Viking Tour Director Mike Janis has announced the formation of the New Unified Tour System (N.U.T.S.).
The system is basically a collaboration between the existing regional tours that will provide a four tiered system of advancement from amateur tours all the way up to televised events.
The four tiers are defined as...
Level 1 - Local Qualifying Events
Up to 300 events on the regional tour networks
Players will qualify for the quarterly regional events by placing in the top 6 places at any local event held by a participating regional tour in the n.u.t.s. network. Additionally, two wild card players will be picked at random during each local event. Only these 8 players from each event will be invited to participate on the next level of regional qualifiers. Tournament entry fees are dictated by each individual tour, however every player that plays in any of the regional tours events will pay a $2 fee which will go to the operating fund of the n.u.t.s.
Level 2 - Regional Qualifying Tournaments
Up to 48 total events.
1 quarterly event for each participating tour.
Only players that place in the top 50% of each regional event will qualify to go to the next level of national events. Players that don't qualify for the next level will have to go back to the local level and re-qualify. Each regional event will have a minimum of $1,000 added and players will pay a nominal fee to participate in the event.
Level 3 - National Qualifying Tournaments
Up to 12 events per year. 1 quarterly event per region
Southeast / Northeast / Midwest / West Coast
Players that qualify in the top 50% of these national events will go on to compete in the televised events. Players that don't qualify for the next level will have to go back to the local level. Each national event will have a minimum of $5,000 added and players will pay a nominal fee to participate in the event.
Level 4 - Televised events
Up to 12 per year
Players that place in the top 25% of the televised events will stay at this level and may not compete in any regional or national n.u.t.s. events. Players that don't qualify in the top 25% will have to go back to the local level. Each televised event will have minimum of $25,000 added and players will pay a nominal fee to participate in the event.
Janis is currently in discussions with a number of existing regional tours and already has confirmed participation from the Planet Pool Tour, Hampton Ridge Tour and Fury Cues Amateur Tours as well as the Viking Cue Tour. With the already confirmed participation, Janis says nearly 200 events are already part of the system. Janis feels confident that the numbers mentioned above are possible with participation from the existing pool community.
As proof of the concept, Janis said that each participating regional tour will send their top eight players to an event soon to be scheduled in or around September of this year. The overall winner of the September event will win lodging and a 5000 entry into Allen Hopkins Skin Game which will be televised just as it was last year.
Janis also indicated that he already has interest from companies outside of the billiards industry and named The ACCOR Hotel Systems as already signing on with a promotional discount to all pool players that stay at their Red Roof Inn Hotels and a commision on those rooms that will be routed back into the N.U.T.S. system.
Existing Tour directors can reach Janis at 1-800-200-POOL to discuss their participation in the new program.
