San Mateo County to launch new pool league

“It was very peaceful,” Callado said. “It was like my therapy in a way. I could get a pool table, play by myself and put some music on. I think the sport, for most personal reasons, kind of stuck with me. It also helped me socialize, blossom, find myself — you meet all kinds of characters in the pool room.”

Callado turned pro nearly 15 years ago and continues to compete in the Women’s Professional Billiards Association, though less frequently. Her workload these days usually hovers around three events annually due to her career outside of pool and growing responsibilities of motherhood.“I feel like I had missed out on that important fun, critical kind of social aspect of pool and bars in the bar scene during that time,” Callado said. “It peaks out when you’re 21, 25, 30 even. I missed all of that because I’d gotten into the pros so early in my career.”

But she’s now ready to take her shot at something different with a fresh angle: sharing her passion for the game by bringing pool to her local community in San Mateo County.

Callado recently completed the acquisition of the first American Poolplayers Association league in San Mateo County and she’s poised to chalk up the foundation for an organized sport that has been largely absent from the Peninsula athletic scene.

“I’m a businesswoman, too,” Callado said. “I’ve been in business for about 20 years so it just made sense to do something that relates to people having fun with a sport I love — and business, which is what I know, what I do professionally. To be able to marry those two things to make a living in the Bay Area is — I feel like — a blessing. The time is right and the time is now.”The idea first came to her a decade ago while playing with friends in Santa Clara County, when the South Bay APA’s league operator suggested she start a new league tailored for those unable to travel to existing leagues in Santa Clara County and San Francisco.

After recently coming to a crossroads in her professional life and career, Callado has finally decided to pull the trigger on starting the endeavor. She recently took two to three months to go through the process to become a league operator before concluding the training in early November.

“Eleanor embodies compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, respect, empathy and generosity,” San Mateo resident Nina Bentley said. “She’s someone who truly thrives to make the pool circuit a better place.”

Bentley has been competing in the Golden Gate APA, the San Francisco affiliate, since 2011.

“The first thing I thought was wow, finally,” Bentley said. “I was so excited to finally have APA in my backyard and to compete in the game I love.”

The league is set to launch Jan. 5 with the first phase covering San Mateo to Redwood City, the southern sector of the county. Depending on the turnout, two additional divisions in the central — San Bruno to Burlingame — and west — Pacifica, Daly City and South San Francisco — will form. Callado expects these phases to be completed, with all three divisions covered, in the summer of 2025.

David Mehrwein, a Lodi resident and college friend of Callado, commutes to Colma for work two to three times a week. This makes it convenient for him to stop along the Peninsula to play after work — a possibility that, until now, hasn’t been available.

“It’s nice to not have to go into the city and try and find parking at a bar to play pool — parking meters, all those kinds of things,” Mehrwein said. “So having accessibility on the Peninsula for people that are interested in playing pool, it helps kind of strengthen the bonds of the community that are playing.”

To start, the league will take place three times a week — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights — at local bars equipped with a usable pool table. There’s no cost for the establishment to host a league night.

“I think this is a big thing,” Mehrwein said. “We’re bringing more patronage to businesses in San Mateo County. We’re not just playing pool at these bars. We are buying food. We’re buying drinks. We’re contributing to the overall economy.”

Teams will consist of five members who will be able to play eight-ball and nine-ball. The San Mateo APA recommends signing up full teams rather than individuals. This approach ensures that groups of random people aren’t consistently placed together, which could lead to compatibility issues.

There’s a $30 annual APA membership fee and a $12 buy-in every week that’ll go toward prizes and events. One of the perks includes a chance to become the lucky qualifying team awarded an expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas for a major tournament. APA currently has around 250,000 members with roughly 400 teams of five to eight people attending the tournament in an effort to win the $20,000 grand prize.

The APA’s model is simple: have fun, meet people and play pool.

“The reason why I put my money in and invested in this county is because of the model of APA,” Callado said.

Callado emphasizes that the San Mateo APA welcomes players of all skill levels and experience. For new members without proper equipment, such as a pool cue, an alternative store will be available to purchase the necessary gear.“I would definitely say anybody that wants to try to do it, just to try,” Mehrwein said. “The worst that can happen is that you find that pool may be frustrating for some people because it is a difficult sport. But just try it, just get out there, meet new people and be willing to put yourself out there. You might be surprised by what you find.”