Membership Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to your membership in APA (CPA in Canada). In joining or renewing your APA or CPA membership you agree to abide by these terms.

1. APA Leagues in the United States and CPA Leagues in Canada (including related tournaments and events) are operated by Local League Operators under the authority and license of the American Poolplayers Association, Inc. and, in Canada, the Canadian Pool League, Inc. d/b/a the Canadian Poolplayers Association. (APA and CPA are collectively referred to as “APA”). Your Local APA League is independently owned and operated by the Local League Operator.
2. APA League and tournament play is conducted under APA’s rules, including the rules stated in APA’s Official Team Manual. As a member of APA, you agree to abide by APA’s rules.
3. All participants in local APA League play, tournaments and events must be valid members in good standing of the APA’s national association of amateur/recreational poolplayers.
4. Members receive a digital APA Membership Card entitling you to participate in available APA League play as well as APA tournaments and events for which you qualify. Membership entitles you to access the wealth of statistics and information on APA’s online Member Experience, as well as a digital Welcome Package, and Member Discounts on goods and services offered by APA sponsors and marketing partners.
5. The APA membership fee is $30 plus any applicable taxes. APA memberships are effective for a calendar year and expire December 31. (Members joining after August 15 are entitled to a discounted membership renewal the following year. Members joining after December 1 receive a membership good for the next calendar year.)
6. Applicants for membership must fill in all required fields on the APA online or paper Membership Application. Information must be true and correct. The name on Applicant’s Membership Application must match Applicant’s state-issued photo driver’s license or identification card. Members must be able to present their APA Membership Card and their state-issued photo ID upon request at APA League play, tournaments and events.
7. Telephone numbers and email addresses may be used for important League communications. It is important that your contact information must be correct and kept up to date. APA and the Local APA League Operator are not responsible for mailings or communications not received because of incorrect or non-updated contact information.
8. You must be at least 18 years of age for regular membership in the APA. Please note that some League areas may be restricted to 21 years of age because state and local laws may restrict access by those under 21 to bars and other locations that host League play. Check your Local League bylaws for age requirements in your APA area.
9. Those under age 18 may obtain an APA Junior membership. Many Local APA Leagues offer programs for Junior play. Check with your Local APA League Operator to see if APA Junior play is available in your area.
10. Applicants for APA Membership are subject to APA’s and the League Operator’s approval. Applying or paying for a membership is not final unless and until the membership is accepted by APA and the Local APA League Operator in our sole discretion. Memberships not accepted by us will be refunded. There are no other refunds of membership payments under any other circumstances.
11. Teams pay a weekly fee established by the Local APA League Operator to participate in APA League activity. Weekly fees for participation in League activity must be paid when due.
12. APA is for people who want to enjoy the fun and excitement of recreational pool. Members must be of amateur standing. Persons who have characteristics of a professional poolplayer are not allowed to play in APA Leagues (including our local, regional and national tournaments and events). Players may be deemed professional, and therefore ineligible for participation in APA Leagues and APA Membership, in APA’s sole judgment and discretion.
13. If you believe you have characteristics that might cause us to consider you a professional, please consult your Local League Operator or the APA National Office before joining APA or participating in our Leagues. Please understand that if APA determines, in our judgment and discretion, that you have lost your amateur status, APA may disqualify you from further participation in APA Leagues (including local, regional or national events) at any time.
14. The Local APA League Operator has the full authority to conduct operation of the Local APA League (including Local APA League play, tournaments and events) and may make rulings and determination that the League Operator considers appropriate in his/her sole judgment and discretion, including with respect to handicapping and suspension of players for inappropriate conduct. Decisions of the Local League Operator may be appealed to the APA National Appeals Committee as provided in the APA Official Team Manual.
15. Unsportsmanlike or disruptive conduct, unpaid weekly fees, or rule violations may result in suspension from participation or termination of membership. Additionally, APA or the Local League Operator, in our sole judgment and discretion, may decline to accept your membership or renewal of your membership. If you are suspended, or your membership is terminated, or not accepted, you understand that you will lose any previously earned eligibility for participation in all APA tournaments and events, including without limitation, APA World Qualifiers, the APA World Pool Championships, Singles Regional events, the APA National Poolplayer Championships, and the U.S. Amateur Championship®.
