What are the characteristics of a well ran league?

[middleofnowhere]

My brother and I run our local BCA league. It's just a small town. Have 9, 4 man teams currently.

I have a captains meeting 3 weeks before the fall session starts. We discuss the previous session.... what worked well, and what didnt. I offer suggestions for changes.

When it comes down to it, the captains decide on the structure of the league. As in.. will it be rounds won based, or points based. Handicap or not? This year I suggested we add 2 dollars each for a break and run, and a perfect match fund. They liked the idea and adopted it. I pretty much go over every option that the League Management System allows me control over.

The Captains decide how they want the league to operate, and that's the way I do it... within the rules of course.

No one can bitch about how the league operates because they set it up. But, no matter how well it is set up or run, you will NEVER be able to please everyone. But I can keep the majority happy.

Very simple question, what are your leagues goals? Is it to make money for yourselves? Is to build a bigger pool community? Is it to teach the game and have players who join no matter what their skill levels systematically become better players? Or does it exist for no reason at all and people come and go. There has to be an definable reason for the league to exist in the first place.
The worst part is many leagues that exist are just teams who compete and want to just win even if they have to cheat, sandbagging and so on.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Very simple question, what are your leagues goals? Is it to make money for yourselves? Is to build a bigger pool community? Is it to teach the game and have players who join no matter what their skill levels systematically become better players? Or does it exist for no reason at all and people come and go. There has to be an definable reason for the league to exist in the first place.
The worst part is many leagues that exist are just teams who compete and want to just win even if they have to cheat, sandbagging and so on.

I just now got a 10th team. So I must be doing something right. It's just a small town. We've played each other for years. Cheating and sandbagging isn't really an issue here. I'm just doing the best I can until I don't want to do it anymore.

 

[muskyed]

Really don't see cheating or sandbagging in our league. We use a scoring point system where every ball is worth 10 points, and a win is 105 points. Every player is handicapped, and team that gets to their required points first wins. Now here is the only area that would be a cause for cheating, and that is once you win, most likely it will be in the middle of a game, but we have a rule that you have to finish the game out, as wins or losses also count towards your handicap. Most all on our league are good about it and will still play to their full potential for the rest of the game, but I did play a person once that was intentionally missing after I won the match. It was a sub from another league though.

 

[MattPoland]

I would say…
- part of a national system
- steady handicap system
- social / community focus
- online signups and communications
- banquet
- bottom heavy rewards
- democratic governance
- team captain led
- intelligent scheduling

I would say the league operator should be a thankless job. It should be a service to the community in a way that’s not about them. Once things are rolling you shouldn’t notice their presence.

 

[eastcoast_chris]

Have a very defined rule on what happens to people that miss night without clearing it with their team... or for people that always seem to be too "busy" to show up. We have a rule that if it happens more that once in a row (where it screws the team) then they are kicked out and replaced by someone on a waiting list.

 

[BilliardsAbout]

Wanted to ask everyone, what you feel make a great league? It can be how efficiently it is with time, directors giving equal attention to all players regardless of skill level, payouts, etc..

Use a league advisor who takes time to give instruction to other players. If the person is well-spoken, you can even take the person with the top or 2nd-highest league average and have him or her coach the weaker players--there's usually no threat to other teams since all can partake from their lessons. They need not coach only mechanics, they can reset a key league game and talk strategy.

Use game clocks or shot clocks and select rules to keep things MOVING. Who can play weekly in a league from 7-11 PM? Who wants to do so?

Try different formats and have FUN. It's an advantage to the higher level players but keeps things engaging for everyone--try Eight Ball where lower handicap players get to remove balls from the table after their set has been chosen. Cuts Eight Ball game lengths by at least half.