American Poolplayers Association (APA)Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A American Poolplayers Association (APA) franchise requires a total initial investment of $22K – $31K, including a $10K franchise fee and an ongoing 20.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $22K – $31K
- 2nd pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- 35th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 339
- 43rd pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1982. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $22K – $31K including a $10K franchise fee, 20.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 48/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- American Poolplayers Association, Inc.
- Predecessor
- or parent and have not offered or sold franchises in any other line of
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Greg Fletcher
- CEO experience
- 1995 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 1000 Lake Saint Louis Boulevard, Suite 325, Lake Saint Louis, Missouri 63367
- Auditor
- Anders Minkler Huber & Helm LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23.1M
- vs $25.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Independent franchisee associations
- Independent Franchisee Association
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
APA franchisees operate pool league operations, organizing competitive 8-ball and 9-ball tournaments for members in their protected territory. Franchisees recruit and manage players, schedule matches, collect weekly fees, and coordinate with APA headquarters for sanctioning and rule enforcement. Revenue typically derives from membership dues, weekly match entry fees, and tournament earnings.
- CEO
- Greg Fletcher
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 1981
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 49
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 9 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $10K | $14K | |
| Equipment / Computer Software and Hardwarenot refundable | $2K | $6K | |
| Broadband Internet Accessnot refundable | $300 | $300 | |
| Training Seminar I Expenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Real Estate & Improvements | — | — | |
| Initial Inventory | — | — | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $789 | $789 | |
| Attorney / Accountant Feesnot refundable | $4K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Total initial investment | $22K | $31K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $22K – $31K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $3K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $14K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- Weekly Royalty · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 5.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 25.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 20.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $388 |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 25.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How American Poolplayers Association (APA) Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 339
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 0.3%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 7.1%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +2.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +6.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 9
- Closed (3yr)
- 3
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 34
- Transfer rate
- 10.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 0.3%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 28 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Stagnant growth, undisclosed financials, and opaque royalty structure create meaningful uncertainty around profitability and franchise sustainability despite protected territory.
Litigation (Item 3)
John and Cynthia Devore v. Jeffrey and Michelle Duda, et al. (Docket No. 000579, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania). Filed May 4, 2016; dismissed August 7, 2017. Claims: defamation, tortious interference with contract, loss of consortium. Damages sought: $50,000+. Settled with insurer payment less than damages sought. APA and Duda denied liability.
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Anders Minkler Huber & Helm LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 48 / 100 rating
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth of only 2.8% YoY with 339 units suggests mature/declining system momentum
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (average revenue/income) disclosed prevents ROI validation and raises transparency concerns
- 03MINOR20% royalty on 'Basic Weekly Fee' structure is ambiguous—unclear what constitutes revenue base and actual take-home
- 04HIGH2016 litigation involving defamation/tortious interference indicates brand management and social media liability exposure
- 05MINORShort 2-year term creates renewal risk and limits franchisee ability to build long-term equity in territory
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 2 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | Specific geographic territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 25,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 120 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
John and Cynthia Devore v. Jeffrey and Michelle Duda, et al. (Docket No. 000579, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania). Filed May 4, 2016; dismissed August 7, 2017. Claims: defamation, tortious interference with contract, loss of consortium. Damages sought: $50,000+. Settled with insurer payment less than damages sought. APA and Duda denied liability.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 60 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 33 hrs
- Training location
- St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Nexus
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Nexus
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
100 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
American Poolplayers Association (APA) · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a American Poolplayers Association (APA) franchise?
The total investment to open a American Poolplayers Association (APA) franchise ranges from $22K – $31K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do American Poolplayers Association (APA) franchise owners earn?
American Poolplayers Association (APA) does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is American Poolplayers Association (APA)'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for American Poolplayers Association (APA) (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many American Poolplayers Association (APA) franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, American Poolplayers Association (APA) has 339 total units in the United States, including 313 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is American Poolplayers Association (APA) a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates American Poolplayers Association (APA) as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 48 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.