American Pool is an Incredible Sport, Yet it is not Catching on in the Uk?
Pete Williams asked:
American Pool, which is played on a 9 x 4.5ft table, consists of at least 5 regularly played disciplines. The most popular are the games of 9-ball and 8-ball and these games are played all over the world at an amateur and professional level.
The American style tables first started being put into UK clubs in the early 90’s when operators could see the benefit of offering cue sports for all. These tables are easy to play on and take up far less space than snooker tables.
The lack of popularity of American Pool in the UK is caused in part by conservatism, snooker and English pool are both very traditional sports and at a tournament and professional level are played in very traditional ways. Players wear suits, waistcoats and dickey-bow ties. American Pool is very liberal; players do have to adhere to a dress code but this is not so strict. Audiences tend to be a lot more vocal too!
The next point that I touch on is that there are over 5 million snooker and English pool players in the UK. In the case of English pool, it is always going to be very difficult to convert a player to the larger tables because their local pub can’t house a 9ft pool table. This is the case for the vast majority of public houses throughout the UK. The main player base does not want to travel to a pool hall and pay £7-£8 per hour to play a game of pool when they can go around the corner to their local pub and pay 50p per game. Not that it is all about money, it is convenience too. That is not to say that these “pub pool” players do not enjoy American Pool, I am sure they do, it is just seen as a night out for them and something that only happens rarely.
We then have to consider the impact of television and media coverage of Cue Sports. Snooker commands huge television audiences from its broadcasts on the BBC. The BBC is accessible in nearly every home in the UK, which means that anyone can tune in to watch if they want to. By having the game easily accessible on the TV networks people get a buzz for the sport and want to go and play themselves. This is especially prevalent considering the large sums of money that the professional players receive for winning a tournament. Who would not be attracted to that aspect of the sport?
In contrast American pool is only available via the SKY Sports network (although some is now reaching British Eurosport) and is shown at very inconvenient times. I am not sure of the number of homes that subscribe to SKY Sports but it is probably only about one tenth of the total number of households that can view the BBC. Of these 10% the majority are subscribing to watch the football not the pool. So it all comes down to promotion and exposure. Without reaching the mass market via terrestrial TV American pool will not develop and although English pool does not have the exposure either it is accessible due to the number of tables available in local pubs.
Something that I touched on earlier that further cements the case is prize money. A sport is only attractive to TV audiences (in the first instance) if players are seen to be earning huge sums of money or if the TV networks can see that there is already a mass market. In snooker this has previously been the case (more recently prize funds have dwindled but they still are into the £100,000’s), which is why young people especially want to take up the sport, it is relatively cheap to play and if you get good then you can earn some money playing the game.
In American Pool prize funds in the vast majority of cases are made up solely of entry fees. This means that it can be expensive to play with no real rewards for winning. Even in the USA and on the main professional circuits, sponsorship in the form of added prize money is at a premium. It is not very attractive to players if they cannot be seen to be making a living. I don’t want to paint a completely bleak picture because there are around 30-40 players that earn a very decent living through tournaments and endorsements.
So in conclusion it is easy to see that until the exposure of the sport changes and sponsors come on board the sport will not grow in the UK and our cueists (who I believe to be the best in the world) will stick to what they know.
The game also needs a grassroots level, which is something I tried to introduce when I launched APN Leagues (now owned and operated by a different party). It is grassroots tournaments, coaching and leagues that will build the player base in the first instance, then all the other factors mentioned above will almost fall into place.
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American Pool, which is played on a 9 x 4.5ft table, consists of at least 5 regularly played disciplines. The most popular are the games of 9-ball and 8-ball and these games are played all over the world at an amateur and professional level.
The American style tables first started being put into UK clubs in the early 90’s when operators could see the benefit of offering cue sports for all. These tables are easy to play on and take up far less space than snooker tables.
