THE former Barry & District Pool League has undergone a major revamp ahead of the new season, with a new name, rules and online presence set to coincide with the first fixtures starting next month.

The BPL, as it is now known, is looking to promote the league to a new generation of players, expanding the number of clubs taking part and developing the standard of play through the new rules being brought in.

Under the stewardship of chairman James Hill and secretary Ceri Morris, who make up two of the seven strong league committee, the league will be unveiling a new website and Facebook group as of September 3.

Former Wales under-21 captain Morris, who has been brought in to his new role this year, explained why members felt the revamp was important to help the league move forward.

"The league has never really promoted itself," said Morris.

"The main purpose is obviously to grow the league. We’re going to be working a lot towards promoting it to pubs and clubs.

"We’ve tried to be a little bit proactive in using social media to generate interest and grow the league further. I come from a marketing and design background – so we’ve looked to develop the website further, as well as the Facebook and Whatsapp groups."

Another facet of the league's redevelopment has been the change in rules that have been agreed during the close season, which chairman Hill hopes will both improve quality and prove more appealing to younger players.

"There were previously about 24 teams, but as people have got older they’ve moved on, teams have dropped out. There’s never been a lot of new interest from younger players.

"There’s a lot of young kids playing a lot of snooker in Barry – we hope to catch their attention and get them involved.

"For 25 years the club has always had it’s own rule set. We’ve made developments over the last 12 months towards ‘black-ball’ rules. This improves the quality of the game. It encourages attacking play and makes players have to think more about their game."

With the focus on increasing participation amongst young people a major feature of the league's remodelling, Hill and Morris are also looking at ways to develop a youth league to encourage more youngsters to get involved in the game.

With numerous changes being brought in however, the pair also acknowledged the importance of striking the right balance to stay loyal to their current members, and Hill is confident that the new developments will go down well with the league's stalwarts.

"My role as chairman is to keep as many people happy as possible," he said.

"We’ve found a pretty good compromise, I think. People involved in the league are happy with the route that we’re going down."

While entries are currently closed for the upcoming season, the club is looking for potential new clubs and pubs to get involved for the Summer League beginning early next year.

If you are interested in joining the league or obtaining further information, contact James Hill on 07930585465, or visit the Barry Pool League Facebook page. Alternatively, they can be emailed at barrypoolleague@gmail.com.