Valley National 8-Ball League Association
Encyclopedia
The Valley National 8-Ball League Association (VNEA) is one of the world's largest amateur pool (pocket billiards) leagues. , there are nearly 100,000 individual members in some 1,400 weekly local leagues playing in over 10,000 pool halls, bars
and other venues in around 400 different cities, towns and suburbs in 36 U.S. states, and abroad.
The organization was founded in the United States
in 1979 by equipment manufacturer Valley-Dynamo
as the Valley 8-Ball League Association. It was later known as the Valley National 8-Ball Association, a name the league still uses sometimes (and as of 2010, the organization still retains the "VNEA" acronym in prose and in its logo). Despite its name, it is neither national, having leagues in eleven countries, nor limited to the game of eight-ball, as team nine-ball, as well as individual artistic pool and speed pool
, are all now VNEA disciplines (some on a league basis, some only on a tournament basis). An annual, week-long VNEA International Pool Championships series (team, doubles and singles eight-ball, singles artistic pool) is held in Las Vegas, Nevada
. The organization is headquartered in Bay City
, Michigan
. The president of VNEA's board of directors is Michael Fowler and its executive director is R. Gregg Elliott .
and USAPL rules call for -format competition, with each home team player playing several games against a single visiting team opponent.
VNEA pool is mandatorily played on Valley- or Dynamo-brand 7 by "" coin-operated pool tables, considerably smaller than the 9 by regulation tables used by professionals and in some amateur leagues, including BCAPL.
-recognized World Pool-Billiard Association
, and used by some other major leagues, including BCAPL and USAPL. The differences in rulesets, as they apply to the action on the table, are very particular and esoteric, such as how close the must be to a targeted in order for a straight-on stroke to be automatically declared a double-hit , for example. As do various other leagues, VNEA has various league-specific rules with regard to scoring, handicapping, play, tournament participation, sportsmanship, and other off-table matters.
Local VNEA charter holders have a great deal of leeway in how games are handicapped (if at all), how players are sorted into skill-based divisions (if at all), and even in a few cases as to which rules apply. Charter holders often hold regular individual, non-team tournaments and other special events, as is common in some other leagues.
Regional tournaments and the International Championships are not handicapped, have three predetermined divisions (Regular, Intermediate and Masters), and provide for individual, scotch doubles, and team play. The Internationals provide for multiple levels of awards and trophies – a team might lose the main competition but may have a chance to win again other losers in "Hard Luck" division a few days later. The Internationals also provide a Classic division for seniors.
, all of which send teams and individual competitors to the annual International Championships. Countries with active VNEA leagues include Australia
, Bahamas, Bermuda
, Canada
(Alberta
and urban Ontario
are especially active), England
, Germany
, Finland
, Mexico
, New Zealand
and Spain
.
in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, May 26 – June 4, 2011, and the 32nd is slated for the same venue in 2012. The 30th Anniversary event was held from May 27 to June 5, 2010, at the Riviera Hotel and Casino
where it has long been held annually in series with various other pool competitions. The 300-Billiard table event draws around 6,000 players each year, and in 2010 paid out some US$
600,000 in prize monies. The week-long events feature numerous vendors, as well as performances and training sessions, in recent years by trick shot
artist and artistic pool promoter Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman, speed pool
world record holder and trick shot artist Dave "the Ginger Wizard" Pearson
, and pool writer, instructor and coach Jerry Briesath, as well as internal league training seminars for referees and instructors.
The tournaments begin with singles (one-on-one) eight-ball competition, followed by doubles and finally the main series, the team championships. Singles and team competition are divided into divisions based on previous performance in prior years' championships, with most (including all new) teams being placed in the Open division, with Intermediate and Masters divisions being progressively exclusive. Depending on the particular rules each year, a team may be permitted a single Intermediate player if they are otherwise rated in Open division, and so on. There is no other form of handicapping at the Internationals, a marked difference from the championships in many other leagues including BCAPL and APA. Men's and Women's singles are separate championships. Doubles must be one woman and one man (from any team in any charter). Five-person teams may be mixed-gender, and must be composed of at least three players from not only the same charter, but the same original team in the preceding season. Teams eliminated from the competition early may be eligible to compete in secondary, tertiary and even quaternary competitions (the Sportsmen's, Hard Luck and Extreme Hard Luck divisions), to keep the occupied for the remainder of the event series. There are other side events, such as mini-tournaments in eight-ball and nine-ball (usually limited to 16 players, one-on-one), trick shot challenges, instructional seminars, an grand opening party and a closing banquet.
