COLLEGES INTERESTED IN STARTING BILLIARDS LEAGUE?
- Thread starter jasondavis4422
- Start date
jasondavis4422
Member
It is also great to see so many people interested in this sport! It is hard to find people these days, as collegiate billiards has really fallen apart since COVID-19, but I want to try and get it going again, even if it takes some time.
You might want to start with hosting fundraising events before trying to start competitions. Fundraisers are great ways to test the waters due to low startup cost.
Also many conferences (tournaments) are posting on youtube channels this way everyone can preview or share the type of experiences.
Best recommendation is to show up at a Predator or MR event and build from there.
Representing your country is welcome ask Karim or Emily if you can represent your college at an event.
Karim is amazing and friendly. Emily is as professional and more than Karim.
I am trying to encourage students to present on billiards at Honors conferences. Billiards is a predecessor for women in sports. However the history and research is limited.
Also many conferences (tournaments) are posting on youtube channels this way everyone can preview or share the type of experiences.
Best recommendation is to show up at a Predator or MR event and build from there.
Representing your country is welcome ask Karim or Emily if you can represent your college at an event.
Karim is amazing and friendly. Emily is as professional and more than Karim.
I am trying to encourage students to present on billiards at Honors conferences. Billiards is a predecessor for women in sports. However the history and research is limited.
jasondavis4422
Member
Sorry. I'm not familiar with Predator/MR events. Can you elaborate?
Predator is a billiard equipment company. It sponsors a pro tour that is primarily 10 ball. They began as a cue company but now also have tables, cloth and balls in their product lines. They also sponsor other major events, such as the 2022 World 8-Ball Championships which were in Puerto Rico.
MR stands for Matchroom, which is a sports promotion company. They produce many large events including the US Open 9-Ball, the World 9-Ball Championship and several new open tournaments in Europe.
Matchroom now has junior events at two of its largest events, the US Open and the UK Open. I believe they are under-18 (U-18) events.
The Billiard Education Foundation promotes an annual Junior Nationals Championship that has multiple age categories. In the past two years or so they have added U-22, so that would be of interest to college programs. I looked on the BEF site for qualifiers and selection criteria but was unable to find them for this year. They have a contact email on their site. I've sent in a question and will post here if I get a response.
The just-completed CSI tournaments in Las Vegas had a junior event, but I believe it was U-18 and required junior players to be on BCAPL league teams.
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Are you part of any national honors or leadership or other special interest groups?
If you participate at those conferences it would be convenient to have a side event. You can introduce non pool people to pool.
I have done that very few become regulars and the group sizes were small. It usually ends up as a group date event for singles to match.
Ditto what BJ said.
jasondavis4422
Member
Yeah, I figured it would end up as a group date event, so I am more than open to that.
I am not a part of national honors or other special interest groups. Do you have any information you could give me about these groups? I'd be interested in joining to at least learn more.
I am not a part of national honors or other special interest groups. Do you have any information you could give me about these groups? I'd be interested in joining to at least learn more.
jasondavis4422
Member
Also, how do certain players qualify for tournaments? There's so many tournaments I see online from Matchroom/Predator/APA, but I don't know how they all work. Is there some sort of qualification process or is it just winning money based on tournaments around the world?
Most of the major events are open. In the case of the open (non-invitational) tournaments, you just have to be quick with your money. Recently the Matchroom events have filled in a few hours. I think Matchroom reserves spots for the top players who aren't so quick with a mouse.
The Predator events are mostly open.
Official world championships are primarily filled by players nominated by their national/continental federations. Sometimes there are qualifying events at the venue.
The APA runs it's own singles event that does not require APA league membership. I think you just have to pay an entry.
More practical for most players are the regional open events. In your area, I think that is the Joss Tour run by Mike Zuglan. Below that are the weekly/monthly room events.
