worked hard over the years and now the payoff finally came.
 
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bfefootball said:
Thanks for the posts and opinions.

Pocketspeed we have had several of our high school students go on to play in the leagues here in Dallas including the Masters and did/do very well, many went on to college to play i.e., Texas Tech, Texas A&M, University of Texas, University of Arkansas, etc.

We have had over 30+ students attend the BEF Junior Nationals. One student has even become a BCA Instructor. In fact he is a partner in the Billiard Football project. He even received a BEF Billiard Scholarship.

MANY of the students went on to serve our country in the various branches and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in which we are very proud of them.

Our policy in the high school program is pass-to-play. It has helped many students buckle down in the classroom so that they could compete with their high school team.

The high school program is much needed in the industry. The IOC recognized billiards (pool) as a LEGITIMATE sport in 1998. So we need to take pool now mainly known as a bar game to many and convert it to a sport. The high schools here LOVE it. It is an alternative LIFE time sport that ANYONE can enjoy that crosses ALL demographics.

The road has NOT been easy though. I have dedicated 15 years of my life to this endeavor. If you look at the games history that is when you see the beauty of it. The educational value to students is very unique from other sports. I wish the industry would support youth billiards more.

Our team at Billiard Football.com is made up of high school program parents and a prior program student that wants to continue helping the youth and keep high school billiard alive. Please support us.
Click to expand...

thanks for the response. sounds like your hs program has been very successful. that is exactly what the sport needs. kudos (and rep) to you for actually doing something (as opposed to just talking) and doing successfully.

i hope billiard football endeavor works out for you as well. i'll be looking forward to hearing about your success here on the forum.

brian
 
I wouldn't want to watch someone who can't play pool at the table unless its a hot ref, and I wouldn't want to watch a new game I was unfamiliar with. Getting celebrities to introduce pool is a good idea, but creating a 20min show out of it would look campy.

In many ways I think matchroom sport's production is palatble to a wide market, but TV execs don't want to take the gamble on a serious run in the states.
 
henho said:
I wouldn't want to watch someone who can't play pool at the table unless its a hot ref, and I wouldn't want to watch a new game I was unfamiliar with. Getting celebrities to introduce pool is a good idea, but creating a 20min show out of it would look campy.

In many ways I think matchroom sport's production is palatble to a wide market, but TV execs don't want to take the gamble on a serious run in the states.
Click to expand...

my concern would be the new game aspect, but i think the idea is that the athletes who would be shown can play pool. ok maybe they wont be a danger to take out a top pro, but still know their way around the table. again my best wished to this endeavor. here is someone actually doing something instead of just talking about it.

brian
 
paksat said:
I'd like to see them do what bowling did not to long ago by having lebron james, dwyane wade, rudy gay and some other stars play along side some of the pros.

.
Click to expand...

They did this a few years back. If I remember correctly they had two tables going for the TV, and had pros and celebs playing. In fact I think Allen Hopkins was involved, but I could be wrong.

Its possible that non-pool players would have enjoyed it, but for me it was pretty tough to watch.

It could catch on though, if the Celebs show a little speed. I do enjoy watching the golf pro-ams. Most of the Celebs can play decent though.

Although I must admit I love to watch Charles Barkley play, its kinda like a train wreck on the golf course LOL. I also was hooked watching him on the Haney project :)
 
i tried in toronto a while ago to get the program in schools, as all the kids where leaving school during the day and playing pool

makes sense to have it on the curriculum.
 
I attempted a pool program at a youth center. The playing did not address any of their needs like why they are not learning at school, overcoming stress and anxiety and making money. Encouraging the youth to become good at something is difficult. The main difficulties I faced were motivating and encouraging them. Those days I felt like no matter what I said they feel I am discouraging them.

Occasionally I deal with youths from a more censured government than the US. Those youths tend be well prepared in being told what to do and doing that well. The Americans I worked with are well aware of what they want, they just don't know how to get there.

Once you hit it rich I guess you could just tell them all the hard work paid off in the end. I think that's a popular motivational phrase. I doubt if they would think you just happen to be lucky.
 
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Hey guys I posted this on the wanted section to let people know that we appreciate AZbilliard Forum members.

WE SUPPORT HIGH SCHOOL BILLIARDS! Please contact the Billiard Education Foundation for more info on how you can possibly start a program in your area.


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The game set is normally $179.00 but we are offering azbilliards forum members $20 off the Billiard Football Game Set good through -December 15th, 2009. Just enter the coupon code- IS-3173-AZB110901 when you check out. Sorry LIMITED quantities so hurry up and order TODAY!

