9-Ball
Topic: BPPPA Tour Calendar & Membership

if we lived in any other country in Europe, we'd have to earn our World spots through EuroTour performance. Why should UK players get different treatment?

On 2006-12-20 10:27 , TheSurgeon Wrote:

I thought we were special Si.LOL

Good comment mate!


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absolutely brilliant post Doug!!!


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yep, good insight into the good ol' days!

Yes exactly - history. So how does it pertain to the present situation? What points are you making about the here and now? What lessons can be learnt from yesteryear?

For example, are you saying we would still have those world spots if the pro9tour was still in existence?

If the pro9 tour offered world and world masters spots then why cant the BPPPA? I think thats what we are trying to understand.

On 2006-12-20 13:40 , cusack_147 Wrote:

Perhaps because the system for world champ spots has changed (now through the eurotour) and there isn't a 'special' relationship with matchroom anymore?

The latter is all we need to 'understand'.

The system has changed, even if pro9 tour was still in existance today, these spots wouldn't be on offer I'm sure. Like I said earlier, not fair on all the other Euro countries is it!?

Doug's post provides a wonderful insight into how things used to be run. Whilst a great read, it doesn't really offer any concrete suggestions in terms of how we change things for the better today, only perhaps that we don't go down the same road with Riley's, which is unlikely now anyway.

Ive talked with Doug before now about the "world spots" etc......he told me that the siuation we are in now regarding spots is the reason why he was so against joining the EPBF......he knew that as soon as this happened, our seprerate spots would no longer be as we are now just another leg of the EPBF hence, we all have to qualify through the EPBF Eurotour.

Im not saying we are any different to other countries or that we should have our own spots, im simply explaining the reasons why we dont have any anymore.

Hope this helps.


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Regarding world spots u sure Barry Hearn's got something to do with it not just the EPBF?

does anyone know if other countries has a national tour?

who would be interested in maybe a club league like in holland or germany where different clubs meet eachother throughout the year?

theres alot of clubs with very good sides, in fact who's interested in a club knock-out lets say 5 players to a team and entry fee is £2500 a team?

anyone interested?

Any questions about the things in Holland... Ask me...
It's really different from here.. That's all I can say...

the stage is yours.........................

I know that the system has changed and of course it is generally fairer. But one thing is certain – we would still have spots. You could have your house on it Simon.

Scotland have still got their spot and Pat Holtz made good use of it in Manila.

Sure it is a slice of history but it is not done to criticise today’s situation. I am merely pointing out that it is tougher today for the likes of Daryl, Ted and the other emerging promoters. I had a free run which enabled me to achieve things which are probably unreachable nowadays. The World Professional Championship in 1999, guaranteed money for Tour players at the IBC in Tokyo, Challenge of Champions spots, World 8 Ball. Petroni in everything – it all came easy to me because the UK mattered.

The American Pool scene has headed into the abyss which the bar table game plunged into years ago with multiple factions each trying to carve up the stale pie.

While I commend Daryl Peach and Karl Boyes in launching their respective 8 and 10 ball tours, they are losing site of the bigger picture.

For over 15 years Matchroom Sport (with a little help from myself) have spent fortunes educating the viewing public on the skills, rules and tactics of 9 Ball. The have been successful due to the fact that the discipline is very televisual and most non playing fans now understand the concept of the game.

Witness recent IPT tournaments featuring 8 Ball and you will see that despite poor presentation and the promise of big money, they were still mundane in the extreme.

There is a world of difference in what the pool cognoscenti want to play and what a TV company (and by definition a sponsor) will pay to show.

This is why 10 Ball will also drop into this category. However, this does not necessarily mean that I am opposed to the other tours. In an ideal scenario, there would be an event every week or maybe more than one. This would give players the choice of where to play.

I know that we only have a small number of players to draw on at the moment. But that is a negative reaction. The positive is for these tours to be marketed better and create new opportunities to tempt the casual player and newcomers.

Any chance of coming out of retirement doug? We need a world spot. Can you help?

Earlier in this thread, expertfluke eluded to the question of how we can improve on things. I'd like to add some thoughts....

It seems we keep mentioning Rileys' involvement - and there is no doubt they have been good for UK pool over the last few years. However, they have now effectively hung the tour out to dry - and while we all continue to evaluate the losses because of this - I say stuff them!

We need to think on a bigger scale. Think of all the new sponsors to some of the UK's most popular sports. Snooker / Darts / Pool / Sports TV (Poker) all benefiting from companies looking to invest in this nations sporting talent - all from one industry...on line gaming!

Why haven't we spoken to the marketing men at these companies? I do this for a living for a large UK Insurer and I know that the only thing that businesses are looking at is their bottom line.

Picture this...an event, hosted at a hotel with a main sponsor from the gaming industry - a bookies set up on site and 100+ pool playes all staying at the hotel. Odds set on our event and all the sport for that weekend! Talk about a captiv audience!! Doug says Rileys took £4k in one weekend on gaming machines.....I'd bet that a Ladbrokes / Coral would make all their sponsorship money for that weekend back during the event!!!

As for the hotel chain, why not? They must have off peak times where they'd be happy to sort out a tour member special 2 night rate?? Wouldn't it be a better world if (for example) we had events like this where you paid £100 - £150 for 2 nights inc. breakfast for a double room which included tournament entry, free and secure parking on site, all facilities, back to your room to rest between games etc etc.

What about TV? Why not?? Does anyone disagree that from the last 8 down (at the very least) the UK tour would provide a pretty good TV spectacle? Also, if the event was marketed properly and the sponsorship I've eluded to was in place, the prize money would go up = more top class players = better TV spectacle = more coverage = more sponsorship money = more prize money = more players......I'm sure we all understand that!!

I'm not talking about a whole series of events - but a 1 off is easily acheivable (initially). Then, we sit down with the sponsors, look at the numbers and find a way of making it work. This is acheivable!

Then MAYBE (just ideas here) six events, who knows...run nationally...maybe English / Scots / Welsh / Irish opens with a UK open and an end of seasons masters for the top 32??? Who knows where it can go........the point of this is....if we keep thinking small (and by that I mean club based events) we'll stay small.

Time to move the game on I think! Then, we'll see a world champion come out of the UK. With the depth of cue sport talent in this country, given the right conditions, I'd have a bet with the sponsors on it happening by 2010!!!!!

Jason.

Some very good ideas there Jammy - you're full of Christmas cheer. There has to be something in the onsite bookies and hotel chain. I know someone who works at a large UK hotel company they might know how these things work. I suppose you would say we 'a Tour' guanteed to have 20 - 30 rooms at each event and so say 150 - 200 rooms a year and there must be deals on 2 nights. Because belive it or not weekends are the least busy times often. It's all travelling business people.

Like Jammy says we need to think big and almost everyone on the this site can contribute - we all know someone. Think of the contacts list we have between us. We could be the pool players chapter of the free masons. We can start doing special handshakes at the start of matches and stuff.... the mind wanders.....

hey flash gordon. it's lynette under boyzi's name! how are you?

i love every cue sport going. i know what ur saying about 9 ball but i reckon the soft break/tapped in balls is spoiling 9 ball. i think it's definitely worth having a shot at other disciplines such as 10 ball which is the same game but takes out the guarantee of the wing ball in 9 ball.

The difference in breaking might add a bit of spice to the game. Surely as a player you can't beat a bit of variety and it's just a slight variation to 9 ball!

Mr Jones, I'm sure we could get a team from Leeds interested in this, any more interested parties?

I'll explain how it works in holland next time i see you Ricardo..