Getting fed up of League Snooker in my area.

[inevermissblue]

Hi I don't know your area but I have heavy involvement in running snooker leagues one with 6 divisions and 96 teams and another one where the catchment area is much smaller but has around 36 teams, these leagues get the same amount of entries each year and it is quite simple to attract interest even with so many clubs shutting down, the first thing that is a must nowadays is a good website without this you cannot run a good league, good competitions in addition to the main league are also imperative so that if you are playing in a team that does not do so well you can still compete as an individual in various competitions (3 man comp, doubles comp. individual comp, handicap doubles, handicap individuals, over 40s, under 21s etc) Also try and pay out good cash prizes for winners and runners up in the league, cup, and all the competitions as money talks these days to get players interested! Also try and have a good end of season presentation night for trophies and cash prizes to be distributed at, these are the main things needed to have a good league and maintain it. You also need a small committee of enthusiastic nature to help run the league during the season and deal with any problems as quickly as possible with a good set of league rules agreed at an AGM. A league I recently took over was dwindling in numbers had no website and not many 'top' players were playing in it anymore in one season using this sort of format for running a league I had a 25 percent increase in teams and a 300 percent increase in competition entries!

Hi. Can I ask? With all that you have done, what's the general scenario with regards playing conditions? Do they all prepare the tables prior to play? And are match balls used on 'match nights'? These two issues are what is lacking nowadays!!!

[Tony Morgan]

Hi Tony
Superb website mate.
I noticed you guys have a handicap system in place for some of the comps. Do you have any rules or words around how to start a handicap system, obviously if it starts wrong then it creates lots of problems.
Would like to do a few comps for the lesser players with handicaps to see if it draws a few more in but a little uncertain how to make a start!

Once again, great website.

We have a handicap committee (I used to head it up) who regularly discuss players handicaps. Team captains or individuals can request a change +/-. The committee then look at the players results & make a decision. Usually it's only a swing of 7 points either way but ALL players are monitored. Tbh I'd say that nearly everyone in the league knows each other & what their all capable of.
My team used to play in the Mansfield & District league (now ceased) that put the responsibility on the team captains to adjust. Every 4 frames played it would change. For example.... Player A is on a 20 handicap. He wins 4 it drops to 10. He wins 3 & loses 1 it drops to 15. Win 2 lose 2 it stays on 20. Same formula the other way. Lowest handicap was -20. Pro's were allowed but played off -60 (bit steep I know).
Tried introducing it in the NBSA but they were against it. Probably because some of the captains couldn't be arsed to do it & thought it wasn't their job. I also think a big reason for some leagues folding is because they rely on volunteers to run things. Volunteering certainly can become a full time job & a pain in the ass. Trust me I know. Problem being they get nothing but abuse from some & end up throwing the towel in.

[Shockerz]

We have a handicap committee (I used to head it up) who regularly discuss players handicaps. Team captains or individuals can request a change +/-. The committee then look at the players results & make a decision. Usually it's only a swing of 7 points either way but ALL players are monitored. Tbh I'd say that nearly everyone in the league knows each other & what their all capable of.
My team used to play in the Mansfield & District league (now ceased) that put the responsibility on the team captains to adjust. Every 4 frames played it would change. For example.... Player A is on a 20 handicap. He wins 4 it drops to 10. He wins 3 & loses 1 it drops to 15. Win 2 lose 2 it stays on 20. Same formula the other way. Lowest handicap was -20. Pro's were allowed but played off -60 (bit steep I know).
Tried introducing it in the NBSA but they were against it. Probably because some of the captains couldn't be arsed to do it & thought it wasn't their job. I also think a big reason for some leagues folding is because they rely on volunteers to run things. Volunteering certainly can become a full time job & a pain in the ass. Trust me I know. Problem being they get nothing but abuse from some & end up throwing the towel in.

