Briefly summarized
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Skirmante Strolyte from Ishavsbyen Biljard and Snookerklubb in Tromsø will recruit more women for billiards.
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On May 4, the club will host a ladies-only billiards night, with learning and a potential mini-tournament included.
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The event is part of a long-term project to increase female pool participation, inspired by Sweden’s success with recruitment.
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The aim is to remove the stigma of billiards as a “men’s sport” and encourage inclusion.
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Recruitment methods include social media and visible marketing in public places.
The summary is made by the AI tool ChatGPT and quality assured by our journalists
In Tromsø, there are very few women who play billiards. One of the women in the Ishavsbyen Billiards and Snooker Club, Skirmante Strolyte, wants to do something about this.
On 4 May, they will organize a billiards evening, for women only. Strolyte has a plan for what they will do that day.
– There will be some learning – the very basics of billiards. Eventually we will perhaps arrange a small tournament for the ladies, she says.
Planned for a long time
According to Strolyte, this is something they have been thinking about for a long time.
– There are very few women in the sport. I have been to a number of tournaments, in Trondheim for example, there are several ladies. It makes you feel part of something bigger.
Arild Moilanen from Ishavsbyen Biljard og Snookerklubb has drawn inspiration from other countries to achieve something for the women in Tromsø in the field of billiards.
– I have seen that Sweden is good with the women’s front in billiards. They have a lot of players there. They have recruited many female players from other sports, who may be injured or who can no longer play as actively. We want to get hold of those, he says.
– When you have competed for a long time, you have that instinct in your blood. Then the sport of billiards fits very well, says Moilanen.
MEETING PLACE FOR FRIENDS: Skirmante went to a pool event at a young age without knowing anyone. Eventually, good friendships were made there.
Photo: Vithushan Packiyarajah
– Billiards is not a pub sport
Strolyte thinks that such events are a great way to recruit more female pool players in Tromsø. That is how she got into the sport herself.
– I’m actually from Lithuania, and came here as a student. Then I joined a similar event, and at the time there were around 20 ladies who took part. We became very good friends, and think it was fun to play with each other, she says.
Moilanen believes that many women do not play billiards because some may think that it is a “man’s sport”.
– Yes, we have that stigma. Many people associate billiards with being a “pub sport”. It is far from that.
– But when people think it’s a pub sport, they might get the impression that it’s a “macho” thing. This is exactly what we want to remove, and show that we are a place for everyone and that anyone can play billiards, he says.
COME AND PLAY: Arild Moilanen and Skirmante Strolyte invite the ladies to the pool tables.
Photo: Vithushan Packiyarajah
– People press “maybe”
Strolyte says that there has been some interest in the event.
– Some have signed up, and many have clicked on “maybe” on the Facebook event, she says.
She says that they have used social media to promote and spread the word.
– We use Instagram and Facebook, and we have asked all our members in the club to invite their acquaintances, she says.
There will also be visible promotion in public places over time.
– I haven’t had time yet, but I’m going to hang some posters around. At the university, the library, and in the town hall, perhaps, says Strolyte.
BEST IN CLASS: According to Moilanen, the pool club offers the best pool equipment and the best tables.
Photo: Vithushan Packiyarajah