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We have over 3000 NFL and Collegiate products!

Please check us out at www.billiardfootball.com
 
i'm gonna go with - nnnaaaahhhh. they tried something simillar not long ago with cuemates, it was chess combined with pool. how about trying to get people interested in pool by playing, well, pool. glad to see you try to get kids involved start 'em young and let them grow up having a fondness for the game. good memories of dad teaching you how to do something will always help keep it in your life. and if they play in school that's another thing that will keep it with them. but mixing pool with football, not so much. way to plug your website in under ten posts as well.
 
I went to the site but could not find anything about what this game is or how it is played. Is there a set of rules, an outline or anything that will tell me about it before I plunk down that much money? I might be interested in buying the game for my HS and collegiate age grandchildren, so please tell us more.

It looks like an interesting idea but that is all at this point. Where can I get more information?

Thanks
 
i think its a pretty clever idea that will get some sort of traction (as it should) though i wouldnt expect it to become a household game, i bet you could move quite a few of those. good luck!
 
bfefootball said:
Here is a project we are working on that has generated excitement and one that I believe can help the industry- Billiard Football.

Heres why....

It may seem crazy but hear me out. About 15 years ago I looked at the billiard industry through fresh new comer eyes (Ex-Military Intel guy here). I researched the industry to see what it was lacking. One thing stood out...there was no youth programs. More specifically, there was no high school billiards programs in the U.S.

After a few years gaining experience and training (becoming BCA Certified Instructor, learning to run leagues and tournaments) I started the hard work of developing a high school program in Dallas, Texas. Some people scoffed at the idea and said it couldn't be done.

Well long story short we are in our 9th year of high school billiards in Dallas. I have had 14 high schools participate playing each other over the years with over several hundred students competing. I had written a program Directors guide and donated it to the Billiard Education Foundation in which now we have other cities and states starting high school billiard programs. It is working. Contact the Billiard Education Foundation for more info.

Now getting back to Billiard Football, I played football in high school and have always loved the game. In fact MANY people love football. The NFL is one of the top sports franchises in the world. I remember years ago hearing of NFL players having a billiard tournament. I thought that was a great idea. The cheerleaders playing idea on ESPN....wellllll not so sure about that.

However, what if we could join the two sports in a unique and simple way that would appeal to a large segment of the billiard/football fan population? Get it on ESPN. Have all 32 NFL teams/cities participate. An NFL player, a pro pool player, and two qualified local city players. A National Billiard Football League.

After all if you go into a pool room or bar and what do you see during football season on TV? Football games. What if you could play along with that NFL or College game on TV nationwide? The league and tournament possibilities are endless. Think about charity events with NFL players in pool rooms. NFL players love to play pool.

Well I developed a Billiard Football game with my experience as a BCA Instructor, High School Billiard Program Director, and as a experienced Tournament Director (BCA & BEF Junior Nationals) . I also have many years of experience playing in leagues.

Its just an idea but one that I think can and will help the billiard industry.

Love to hear your opinions.

The game if anyone is interested is at www.billiardfootball.com

The "Center" ball in front of the rack can be replaced by any NFL or Collegiate teams.
Click to expand...


FYI, the billiard industry (BCA) is the mfg side of the game, to get them to "budget" for this cause, it'll most likely have to come thru Laura Smith and the BEF then go before one of the quarterly board meetings etc. etc. good luck""""
When Paul Newman died the billiard industry should have someway/somehow road that Color of Money horse RIGHT AWAY, but not a peep out of the industry, I know they did bring it up at the board meeting in Boulder first of the year. That movie alone caused the industrys greatest increase of players, that lasted I think a good ten years.

Looking at the billiard industry thru fresh 'newcomer' eyes is great, but I wonder how big of a market there is for "another game".

When your dealing with youth and the large demographics of those in school who are not into sports, you've got a decent size pool of recruits that have time/energy for the game, BUT what happens after high school?

You mentioned joining the two sports in a 'simple way' to me its everything BUT simple, I think getting (football/pool) going is ten times harder than getting leagues into High Schools.

You've learned the game and have put allot of time/effort into a game that has no peers, but your story sounds "too" familiar and I wonder if your energy/enthusiasm has diminished and that's reason for your post.

The sport/game of pool is an untamed animal, its enviornment is most always around alcohol/smoke and late nights, to change that thinking is impossible.

If your ever in Colorado, look me up. The vehicle I have created to increase play, equals the energy you have put out so far to make it work. PM me if you like.
 
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