WPBA to organize Women's World 8-Ball Championships

Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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The resurgent Womenโ€™s Professional Billiards Association has taken its boldest step in years, signing a two-year deal with the World Pool Association to produce the WPA Womenโ€™s World 8-Ball Championship.

In a post on social media, the WPBA revealed that the 2025 Womenโ€™s World 8-Ball Championship would take place July 2-6 at the Oneida Casino in Green Bay, Wis. The event was announced as a 64-player, โ€œinvitation onlyโ€ field.

According to WPBA President Dean Roessler, the association has guaranteed โ€œa minimumโ€ of $125,000 in added money.

โ€œWe didnโ€™t list the added money because weโ€™re in the process of working with additional sponsors that would increase that number. Thatโ€™s also why we have not listed a top prize or prize money breakdown.โ€

Roessler added that the prize money breakdown, when determined, would likely not feature an eye-popping top prize.

โ€œI think weโ€™d prefer to pay good money to more players than have a top-heavy distribution like weโ€™ve seen in the past.โ€

For all its world title events over the years, the WPA has never crowned a womenโ€™s world 8-ball champion.

โ€œWe wanted to do a big event,โ€ Roessler added. โ€œAnd the World 8-Ball is what was available."

Roessler also said the WPBA is negotiating with several streaming companies and plans to construct two TV arenas.
 
This is wonderful news. Great to see the ladies gaining more and more opportunities to earn good prize money. At the recent World 10-ball, we saw Kristina Tkach earn a $50,000 first prize, and we are looking for more of the same.
 
MattPoland said:
WPA going to let the WPBA use its rankings or require them to use the WPA rankings?
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I think it likely that WPA rankings will be used in seeding this event, so as not to discriminate against foreigners who, as a rule, choose not to travel to WPBA events. I, similarly, suspect WPA ranking will govern invitations.
 
I have always thought 8 ball is a bit more interesting than 9 ball. I find 9 ball boring by comparison both playing and watching.

Plus the past womenโ€™s events were far more marketable than the men. For a lot of reasons.
 
Quesports said:
I have always thought 8 ball is a bit more interesting than 9 ball. I find 9 ball boring by comparison both playing and watching.

Plus the past womenโ€™s events were far more marketable than the men. For a lot of reasons.
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Possibly true for the women, but 8ball on the nine-footer is way too easy for the most elite men and the World 8ball is no more than a breaking contest that is in the conversation for the most boring event of the year to watch.

With the women, the runout rate will be quite a bit lower and the World 8ball might be far more compelling.
 
As an aside, the debate about men being stronger than women in pocket billiards come to mind once again for me. Pool is not like football where physical strength is needed. For many years, women were banned from pool rooms. I remember being on the road in the mid '80s with a Maryland road agent, and we came across a pool room in Petersburg, Virginia. The sign in the window said "No Women Allowsed."

Is there any reason why the ladies cannot be as strong as the gentlemen in pool when physical strength is not involved? Maybe more world-caliber events like this will change that and level the playing field.
 
JAM said:
As an aside, the debate about men being stronger than women in pocket billiards come to mind once again for me. Pool is not like football where physical strength is needed. For many years, women were banned from pool rooms. I remember being on the road in the mid '80s with a Maryland road agent, and we came across a pool room in Petersburg, Virginia. The sign in the window said "No Women Allowsed."

Is there any reason why the ladies cannot be as strong as the gentlemen in pool when physical strength is not involved? Maybe more world-caliber events like this will change that and level the playing field.
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As long as they donโ€™t beat Earl and then try to give him a hug! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ
 
I'm looking forward to it, only about 35 minutes from our summer house. I may take a run to watch.
 
I love MR but i think they are doggin it to some extent by not getting behind women's pool. I'm glad to see the gals get this kinda props but i hate the fact that they had to 'kiss the ring' to get WPA sanctioning.
 
JAM said:
As an aside, the debate about men being stronger than women in pocket billiards come to mind once again for me. Pool is not like football where physical strength is needed. For many years, women were banned from pool rooms. I remember being on the road in the mid '80s with a Maryland road agent, and we came across a pool room in Petersburg, Virginia. The sign in the window said "No Women Allowsed."

Is there any reason why the ladies cannot be as strong as the gentlemen in pool when physical strength is not involved? Maybe more world-caliber events like this will change that and level the playing field.
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the break has been the main explanation (aside from the obvious lower number of participants) and i think there's something to that. it's not physical strength per se but it's explosive timing and good leverage that's more common among men. siming chen and chou break hard but that's about it, and they are the few women in the high 700's fargo wise.

higher participation will in time give more women in the high 700's. in snooker the women participation has been even lower, and the current women champion bai yulu is the first to have good results against men pros. the first to impress me at least. check her out.
 
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sjm said:
Not sure what you mean here. The WPBA has been a WPA sanctioned tour for decades.
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i watch little to zero womens pool so i really had no clue they were joined at the hip with the WPA. what has the WPA done for them? anything other than take sanction fees?
 
markjames said:
i could be very wrong about this but it seems

world championship
and
invitation only

donโ€™t usually go together
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Yes, they do.

Even at a world championship, there is a written methodology for invitations. Usually, a certain number of spots are based on WPA or WPBA ranking, a certain number of spots in the field go each of the national federations and a certain number to the qualifier events. After that, there is a written methodology for invitations in the offering of any remaining unfilled spots.

If an event producer fails to adhere to the invitation methodology, the event will not be sanctioned as a world championship.

So yes, even a WPA World Championship is, in at least one sense, an invitational, but spots are awarded based on merit and the system, in my opinion, has worked well over the years.
 
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How many countries have top level women's players? Could just be so many per country for the most part. Guess we'll all know soon.
The WPBA has been quite successful up till now for what it is. Most of their events have pretty good added money for the venues they put on. This is a big step up for them.
 
sjm said:
.... a certain number of spots in the field go each of the national federations ...
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I think the allocation is to continental confederations, such as the EPBF and the ACBS and it is up to those confederations to pass on the quotas as they see fit. In theory, the WPA has no business talking to national federations; it should only talk to the confederations (continents) which are its members.

In the case of the BCA, which is simultaneously the North American confederation and the US federation, there was often a problem filling the quota of spots for the world tournaments. I think this was primarily because the BCA did not give significant travel support to its nominees. I heard that they offered something like $1000 to go to, for example, Wales for the World Championship. As a result, the BCA frequently failed to fill its quota and as a result that quota was reduced for future events. I think the quotas used to be published prior to the event on the event info page.
 
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