The lack of popularity of American Pool in the UK is caused in part by conservatism, snooker and English pool are both very traditional sports and at a tournament and professional level are played in very traditional ways. Players wear suits, waistcoats and dickey-bow ties. American Pool is very liberal; players do have to adhere to a dress code but this is not so strict. Audiences tend to be a lot more vocal too!
The next point that I touch on is that there are over 5 million snooker and English pool players in the UK. In the case of English pool, it is always going to be very difficult to convert a player to the larger tables because their local pub can’t house a 9ft pool table. This is the case for the vast majority of public houses throughout the UK. The main player base does not want to travel to a pool hall and pay £7-£8 per hour to play a game of pool when they can go around the corner to their local pub and pay 50p per game. Not that it is all about money, it is convenience too. That is not to say that these “pub pool” players do not enjoy American Pool, I am sure they do, it is just seen as a night out for them and something that only happens rarely.
We then have to consider the impact of television and media coverage of Cue Sports. Snooker commands huge television audiences from its broadcasts on the BBC. The BBC is accessible in nearly every home in the UK, which means that anyone can tune in to watch if they want to. By having the game easily accessible on the TV networks people get a buzz for the sport and want to go and play themselves. This is especially prevalent considering the large sums of money that the professional players receive for winning a tournament. Who would not be attracted to that aspect of the sport?
In contrast American pool is only available via the SKY Sports network (although some is now reaching British Eurosport) and is shown at very inconvenient times. I am not sure of the number of homes that subscribe to SKY Sports but it is probably only about one tenth of the total number of households that can view the BBC. Of these 10% the majority are subscribing to watch the football not the pool. So it all comes down to promotion and exposure. Without reaching the mass market via terrestrial TV American pool will not develop and although English pool does not have the exposure either it is accessible due to the number of tables available in local pubs.
Something that I touched on earlier that further cements the case is prize money. A sport is only attractive to TV audiences (in the first instance) if players are seen to be earning huge sums of money or if the TV networks can see that there is already a mass market. In snooker this has previously been the case (more recently prize funds have dwindled but they still are into the £100,000’s), which is why young people especially want to take up the sport, it is relatively cheap to play and if you get good then you can earn some money playing the game.
In American Pool prize funds in the vast majority of cases are made up solely of entry fees. This means that it can be expensive to play with no real rewards for winning. Even in the USA and on the main professional circuits, sponsorship in the form of added prize money is at a premium. It is not very attractive to players if they cannot be seen to be making a living. I don’t want to paint a completely bleak picture because there are around 30-40 players that earn a very decent living through tournaments and endorsements.
So in conclusion it is easy to see that until the exposure of the sport changes and sponsors come on board the sport will not grow in the UK and our cueists (who I believe to be the best in the world) will stick to what they know.
The game also needs a grassroots level, which is something I tried to introduce when I launched APN Leagues (now owned and operated by a different party). It is grassroots tournaments, coaching and leagues that will build the player base in the first instance, then all the other factors mentioned above will almost fall into place.
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Coin Operated Pool Tables – a Good Earner?
SP Turner asked:
One thing that plays on the minds of pub and bar owners the world over is how to keep customers in.
Drinks offers have always been a popular choice, but with an increasing awareness of the dangers of drinking irresponsibly, and the legal responsibility of proprietors to ensure this does not happen, other options will undoubtedly become more popular.
One classic way to add revenue to a pub, club or bar is having coin operated pool tables. These pool tables can either be bought outright, or leased from a manufacturer. There are two main types of coin mechanism, traditional ‘mechanical’ mechs and electronic mechs. Both can be set to whatever price the owner sees fit, and accept most denominations of UK currency.
In some bars and clubs, free play tables are installed, and are ‘rented’ by the hour to patrons. This business model is used in actual pool and snooker clubs, however most pool/snooker clubs require you to become a member. The lack of mandatory membership can make a bar running this model more lucrative than the traditional pool club. Both however are guaranteed to add an extra revenue stream to your pub, bar or club and should you purchase the pool tables, you will likely see a return on your investment within 12-18 months at the most. An example of a successful UK bar chain to run this model is The Elbow Room, an American style pool bar which have SAM Billiards pool tables for rental by the hour.