) these are backed by youth training programs and even entire youth leagues. , there are around 5,000 youth players in 14 U.S. states and 3 other countries, forming around 100 leagues using a total of about 500 (non-bar/pub) venues.
VNEA also offers two advanced, adult training programs. The VNEA Certified Instructor School is principally intended for those who will conduct youth training, but also with an eye toward adult "newbie" recruitment, to build the size of local charters (indeed, the spine of the CI School manual reads "VNEA: It's Your Business"). The CI course is offered annually at the Internationals, and it is expected that CIs will take the course every two years, as they will be given more advanced material each time. The VNEA Certified Referee Seminar provides trained umpires for tournaments. Only the cream of the crop of the CRs have the opportunity to referee the major regionals and the Internationals. In addition to classroom training, basic referee certification requires eight hours of "shadowing" an already-certified ref, observing their judgment calls and asking questions, during the Internationals. Both certifications last for two years, and must be renewed with further training or become invalid after that time has passed. Both certifications require the sponsorship of the trainee's local charter holder.
company of Richland Hills
, Texas
, and the league's management is quite exclusive. As with most leagues, the league activity in any given geographic area (such as a city and its suburbs, a quadrant of a very large city, or an entire suburban county) is coordinated by an exclusive franchisee
. In VNEA terms, these are "Charter Holders". All VNEA Charter Holders are authorized Valley-Dynamo distributors. All venues participating in the Charter Holder's area VNEA franchise pool leagues must their tables from the Charter Holder. As a consequence, VNEA is dominant in areas, from many urban and suburban areas in Ohio and other Midwestern states, to the somewhat isolated Albuquerque, New Mexico
, where bars and other establishments tend to rent tables from Valley distributors. Meanwhile in other areas, such as San Francisco, California
, in which the majority of venues own their pool tables outright, VNEA has no traction, and other leagues, such as APA and BCAPL, or independent local leagues, have filled the void. The VNEA model has been successful for Valley-Dynamo, as it gives distributors leverage to build their businesses – the larger a local VNEA league system becomes, the more customer pressure there is on establishments to join VNEA, which in turn requires that the venues submit to Charter Holder ownership and paid regular maintenance of pool tables and related equipment. Provided that the Charter Holder performs conscientious maintenance, this is a boon for players as well, since few taverns have the time and resources to independently maintain the equipment consistently. A downside for players is that prices (typically US$
1 per game, sometimes as high as $1.50) are usually set by the Charter Holder, and because the profits from the table are shared between the Charter Holder and the venue, the price is very likely to be higher than the venue would have charged on a table (usually $0.50 or $0.75). Also the venue will not have the option to open the tables up and allow free or discounted hourly play for league players as a promotion (a common practice under other league systems that make use of coin-op tables).
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and other venues in around 400 different cities, towns and suburbs in 36 U.S. states, and abroad.
The organization was founded in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1979 by equipment manufacturer Valley-Dynamo
Valley-Dynamo
Valley-Dynamo, Inc. is a gaming and sporting goods manufacturing company. It has been the dominant manufacturer of coin-operated pool tables in North America for over 6 decades, and produces the US-ubiquitous Valley brand and decreasingly common Dynamo brand...
as the Valley 8-Ball League Association. It was later known as the Valley National 8-Ball Association, a name the league still uses sometimes (and as of 2010, the organization still retains the "VNEA" acronym in prose and in its logo). Despite its name, it is neither national, having leagues in eleven countries, nor limited to the game of eight-ball, as team nine-ball, as well as individual artistic pool and speed pool
Speed pool
Speed pool is a solitary pool game. As its name suggests, one all the pool balls on the table as quickly as possible. It can played be competitively with the aid of a stopwatch.-Rules:...
