9-Ball
Topic: British pool federation membership 2016

Ossie. You are one of the top players in the UK today. So how come you are not in the know about what is going on in the game.
I think that I still have a valid opinion about your /pool’s current position relating to the UK.
Richard, Mark, Imran, Daryl (and Craig) - I believe you have been hoodwinked into believing that European participation is The Holy Grail and that only by financing the EPBF could you play.
But I know a growing number of Middle Eastern players who play on the Euro Tour – since when have Kuwait or the Lebanon been part of Europe?
Top Taiwan players Ko Pin Yi and Chang Jung Lin had entries accepted when they were playing in a Matchroom event in the UK. But they had scheduling difficulties and in the end they did not play. But they could have.
Gre Leenders and David Morris, the IBP, the EPBF and the Euro Tour are all interchangeable commodities. Everyone else in this setup is a minion. Gre and David do a very good job but they are running A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS which is dependent on incoming revenue. So if push came to shove or if someone took a stand then they are not likely to turn away the UK entry fees
The WPA are in a similar position. Anyone who pitches up in Doha with A Hundred Bucks can play in the World 9 Ball Qualifiers.
It would appear that since their inception the British Pool Federation have made no tangible progress. Four years is a pretty long time to have just a tenuous link to ‘some finances’. The UK is now a niche market where many major urban conurbations fail to provide even one American pool table.
When this federation business came up during the years of the Pro 9 Ball Tour I looked at what advantages we could gain in becoming part of Europe. There were none. In those days Souquet, Ortmann, Engert, Feijen, Chamat, Petroni, Clemmens, Baldassari and even Pagulyan and Bustamante played over here because the UK was ‘the engine room’ of the game.
But after I closed the Pro9 Ball Tour down the Europhiles flexed their muscles again and they found a compliant group which morphed into the BPF. Another level of pool beaurocracy was created which could have worked had they achieved their stated goals. This year again they haven’t sent anybody to the Eurochamps. So what is their purpose?
It reminds me of the American players association of a couple of years ago which only benefitted a very small minority of the professional before defuncting itself.
The British Federation are treading a similar well worn path with only half a dozen beneficiaries.
If membership of the Euro con is so vital then it should be vested in either the GB9 organisation or Total9Ball. Both of these are actively promoting the game.
Andy W and Craig do not need remote Eurocrats forcing themselves on their successful setups.
Rule Britannia!

Great post Doug, good to read something from someone who understands the ridiculous politics involved.

without membership via BPF, the BWPPA players would not be able to attend EPC wither doug, we have been considtently advised of that.

Yes because that's what BPF has been created to do, take your money for the EPBF. The point is that is the only reason BPF exists and if it didn't exist and there was no British Federation you would just play EC anyway, like before!

The Irish have no federation and their players are not allowed to play epc etc

On 2016-01-08 20:03 , TheMaharaja Wrote:

Out of interest, does anyone know why the fee is £1200 and is this the same fee paid by all federations?

If it goes towards the EPBF's own fees (wishful thinking), my little brain is struggling to understand how the sport has benefited in all the years it has fallen under the IOC banner. If it has, I'd genuinely be interested to learn.

Think it is the same, and it goes towards running epbf I assume and paying any fees they have to pay to WPA etc

Yea about 35 National federations listed on their website so a total income of around £42,000 just from federation fees alone.

Wow

Ever sport had national bodies that pay fees to continental bodies who pay fees to world bodies

Yes but the national federations in other sports are actually promoting their own games. What else are the BPF other than money collectors?

they have to start somewhere but we need to see progress soon

On 2016-02-07 23:20 , tigger147 Wrote:RONNIE BOYLE got into bed with the EPBF a few years ago and very quickly got out again. It seems that the Irish players are being penalised for Ronnie's good sense.
If you look at the field for the Treviso {Italy) Euro Tour it includes players from Vietnam, Kuwait, the UAE. Go figure that geography.

I would assume that non euro players pay an additional fee
Same as I would do if I play in USA wheelchair event


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Tony Southern
BWPPA Chairman/Administrator
www.bwppa.com
BPF President
Authorised Pro9 Advertiser