The added bonus of having pool tables in your establishment is that you have to option to begin or join a pool league. This means you will host games, and send your team out to other pubs/bars. This raises the profile of your business, and also brings in more customers if your team performs well in the league. Your players may also play in national competitions, which could open up sponsorship opportunities as well.
The only additional cost you may incur is the maintenance of your pool tables. As long as you cover them when not in use, and make sure no one sits on them, rests drinks on them etc they will last a long time. One piece club cues, chalk and other accessories can be bought in bulk at a discount, and most manufacturers have cheaper versions specifically for commercial environments where they may get damaged/broken.
If you are leasing your tables you can usually arrange a maintenance contract with the supplier to repair any table damage, and change the cloth where required. Should you have purchased your tables, it is worth trying to find a local fitter who you may be able to set up a contract with. This will ensure that your pool tables are kept in the best condition, and your customers see the benefit.
Maintaining your tables is important; a shoddy pool table is no fun to play on, and will not make you any money. Well cared for tables however, will get your business recommended to other pool players, and casual fans alike.
So from the basic premise of adding a pool table to your bar or club, you can see a wealth of opportunities to bring in new customers and keep them in. You can always trial the idea with one or two to start with, and if you have the room buy in more pool tables at a later date. So go give it a go – you don’t know what you’re missing out on!
Create a video blog…instantly.
One thing that plays on the minds of pub and bar owners the world over is how to keep customers in.
Drinks offers have always been a popular choice, but with an increasing awareness of the dangers of drinking irresponsibly, and the legal responsibility of proprietors to ensure this does not happen, other options will undoubtedly become more popular.
One classic way to add revenue to a pub, club or bar is having coin operated pool tables. These pool tables can either be bought outright, or leased from a manufacturer. There are two main types of coin mechanism, traditional ‘mechanical’ mechs and electronic mechs. Both can be set to whatever price the owner sees fit, and accept most denominations of UK currency.
In some bars and clubs, free play tables are installed, and are ‘rented’ by the hour to patrons. This business model is used in actual pool and snooker clubs, however most pool/snooker clubs require you to become a member. The lack of mandatory membership can make a bar running this model more lucrative than the traditional pool club. Both however are guaranteed to add an extra revenue stream to your pub, bar or club and should you purchase the pool tables, you will likely see a return on your investment within 12-18 months at the most. An example of a successful UK bar chain to run this model is The Elbow Room, an American style pool bar which have SAM Billiards pool tables for rental by the hour.
The added bonus of having pool tables in your establishment is that you have to option to begin or join a pool league. This means you will host games, and send your team out to other pubs/bars. This raises the profile of your business, and also brings in more customers if your team performs well in the league. Your players may also play in national competitions, which could open up sponsorship opportunities as well.
The only additional cost you may incur is the maintenance of your pool tables. As long as you cover them when not in use, and make sure no one sits on them, rests drinks on them etc they will last a long time. One piece club cues, chalk and other accessories can be bought in bulk at a discount, and most manufacturers have cheaper versions specifically for commercial environments where they may get damaged/broken.
If you are leasing your tables you can usually arrange a maintenance contract with the supplier to repair any table damage, and change the cloth where required. Should you have purchased your tables, it is worth trying to find a local fitter who you may be able to set up a contract with. This will ensure that your pool tables are kept in the best condition, and your customers see the benefit.
Maintaining your tables is important; a shoddy pool table is no fun to play on, and will not make you any money. Well cared for tables however, will get your business recommended to other pool players, and casual fans alike.
So from the basic premise of adding a pool table to your bar or club, you can see a wealth of opportunities to bring in new customers and keep them in. You can always trial the idea with one or two to start with, and if you have the room buy in more pool tables at a later date. So go give it a go – you don’t know what you’re missing out on!
Create a video blog…instantly.