16. You agree that all determinations of the APA National Appeals Committee are final. This is your sole remedy in the event you disagree with a ruling or determination of the Local League Operator. You agree not to sue or assert any claim (including for damages, declaratory or injunctive relief) in any court, forum or proceeding. If you bring any such claim in violation of this agreement, you agree to reimburse APA and the League Operator for its reasonable attorney fees and costs in defending and obtaining dismissal of the claim.
17. You understand that League play may be conducted in bars, pool rooms and other locations that serve or permit consumption of alcohol. The choice to consume alcohol before, during or after League play is your own. You understand the risks of excessive consumption of alcohol by you and others. If you drink, please drink responsibly. Consumption of alcohol by members under the legal drinking age is never allowed at APA League or tournament play or APA events.
18. Better to be safe than sorry. If you are planning to drink, arrange for a designated driver. If you think you might be impaired or over the legal limit, take a cab or get a ride with a sober driver.
19. Please understand, APA and the Local APA League Operator are not responsible for onsite supervision of League play or for monitoring consumption of alcohol by you or any other member playing in the League. We are not responsible for determining whether someone can be served or is intoxicated or for detaining anyone from leaving the location or driving. APA and the League Operator will not be liable for acts, conduct or consequences that might result from intoxication.
20. APA is not responsible for the condition, maintenance or upkeep of the bars, pool rooms and other locations where League play takes place (“Host Locations”). If there is a condition on the premises that you consider unsafe or dangerous, please notify the location’s management.
21. You agree to waive and release APA and the APA League Operator (including their officers, directors, employees and agents) from any claim, cause of action, loss and damages, arising from or relating to your participation in APA League or tournament play or any APA related event, whether current or in the future, including without limitation, any claim, damage or loss relating to or arising from (a) any ruling, judgment or decision of APA or the APA League Operator, (b) any bodily or personal injury sustained by you, or (c) damage to or loss of property.
22. We expect excellent sportsmanship during League play. Physical altercations and verbal abuse are strictly prohibited by APA’s rules and any member engaging in such misconduct is subject to suspension from the League or termination of membership in APA.
23. While physical contact and verbal abuse are rare in the League, such misconduct can happen on occasion. You understand that APA and the APA League Operator are not responsible for the onsite supervision of League play. If someone engages in harassive, threatening or physical behavior during League night, immediately notify the Host Location’s staff or call the police. Do not engage in or try to break up a physical altercation yourself.
24. As a player in the League, you are also a patron of the Host Location where League play is conducted. While, generally, you may play in any Host Location where APA League play is offered, you do need to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner in the Host Location. Like any private business, a Host Location has the right to remove and exclude from their premises any customer whose conduct or behavior, in the sole judgment of the Host Location, makes him/her an unacceptable customer of the establishment. Please understand that APA has no responsibility or control over the business decision of Host Locations.
25. You agree to pay for any injury, damage or loss to person or property caused by your conduct, acts and inactions while participating in APA Local League play, tournaments and events. If any loss is incurred or any charge or claim is made against APA or the League Operator for any injury, damage or loss to person or property due to your conduct, acts or inaction, you agree to reimburse and indemnify APA and the League Operator against such charge or claim.
26. Members may play in any geographic area where there is a sanctioned APA League. While we have APA Leagues in approximately 300 markets throughout the United States and Canada, please understand that APA does not guarantee that there will be sanctioned APA League play in any particular locale. There is no “transfer fee” for playing in another APA League area. Memberships may not be transferred to another person. Members are responsible for locating and developing a team to join.
27. If you have no team affiliation, the Local APA League Operator may be able to assist you in finding a team, but APA and the League Operator do not guarantee placement on a team nor the number or frequency of matches you will play on a team. It is generally up to the team’s captain to decide the team’s line-up for weekly match and tournament play and to decide who among team members will or will not play and who they will be put up against.
28. Applicants for membership agree to the terms of APA’s Privacy Policy. Click here to review our Privacy Policy.
29. You understand that photographs and video recordings may be made as a part of APA Leagues, tournaments and events. In connection with your participation in APA Leagues, tournament and events, you grant APA and the Local APA League (and our licensees, designees and assigns) the full right to photograph and/or video record you and/or your voice; use your name in association therewith; use, broadcast, reproduce, distribute and exhibit such photographs and recordings freely for any purpose, including for advertising, promotional and commercial purposes; and edit, modify, adapt, make derivative works from, copyright and otherwise use the pictures and recordings as APA chooses. You waive any claim of any right or interest in the photographs and recordings and any compensation or other benefits for our appearance in any images or recordings.