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For a sport that’s popular among Filipinos, billiards as a career sadly isn’t as stable as basketball or volleyball. Hadley Mariano believes he can change that.
Billiards is one of the very few sports that we can truly say produces world-class Filipino athletes. From Amang Parica, Efren Reyes, Rodolfo Luat and Django Bustamante to Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Carlo Biado and Johann Chua, Filipino cue artists have long been reaping honors for the country.
And yet, despite a continuous pipeline of new talents, here at home billiards does not represent a steady – never mind lucrative – career.
Hadley Mariano wants to change all of that. As founder of Sharks Billiards Association, Mariano has been at the forefront of an attempt to redefine the sport of billiards in the Philippines and make it worthwhile.
For the past two years, Mariano and SBA have been running a team-based league that gives players a fixed and stable income. It’s being positioned as the first of its kind anywhere in the world, a professional 9-ball team-based league where players are paid a monthly salary by the team owners.
Currently, billiards players – both local and international – earn money through tournaments. Similar to golfers and tennis players, how much they earn depends on how far they advance in a tournament. Factor in travel and hotel expenses – which are shouldered by the player and his management team – and it’s easy to see that an early exit will put you in the red.
In the local setting, since everything is centralized in NCR, those expenses are too much of a factor. However, for the past several years there has been no regular tournament circuit where players can earn a few bucks.
Mariano believes a new approach is needed.
“We have very few tournaments, he told The GAME in an exclusive interview at the launching of SBA Next last week. “I think that tournaments for billiards is not the way to go. It’s a vicious cycle lang na player magba-buy-in sa tournament. Tapos pag natalo, wala siyang makukuha.
“So I think the league is a much more sustainable business model than a tournament. For one, the league lasts for a long time. Brand partners, media partners natin, they get exposure for a longer period of time.
“At the same time, players natin, they have salaries. The salaries, syempre, as a player, hindi ko naiisipin yung premyo ko kasi may sahod na ako. So I think it takes away the negative pressure sa players.
“’Pag sinabing negative pressure, ito yung pag natalo ako, wala akong kakainin mamaya. Napapalitan siya ng positive pressure. Ito yung pag natalo ako, I will let my team down.
“So ‘yan ang gusto ko ma-instill sa players. Hindi lang pera-pera, pero loyalty sa brand, loyalty sa team owners natin, loyalty to their city.”
This season, eight teams are duking it out, led by defending champions Taguig Stallions. Teams represent cities or provinces, although the matches are centralized at the Sharks Arena Sports & Bar in Quezon City.
The next step
Hadley Mariano and the SBA have already built the foundation for a new billiards ecosystem. Now, they’re adding a crucial support structure with the launch of SBA Next, the SBA’s minor league, so to speak that will help identify new prospects.
“For the network of new talents, we’re trying to tap ‘yung tinatawag na stable owners for this SBA Next, which is ‘yung minor league natin. So the SBA owners are existing sponsors or managers ng players natin sa Pilipinas.
“Sila yung nagma-manage sa players natin ‘pag nagma-money games or ‘pag pupunta ng abroad, they stake the players, binabayaran yung airfare, ‘yung entry fees sa tournament. So they are passionate sa sport. I am just offering something sustainable to them to join the ecosystem of SBA para sama-sama tayong lahat, consolidated lahat ng anything billiards.”
SBA Next will focus on new players at least 18 years old. They must also have a professional license and be registered with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB). But other than that, anyone who thinks he has what it takes to hang with the big shots is welcome.
“We are trying not to be very stringent kasi bugbog na ang billiards,” Mariano explains. “Ang attention ng Pilipino laging nasa basketball, volleyball, football. So everyone is welcome as long as you have a GAB permit, a GAB license that certifies you’re a professional player. You can approach one of our stable owners.”
The stable owners will be responsible for accepting and screening applicants for their SBA Next teams, which will compete in what amounts to a developmental league.
“Magkakaroon kami ng event announcing sino ‘yung stable owners na ito. So I think it’s as simple as that. Just get your GAB license, approach a stable owner. So it depends kung paano ang tryouts ng particular stable na ‘yun.”
To help teams find the best talent out there, Mariano is also launching the Official SBA Pool Hubs, where the league will work with pool halls across the country in hopes of identifying potential recruits for the teams.
So far, six pool halls have signed up: Cuehub Billiards Sportsbar and Lounge, Break88 Pool Club, 3Cushion Sportsbar, SkyJ Billiard Hall, Dreams Billiard Hall, and the soon-to-open Badkoi Billiards owned by Chua.
Since billiards is experiencing a renaissance of late, more pool halls have sprouted all over the country, and one man alone can’t visit them all.
“Noong umikot ako sa Pilipinas, marami akong bilyaran na napuntahan,” Mariano explained. “I was scouting players. Napakahirap. Hindi siya trabaho ng isang tao or isang organization. It has to be the job of multiple people. Kaya nga nagkaroon tayo ng stable owners.
“Nakita ko when I was going around pool halls, kilala na ‘yung SBA. Kung baga sikat na siya. In fact, yung mga tao na nakikita sa akin sa mga bilyaran na yun, hindi nila ako kilala personally. Ang tawag nila sa akin ay si SBA.
“So nakikilala na ‘yung brand. So with that, I just want to consolidate itong mga billiard halls na ito. Nakita ko rin, hindi maganda yung kalagayan ng ibang bilyaran. So I just want to help with this program. Sana mahikahit ko silang mag-sign in sa akin para matulungan ko sila ng 100%.”
Images from SBA
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