Pool in the UK – A Potted History
Pool came to the UK in the 70’s and began life as a fractured game. It seems to have been unable to recover as the political divide between bodies seems to grow on a daily basis.
The United Kingdom Pool Federation was set up in the eighties but was soon split as the English Pool Association broke away and formed an alliance with elements of Australia and created a whole new set of 8 ball pool rules, known as “world rules”.
The UKPF remains but is now called the European & United Kingdom Pool Federation. Most of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are members of this organisation and play pool to these rules, however, their presence in England is minimal where they have been hampered by poor organisation and management.
The Scottish Pool Association, is probably the best run organisation within the UK, and certainly has the biggest individual membership, followed by Wales with England (EPA) coming in third, despite their covering a bigger geographical area. The EPA, the largest body covering England, has also been singularly unsuccessful persuading pool players to play it’s rules – despite more than ten years of trying. Significantly less than half of England play World Rules and players in the hundreds in the rest of the UK.
In recent times, the EPA have also been ejected from the World Pool Association, the body responsible for ALL pool and reporting to the International Olympic Committee. This means that all events run by the EPA, including a world championship event, are in fact rebel events. The English Blackball Federation are now the governign body for pool in England though they are currently smaller and seeking to consolidate their position in England.
The political situation has been further compounded by the appearance of at least two further professional 9 ball bodies, as the popularity of this game has grown. However, as in most countries, 8 ball remains and will continue to remain the dominant and most popular sport.
The UK now hosts no less than
four professional pool bodies:
| Professional Pool Players Organisation | (the only one sanctioned by the UK Sports council) |
| International Professional Pool Association | (world rules 8 ball, not sanctioned) |
| British Professional Pool Association | (8 ball and 9 ball in the UK, sanctioned by the WPA) |
| UK Professional 9 Ball Association | (9 ball in the UK, sanctioned by the WPA) |
Pool in the UK is poorly financed; this has been part of what has led to the fracturing of the sport, as organisers and players that have become disillusioned with their own body, have simply left and created others, for example, the BPPPA.
Pool in the UK is badly fractured in terms of rules, organisation and management. uk8ball.com is ideally positioned to cross all boundaries and rules as it already does so via it’s web operations.
The uk8ball.com Festival of Pool with a £22,000 prize fund, held in April 2004 was the first ever pool tournament in the UK covering all pool rules.
uk8ball.com is the media for pool in the UK.
