An Ardent lover of Billiard Sports and advocate of pool sports in Nigeria, Chief Oluwasegun David has advocated for increased awareness and development of pool sports, aiming to identify and nurture talented individuals from the grassroots level and propel them to international success by instructing them in the standardized, globally recognized techniques of the game.
David made the revelation when the leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ondo State Chapter, led by Segun Giwa, paid him a courtesy visit at his pool lounge in Akure.
He said his love for the pool game also made him invest so much in getting the approved pool (A-boards) at his entertainment hub, Fourteen75 Lounge, to attract players to play to international standards and nurture talents to participate in pool competitions in China.
Pool is a popular cue sport played on a table with six pockets, where players use a cue stick to strike balls and score points and requires skill, strategy, and focus. It’s enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels, from casual players to professional competitors.
Briefing sports journalists on the rules of the game, David said the pool game is a career-driven sport to discover talents who find interest in playing the game.
The Ayede Ekiti-born pool advocate sought the support of Ondo SWAN to propagate the benefit of the pool game, stressing that there will be a championship playoff scheduled to be held in June in Akure, with his pool lounge to host a competition to produce two representatives.
“In terms of corporate organizations, some people have taken it as a career and so, we need to see it more as a sport, not just a game for gamblers. The US for instance and the Europeans, employ a brand organisation to rebrand it. Before, players could wear anything to competition but now, there is a dress code and there are rules.
“The pool itself is the billiard game and being governed by the World Pool Association (WPA), they have come up with a lot of things on how to make the game much better and to be appealing not only to young people but to sponsors, the basic thing is that they want to catch in,” he said.
The ardent pool player said more awareness should be given to the pool game while dispelling rumours that the game is only for the rich and also a game for gamblers.
“We invested on this board as well in Akure, now, I have close to over hundred players that come here regularly to play. Some come as early as 8 AM, some as early as 7 AM to play”
“So, it is a gradual process, we started with one board, 2 years ago we added another board, and this year we added the third one. So, with the Bing board for instance, what I have also done is that you can not bet on that board if you want to learn how to play the sport, if you want to be good at it, if you want to go to China and play in competitions, this is the board you play on. In Nigeria, we only have three places that have the pool table; Lagos has one, Akure has one and Asaba has one,” he said.
Responding, Chairman of SWAN in Ondo State, Segun Giwa, assured of the association’s support to give the pool game the deserved publicity.
Giwa noted that he would partner with the Ondo State Sports Council and Ministry of Youths and Sports to see how the pool game can be incorporated and promoted to encourage talents to take an interest in the sport.
He said that the association could also organize a competition on the game after he had taken members through the necessary rudiments and rules of the game.
