Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association
Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association or NIBSA is the national governing body for Snooker and Billiards in Northern Ireland, appointed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland, Sport NI. The aims of the association are to develop and promote the sport at grass roots level in Northern Ireland through events and competitions, while providing a platform for talented snooker players to compete in national and international events.
NIBSA are affiliated to the European Billiards and Snooker Association [1] or EBSA enabling players to compete at various tournaments throughout the season. As the National Governing body for cue sports in Northern Ireland, NIBSA are also affiliated to World Snooker [2] and the number one ranked snooker player each season progresses to the Main Professional Tour. Currently Mark Allen[3] is the highest ranked snooker player from Northern Ireland in the World Rankings, and received Lottery Funding[4] via NIBSA while an amateur player, facilitating his growth and development in the sport.
References
http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/uk/lottery-funders-listing/sports-council-ni/sni-mark-allan-case-study.htm http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/PlayersAlphabeticalArticle/0,,13165~2222864,00.html http://www.ebsa.tv/membernorthernireland.html