, are all now VNEA disciplines (some on a league basis, some only on a tournament basis). An annual, week-long VNEA International Pool Championships series (team, doubles and singles eight-ball, singles artistic pool) is held in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The organization is headquartered in Bay City
Bay City
-Places:Australia* Westfield Bay City, a shopping centre in Geelong, VictoriaPhilippines* Bay City , the reclamation area of Metro Manila in the PhilippinesUnited States* Bay City, Pope County, Illinois* Bay City, Michigan...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The president of VNEA's board of directors is Michael Fowler and its executive director is R. Gregg Elliott .
Format
Regular VNEA league are, like those of the BCAPL, played in format between two teams of either five or (less commonly) three players each, with each player on the home team playing one versus each player on the visiting team. By contrast, the APAAmerican Poolplayers Association
The American Association was founded in 1981 by professional pool players Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, although with roots dating back to the National Pool League , founded in 1979. The APA conducts a system of franchised-based local amateur leagues of pool competition, including both...
and USAPL rules call for -format competition, with each home team player playing several games against a single visiting team opponent.
VNEA pool is mandatorily played on Valley- or Dynamo-brand 7 by "" coin-operated pool tables, considerably smaller than the 9 by regulation tables used by professionals and in some amateur leagues, including BCAPL.
Rules
VNEA playing rules were originally derived largely from informal American "", but have become increasingly consistent with the World Standardized Rules promulgated by the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
-recognized World Pool-Billiard Association
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
, and used by some other major leagues, including BCAPL and USAPL. The differences in rulesets, as they apply to the action on the table, are very particular and esoteric, such as how close the must be to a targeted in order for a straight-on stroke to be automatically declared a double-hit , for example. As do various other leagues, VNEA has various league-specific rules with regard to scoring, handicapping, play, tournament participation, sportsmanship, and other off-table matters.
Local VNEA charter holders have a great deal of leeway in how games are handicapped (if at all), how players are sorted into skill-based divisions (if at all), and even in a few cases as to which rules apply. Charter holders often hold regular individual, non-team tournaments and other special events, as is common in some other leagues.
Regional tournaments and the International Championships are not handicapped, have three predetermined divisions (Regular, Intermediate and Masters), and provide for individual, scotch doubles, and team play. The Internationals provide for multiple levels of awards and trophies – a team might lose the main competition but may have a chance to win again other losers in "Hard Luck" division a few days later. The Internationals also provide a Classic division for seniors.
Non-U.S. membership
The VNEA has active leagues in several countries other than the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, all of which send teams and individual competitors to the annual International Championships. Countries with active VNEA leagues include Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Bahamas, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and urban Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
are especially active), England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
VNEA International Pool Championships
The 31st VNEA International Pool Championships were held at Bally's Casino and ResortBally's Las Vegas
Bally's Las Vegas, formerly the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. The Las Vegas resort is located within the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The hotel features 2,814 extra-sized...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, May 26 – June 4, 2011, and the 32nd is slated for the same venue in 2012. The 30th Anniversary event was held from May 27 to June 5, 2010, at the Riviera Hotel and Casino
Riviera (hotel and casino)
The Riviera is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The hotel has over 2,100 rooms, many located in a 23-story tower. The casino has of gaming space.-History:...
where it has long been held annually in series with various other pool competitions. The 300-Billiard table event draws around 6,000 players each year, and in 2010 paid out some US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
600,000 in prize monies. The week-long events feature numerous vendors, as well as performances and training sessions, in recent years by trick shot
Trick shot
A trick shot is a shot played on a billiards table , which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill...
artist and artistic pool promoter Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman, speed pool
Speed pool
Speed pool is a solitary pool game. As its name suggests, one all the pool balls on the table as quickly as possible. It can played be competitively with the aid of a stopwatch.-Rules:...
world record holder and trick shot artist Dave "the Ginger Wizard" Pearson
Dave Pearson (pool player)
Dave Pearson is a British professional pool player.Pearson was the runner-up in the International Speed Pool Challenge four years in a row, losing to Luc Salvas in the 2006 and 2009 finals, and to Bobby McGrath in the 2007-2008 finals.-References:...
, and pool writer, instructor and coach Jerry Briesath, as well as internal league training seminars for referees and instructors.
