Hi everybody,
I get a bit confused about the discussions here regarding league play...
Lets just give a short statement how it works here in Germany:
we do not have inhouse leagues, however there are "Clubs" in most bigger pool halls and other clubs have their own club houses with only a few tables
for these clubs you have to do a certain monthly payment and for this you get training sessions (sometimes with coaches, sometimes free practice), in general 5-7 afternoons from opening hours till around 7-9pm depending on the pool hall owner and the club
for the other times you'll pay the rent for the tables after the hour, sometimes with a "good deal offer of 20-30%)
the clubs make up teams of 4-8 players (how many teams depends on the amount of players in the clubs)
you can set up teams with equal strength or because the guys just like each other, as you want, there is no handicap)
the leagues set up regional groups of 6-9 teams that play round robin in two rounds, one match at home, one at the other clubs pool hall), matches are set up about every 2nd Sunday from Sept. till May
The matches are set up playing 2 matches of 8-,9,-10-Ball and 2 straight pool matches, where every player cannot play more than 2x and each game only once, a draw earns the team 1 point, a win 3 points (results can be everything from 8:0, 7:1,.., 4:4 and count if teams have equal points)
1st of each league raises to a higher level league, the last will go down a league level next season (team members can change for the new season)
there are no payouts, the clubs pay for the team registration fees to our head organisation called German Pool Union), so playing on these leagues does not cost extra to the monthly club fees (usually between 20-50€ depending on the different possibilities, since clubs with their own room will offer 24/7 access for free)
there are some 40000 players organized in Germany at the moment...
In the highest leagues, some players get a little money which should at least refund for traveling through Germany (sometimes sleep over costs, etc.), however there is no pro tour (even Euro Tour players are mostly amateurs (In Germany the only pros seem to be Ralf, Toasty and Oliver Ortmann)
the higher the leagues, the bigger the area where the teams come from (lowest leagues are usually areas where oyu travel between 20-150km one way)
additionally there are singles events for man, women, ladies, "oldies" and wheelchair and of course for the youth (below 15 years, below 18 years and all for girls and boys seperately)
which also starts on the smallest area, the top players qualify for the next bigger area and so on, till you qualify for the German championship
sorry, this part got a little longer than expected
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in the US you have Master leagues, which for some reason do not seem to be very far spread and different types of handicap leagues like apa, bca etc
Where do you "scout" the great talents in the US, how are they "developed" further, if as many seem to believe the leagues are no good for this?
I do not want APA bashing in this thread, I am just curious how "the system" works for you?
Whats the reason, that you do not have a great system like your college football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics and so on team leagues?
I mean you tend to have these kind of leagues for about any sport possible and pool is much bigger in the states than it is here (at least you get the feeling, looking in the pool halls every evening)
Pool in the states seems always look for gambling, never for "sport" though... in mostly all sports you guys would frown for handicap systems to be wimpy stuff... I mean who would watch the superbowl if the less ranked team would get a couple of home runs spotted???
Why do so many people complain about payouts on leagues? I mean if you get cheaper/free tables for league nights and training sessions?
Do you have to pay for the regionals and for the finals in Vegas (or where ever the league plays the finals)?
Why do you see so few 9' tables still in pool halls (I only have been to Austin, Tx and long time ago to SF) and your leagues do not even use them in general)?
I get a bit confused about the discussions here regarding league play...
Lets just give a short statement how it works here in Germany:
we do not have inhouse leagues, however there are "Clubs" in most bigger pool halls and other clubs have their own club houses with only a few tables
for these clubs you have to do a certain monthly payment and for this you get training sessions (sometimes with coaches, sometimes free practice), in general 5-7 afternoons from opening hours till around 7-9pm depending on the pool hall owner and the club
for the other times you'll pay the rent for the tables after the hour, sometimes with a "good deal offer of 20-30%)
the clubs make up teams of 4-8 players (how many teams depends on the amount of players in the clubs)
you can set up teams with equal strength or because the guys just like each other, as you want, there is no handicap)
the leagues set up regional groups of 6-9 teams that play round robin in two rounds, one match at home, one at the other clubs pool hall), matches are set up about every 2nd Sunday from Sept. till May
The matches are set up playing 2 matches of 8-,9,-10-Ball and 2 straight pool matches, where every player cannot play more than 2x and each game only once, a draw earns the team 1 point, a win 3 points (results can be everything from 8:0, 7:1,.., 4:4 and count if teams have equal points)
1st of each league raises to a higher level league, the last will go down a league level next season (team members can change for the new season)
there are no payouts, the clubs pay for the team registration fees to our head organisation called German Pool Union), so playing on these leagues does not cost extra to the monthly club fees (usually between 20-50€ depending on the different possibilities, since clubs with their own room will offer 24/7 access for free)
there are some 40000 players organized in Germany at the moment...
In the highest leagues, some players get a little money which should at least refund for traveling through Germany (sometimes sleep over costs, etc.), however there is no pro tour (even Euro Tour players are mostly amateurs (In Germany the only pros seem to be Ralf, Toasty and Oliver Ortmann)
the higher the leagues, the bigger the area where the teams come from (lowest leagues are usually areas where oyu travel between 20-150km one way)
additionally there are singles events for man, women, ladies, "oldies" and wheelchair and of course for the youth (below 15 years, below 18 years and all for girls and boys seperately)
which also starts on the smallest area, the top players qualify for the next bigger area and so on, till you qualify for the German championship
sorry, this part got a little longer than expected
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
in the US you have Master leagues, which for some reason do not seem to be very far spread and different types of handicap leagues like apa, bca etc
Where do you "scout" the great talents in the US, how are they "developed" further, if as many seem to believe the leagues are no good for this?
I do not want APA bashing in this thread, I am just curious how "the system" works for you?
Whats the reason, that you do not have a great system like your college football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics and so on team leagues?
I mean you tend to have these kind of leagues for about any sport possible and pool is much bigger in the states than it is here (at least you get the feeling, looking in the pool halls every evening)
Pool in the states seems always look for gambling, never for "sport" though... in mostly all sports you guys would frown for handicap systems to be wimpy stuff... I mean who would watch the superbowl if the less ranked team would get a couple of home runs spotted???
Why do so many people complain about payouts on leagues? I mean if you get cheaper/free tables for league nights and training sessions?
Do you have to pay for the regionals and for the finals in Vegas (or where ever the league plays the finals)?
Why do you see so few 9' tables still in pool halls (I only have been to Austin, Tx and long time ago to SF) and your leagues do not even use them in general)?
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