Thanks for that Tony.
Have to agree with the volunteer thing.
At present I am:

League secretary
Club captain (4 teams)
Team captain
Snooker competitions organiser (club)
Handicap committee (what grief that is with player whinging)
Look after tables and maintenance (cloths too quick, cloths too slow)
Club full committee (snooker rep)
Snooker cue maintenance for club players

It a pain as it's always a couple of individuals that ruin it. I had so many complaints about 4 new rests being too light I thought I'll take the old maple rests and return them on a lathe and finish them again. They came up lovely (a real shock), you guessed it, had a complain the weekend that the rests were a little too heavy now (they were originally there for 40 odd years!).

Trying to get some energy into the snooker players is a full time task and people seem to be very selfish nowadays; lots of them want the earth but aren't prepared to do anything.

I even had to put together a website ( http://www.petersfieldbowlingandsnookerclub.com/ ) as the website designer (a snooker player) wouldn't help out but he sure took time to criticise any coding errors, took me an eternity to do it and for free....what can you do!

Seems sad to give up and see the game disappear though so i'm sure we'll all trudge on.

[sixofclubs]

In Notts, the Monday night league is played off scratch but for some crazy reason the Monday league cup is handicapped!!!! Tuesday night is all handicapped. Gives teams the options on which night to enter. 2 divisions on both nights with around 8 teams per division. Division 2 teams can only play a max of 2 scratch players. 99% of the teams enter both. All single leagues off scratch & there's even a few long season tournaments that are just for players off a 14 + handicap. Couple of 1 day comps too throughout the year. Personally I think all that's too much & it needs streamlining. Some comps only got 3 entries (Notts under 18's for example). Notts Amateur & Notts Masters attracts a lot of entries.
A good website makes the world of difference too. We luckily have a fantastic one (www.nottinghamsnooker.com). It's straight forward & easy to find things but the NBSA will be going through a big change soon due to some of the committee stepping down after several years of service for which the members are truly grateful for. Our big problem now is finding people to fill their shoes. That's one tough job finding people with a passion for the game & the knowledge on how to run & organise leagues/comps etc etc as well as having the technical skills using the software. Not really sure what's going to happen but it'll be a shame if it all goes pear shaped

I'm sure Tony won't mind me pointing out just for clarity that www.nottinghamsnooker.com is not his website, it belongs to a Nottingham snooker enthusiast who has devoted hours and hours of his free time, literally saving Nottingham snooker from an irreversible implosion. He is the reason I am playing the game at all and the main reason all the leagues and one day comps in Nottingham are still running. It usually ends up being one or two people doing all the work whilst the rest just turn up and moan. Which is frustrating.

[Tony Morgan]

I'm sure Tony won't mind me pointing out just for clarity that www.nottinghamsnooker.com is not his website, it belongs to a Nottingham snooker enthusiast who has devoted hours and hours of his free time, literally saving Nottingham snooker from an irreversible implosion. He is the reason I am playing the game at all and the main reason all the leagues and one day comps in Nottingham are still running. It usually ends up being one or two people doing all the work whilst the rest just turn up and moan. Which is frustrating.

Very true Jon. Steve has done a great job & it's a shame he's calling it quits. For snooker league websites. The NBSA has to be up there with one of the best.

[mikeyd100]

Fair play to you guys that do a lot of organising and running around - a lot in your own time I guess too.

[Shockerz]

Fair play to you guys that do a lot of organising and running around - a lot in your own time I guess too.

I don't know about you guys but I started when I was 18 and my old man was club captain for 17 years spending incredible hours running things at the local club and on the league committee to keep that going.

I remember all the work he did and the other old boys who were all characters putting some of these selfish muppets to shame when they are not spoon fed everything and just moan.

It's nice to step up and help do things that were done for us when we were all younger as you appreciate what drove the game that we all love.

I take my hat off to anyone who gives their precious time to actually help others; as for the whiners (who are in the minority), I still believe they are better off being driven out and then everything will be positive and go forward.