The tournaments begin with singles (one-on-one) eight-ball competition, followed by doubles and finally the main series, the team championships. Singles and team competition are divided into divisions based on previous performance in prior years' championships, with most (including all new) teams being placed in the Open division, with Intermediate and Masters divisions being progressively exclusive. Depending on the particular rules each year, a team may be permitted a single Intermediate player if they are otherwise rated in Open division, and so on. There is no other form of handicapping at the Internationals, a marked difference from the championships in many other leagues including BCAPL and APA. Men's and Women's singles are separate championships. Doubles must be one woman and one man (from any team in any charter). Five-person teams may be mixed-gender, and must be composed of at least three players from not only the same charter, but the same original team in the preceding season. Teams eliminated from the competition early may be eligible to compete in secondary, tertiary and even quaternary competitions (the Sportsmen's, Hard Luck and Extreme Hard Luck divisions), to keep the occupied for the remainder of the event series. There are other side events, such as mini-tournaments in eight-ball and nine-ball (usually limited to 16 players, one-on-one), trick shot challenges, instructional seminars, an grand opening party and a closing banquet.
Special programs
While they are not always held at the same times and venues as adult events, VNEA has a large and active series of youth tournaments. In some areas (especially the very VNEA-active MidwestMidwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
) these are backed by youth training programs and even entire youth leagues. , there are around 5,000 youth players in 14 U.S. states and 3 other countries, forming around 100 leagues using a total of about 500 (non-bar/pub) venues.
VNEA also offers two advanced, adult training programs. The VNEA Certified Instructor School is principally intended for those who will conduct youth training, but also with an eye toward adult "newbie" recruitment, to build the size of local charters (indeed, the spine of the CI School manual reads "VNEA: It's Your Business"). The CI course is offered annually at the Internationals, and it is expected that CIs will take the course every two years, as they will be given more advanced material each time. The VNEA Certified Referee Seminar provides trained umpires for tournaments. Only the cream of the crop of the CRs have the opportunity to referee the major regionals and the Internationals. In addition to classroom training, basic referee certification requires eight hours of "shadowing" an already-certified ref, observing their judgment calls and asking questions, during the Internationals. Both certifications last for two years, and must be renewed with further training or become invalid after that time has passed. Both certifications require the sponsorship of the trainee's local charter holder.
Business model
Unlike most leagues, VNEA is tied to a specific brand of pool table, namely those of the Valley-DynamoValley-Dynamo
Valley-Dynamo, Inc. is a gaming and sporting goods manufacturing company. It has been the dominant manufacturer of coin-operated pool tables in North America for over 6 decades, and produces the US-ubiquitous Valley brand and decreasingly common Dynamo brand...
company of Richland Hills
Richland Hills, Texas
Richland Hills is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,801 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Richland Hills is located at ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and the league's management is quite exclusive. As with most leagues, the league activity in any given geographic area (such as a city and its suburbs, a quadrant of a very large city, or an entire suburban county) is coordinated by an exclusive franchisee
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
. In VNEA terms, these are "Charter Holders". All VNEA Charter Holders are authorized Valley-Dynamo distributors. All venues participating in the Charter Holder's area VNEA franchise pool leagues must their tables from the Charter Holder. As a consequence, VNEA is dominant in areas, from many urban and suburban areas in Ohio and other Midwestern states, to the somewhat isolated Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where bars and other establishments tend to rent tables from Valley distributors. Meanwhile in other areas, such as San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in which the majority of venues own their pool tables outright, VNEA has no traction, and other leagues, such as APA and BCAPL, or independent local leagues, have filled the void. The VNEA model has been successful for Valley-Dynamo, as it gives distributors leverage to build their businesses – the larger a local VNEA league system becomes, the more customer pressure there is on establishments to join VNEA, which in turn requires that the venues submit to Charter Holder ownership and paid regular maintenance of pool tables and related equipment. Provided that the Charter Holder performs conscientious maintenance, this is a boon for players as well, since few taverns have the time and resources to independently maintain the equipment consistently. A downside for players is that prices (typically US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 per game, sometimes as high as $1.50) are usually set by the Charter Holder, and because the profits from the table are shared between the Charter Holder and the venue, the price is very likely to be higher than the venue would have charged on a table (usually $0.50 or $0.75). Also the venue will not have the option to open the tables up and allow free or discounted hourly play for league players as a promotion (a common practice under other league systems that make use of coin-op tables).
External links
- VNEA official website
- VNEA–España official website (in English & Spanish)