For young players there is the equivalent of the Mosconi Cup in the form of the Atlantic Challenge Cup. I believe the US team is selected from top finishers at the Junior Nationals.
jasondavis4422
Member
Thanks Bob! So far, we have a couple of interested schools, so we are making progress. In my research, I looked into the Billiards Education Program and saw the U-22 Division as a possible division for National Qualifier, but not a division for a national championship. I see that as a gap for junior competition, so I am looking to fill that with a possible league/tournament system to create a regional (and potentially national) program. If you know of any other programs, please let me know.
I don't understand your point. To the extent that we have a US National Championship for college-aged players, the U22 at the Junior Nationals is that event. The juniors competing in the other age brackets are US National Champions in their age brackets.
Can you explain what you are hoping to do?
jasondavis4422
Member
I didn't see your other post about the U22 Nationals until after I replied to your previous message. Our school can host a national qualifier for the BEF, but if it's open registration, then players won't be concerned with not qualifying. Thus, maybe we could ask the BEF to let us host a national qualifier tournament that simply prepares players to compete at nationals and branding it as a regional tournament, since it is unlikely that everyone in the US will want to travel to New Hampshire for one tournament.
I think they would be delighted if you ran a qualifier. It seems that you don't have to ask their permission since the entries for U22 are open, but I imagine they would be glad to list you and give you what support they can. They may be able to get sponsors to donate billiard equipment.
Typically such qualifiers help with travel costs through the entry fees.
jasondavis4422
Member
Yeah, it sounds like a great idea. The qualifier could certainly help us with the entry fees, so we would likely try to host in early June.
I love this idea...colleges have club sports of all types, and compete regionally and nationally. I see no reason not to have a similar construct, you just need other colleges to organize and seek funding from their student unions. Some NCAA sports (like rugby, shooting sports, lacrosse, field hockey) bounce between club status and NCAA status based on various factors. I believe Virginia Tech had a pretty organized club, there are others out there, like Lindenwood. This would be different than the U22, Opens and Predator events, where you'd be competing in an open against people of all ages under 22...this would be a collegiate league, which can carry all the prestige of representing your school against others. The Service Academies are pretty game to start clubs and can get funding to travel, too.
If you were really ambitious you could lead the effort to qualify billiards in NCAA as an emerging sport.
It has low entry cost for a college. It is a sport that has a history of women athletes. It is also a sport that can be player during indoor and outdoor seasons.
Clubs in college do lead to sanctioned college sports teams. The requirement is the NCAA has to have it on their list. Billiards is not on the list.
Getting Billiards on the list of college NCAA sports may or it may not be worth the investment.
I am more interested in NJCAA billiard recognition.
I could host a mixer but I have no players active or trained for competition. My area recently reduced to two barboxes.
It has low entry cost for a college. It is a sport that has a history of women athletes. It is also a sport that can be player during indoor and outdoor seasons.
Clubs in college do lead to sanctioned college sports teams. The requirement is the NCAA has to have it on their list. Billiards is not on the list.
Getting Billiards on the list of college NCAA sports may or it may not be worth the investment.
I am more interested in NJCAA billiard recognition.
I could host a mixer but I have no players active or trained for competition. My area recently reduced to two barboxes.
jasondavis4422
Member
That sounds fantastic. Is there anyone at West Point that I can talk to?
jasondavis4422
Member
For now, I'd probably focus on getting colleges interested and solidifying the league. Then, I can start thinking about getting any further affliation like through the NCAA or NJCAA. I think that's a good idea though. I just don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
One of our few regular college student players is trying to start back up a pool club at our local school - Appalachian State University. Previous attempts at this were more of a social club as opposed to being more competition or instructional focused, which is better than nothing.
Although there is a 6-7 table pool room on campus 8 miles away, hopefully they’ll have once a week get-togethers here at our room on a slower week night. I don’t likely see the potential for competitions against other area universities since they are relatively spread out, but who knows what it might lead to.
Off hand, no...I graduated 36 years ago (!)...I'll look into someone you may contact and PM you if I get lucky.