I'm certain every whiner takes something good out of something; it usually starts with a good person deciding to stop doing something and that's where the rot starts....get them out of the game, they won't be missed (phew!).

[barrywhite]

Our league is dying on its arse. Used to have two divisions of twelve teams in the boom years of the 80's when three new snooker clubs opened, but once they closed in the mid 90's it's been downhill all the way. Started off this season with only one division of twelve, and that's now down to ten with four byes per team in the season.

We used to enter four teams of 7 in the devon Bilby cup and Gerald Mitchell inter league comps, plus we had a youth team as well, now we can't hold our own youth comp as there is no one under 21 in the entire league, while the veterans cup has expanded every year, bit like motorcycling really, on the devon air ambulance run this year I hardly saw anyone under 40.

Now it's either a sign of these austere times or the young just do not stretch themselves outside of the games console, where it's as safe as yesterday, can't lose and can't get hurt.

Where's your league mate?

[tommo146]

Hi. Can I ask? With all that you have done, what's the general scenario with regards playing conditions? Do they all prepare the tables prior to play? And are match balls used on 'match nights'? These two issues are what is lacking nowadays!!!

yes generally most clean and iron tables and match balls at most venues but not all!!

[tommo146]

I don't know about you guys but I started when I was 18 and my old man was club captain for 17 years spending incredible hours running things at the local club and on the league committee to keep that going.

I remember all the work he did and the other old boys who were all characters putting some of these selfish muppets to shame when they are not spoon fed everything and just moan.

It's nice to step up and help do things that were done for us when we were all younger as you appreciate what drove the game that we all love.

I take my hat off to anyone who gives their precious time to actually help others; as for the whiners (who are in the minority), I still believe they are better off being driven out and then everything will be positive and go forward.

I'm certain every whiner takes something good out of something; it usually starts with a good person deciding to stop doing something and that's where the rot starts....get them out of the game, they won't be missed (phew!).

agree with all you say there can be a thankless task I know because I do it for two leagues but I ignore the odd whiner and whinger not worth your time !! I do my best If some don't like then don't enter can be harsh but like said earlier by someone else the minority don't really matter !!

[itsnoteasy]

I don't know about you guys but I started when I was 18 and my old man was club captain for 17 years spending incredible hours running things at the local club and on the league committee to keep that going.

I remember all the work he did and the other old boys who were all characters putting some of these selfish muppets to shame when they are not spoon fed everything and just moan.

It's nice to step up and help do things that were done for us when we were all younger as you appreciate what drove the game that we all love.

I take my hat off to anyone who gives their precious time to actually help others; as for the whiners (who are in the minority), I still believe they are better off being driven out and then everything will be positive and go forward.

I'm certain every whiner takes something good out of something; it usually starts with a good person deciding to stop doing something and that's where the rot starts....get them out of the game, they won't be missed (phew!).

That's a really good post Shockerz, there is one lad that basically runs the whole thing at our spot, there is a committee but they won't do anything unless it's something to do with them( ref on final nights things like that they don't even turn up to support anything in the club or play in any of the comps.) He wanted a break this year but no one would step up so he got stuck with running everything again, as you have said I dread to think what would happen if he packed it in.

[mikeyd100]

Well reading through the things you do for your club etc I hope that you get some recognition from some of the players at least.

If it wasn't for people like you, and others here, then the game would start to fizzle out even quicker from a local sense.

Hope you gain some satisfaction from the things you are doing.

[Jedwick]

I'm hoping for more time one day to help run my local league, one guy does it all here and just gets stick!

[tommo146]

I'm hoping for more time one day to help run my local league, one guy does it all here and just gets stick!

hi there what league is it out of interest ? You will always get stick I like to think I do a pretty good job but you always get a few moaners and some who are jealous you are running it etc and accuse you of all sorts take them people with a pinch of salt i tell them your welcome to help if you want that usually puts them off and shuts their mouths lol

[Jedwick]

Rugby and district league, 2 leagues of 8 but it's dwindling all the time