We visited the President of the Turkish Billiard Federation, Mr. Ersan Ercan, in his office and we did a sincere interview with him for Kozoom fans.
He sincerely answered all of our questions about the upcoming elections, tournament calendar for the rest of the year, future projects and his experience during the 6-year presidency period.
Kozoom/Emel Çoklu: First of all, who is Ersan Ercan? We all know you, but for those who don't know you well, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your profession, your family, your cosmetics company that you manage successfully. Can you explain briefly?
Ersan Ercan: I was born in Sinop/Ayancık in 1972. I completed secondary and high school in Bursa. I received a bachelor's degree from the School of Pharmacy at Hacettepe University. Then, I obtained a bachelor's degree in public administration from Anadolu University. Since 1995, I have been working as a pharmacist for 25 years. In the past 14 years, I have been managing my company, named ERC Cosmetics, which operates in the beauty and cosmetics industry. I have been serving as the President of Turkey Billiards Federation. I am married and have a daughter.
Kozoom/ EÇ: Let's start with the coronavirus issue first. As you know, tournaments have been delayed for a long time due to the virus. Is the organization calendar of our Billiards Federation determined? Is anything clear as of now?
Ersan Ercan: As it is the case for the rest of the world, billiard halls in Turkey were closed in March due to Covid-19, and all championships were postponed. While billiard rooms were re-opened on June 1, we learn via experience that the spread of the virus has not slowed down. For this reason, it is almost impossible to give a specific date for the national competition.
Having said that, if the danger decreases towards the end of the summer and we can foresee our future, we plan to make the provincial championship tournaments in September. We also plan to reduce the number of competitions for the Turkish Cup to 3 and Turkish Championship to 2 and complete them between October and December.
We plan to complete the year by organizing another tournament in Pool Billiards.
As I said, let's wait for a while. If we can foresee our future by the end of summer, we will announce the calendar.
Kozoom/EÇ: You mentioned the billiard facility in Ankara in the past few months. What is the situation now, and can you give us detailed information about the facility?
Ersan Ercan: We are building this complex in the capital of Turkey, Ankara-Gölbaşı. This complex has 1900 square meters of closed area with two floors and a 500 square meter open-green area. We are carrying out this project jointly with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Sport Toto, and Gölbaşı Municipality. Space allocation was made from the Gölbaşı Municipality. We signed a protocol with Spor Toto, and the project phase was completed. I think construction will start in late August or early September, and it will be completed at the end of this year.
This giant complex, which was my biggest dream for years, will serve both as a tournament hall and the Federation building. I was planned for the comfort of billiards athletes. With this project, a completely different page will be opened for Turkish billiards.
I can't compare it with any other place in the world because it is the first, and there is no comparable example. We have been preparing meticulously for months, modified the project several times, and now finalized it. As soon as I receive the original interior and exterior pictures, I will share the details with the billiard community. What I want to explain will be better understood when we share these pictures.
The Billiards Complex
Kozoom/EÇ: What is going to change and which innovations will there be in Turkish Billiards with this facility?
Ersan Ercan: From head to toe almost everything. First of all, the questions of "hotel tournament versus sports hall tournament?" will be history. In nearly every month of the year, championships in all categories of Men-Women-Youth-Veterans in 3 Cushion, Pool, and Artistic branches will be held here. This complex is just 3 minutes away from all the hotels ranging from 2 to 5 stars. Besides, we will host all international championships at this facility.
We will enter 2021 with a brand-new championship system. We are working on it with our management and technical board. We will finalize and announce it before the new year. A completely different environment, in which our athletes will fully feel their sportsmanship in competition, enhanced with high-quality tournament comfort and the brand-new reward system, awaits us.
Kozoom/EÇ: Could you tell us a little about your project related to schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education?
Ersan Ercan: As you know, we entered school sports 3 years ago. This was a very important achievement for us. Now we want to take it even further. In all schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education, we will include billiards in the curriculum as an elective course. That is, any school that wants to offer billiards to its students as an elective course will place billiards tables in their facilities.
There are around 50 thousand schools in Turkey. Initially, even if one percent of them put billiards into their schools, we will have tens of thousands of young people introduced to billiards and practice the sport. These young people will go to our billiard halls in the following years and participate in our tournaments. As the billiard community, we will grow and expand in every way possible.
Note that the tournaments, which reached a record of about 1500 participants recently, were held with only 60-70 young players in the recent past. In about ten years, the importance of this project will be better understood.
Kozoom/EÇ: Can you tell us about the new cloth that the Federation will launch?
Ersan Ercan: Last year, we produced a local cloth under the brand ProMatch. After 8 months of research and development efforts, we are now ready to launch a new version. It will be marketed under the brand name ProMatch GO, contain 40% wool, and be much more economical. We have completed our tests and it will be available at a very affordable price towards the end of July. I should add the following. I am confident it is the most successful cloth in the world in terms of Performance / Price ratio. Notably, due to coronavirus, our billiard halls, which have been going through financial hardship, will greatly reduce their costs because they will be able to buy 4 high-quality cloths at the price of one imported cloth. As our product is used, my points will be better appreciated better.
Kozoom/EÇ: Will the Federation Presidency elections be held at the end of the year?
Ersan Ercan: I think it is postponed for one year. The official letter has not yet arrived, but it is said to be next year. The reason is not coronavirus. There is an article in the law that the Federation Presidency elections are held after the Olympics. Because the Olympics are canceled this summer, the elections are said to postponed in the autumn of 2021. But as I said, there is no official letter.
Kozoom/EÇ: What do you think about elections? I guess you will be candidate again, don't you?
Ersan Ercan: I'm sincerely saying that election is not a topic on my agenda. I am currently preparing plans and projects for the next 5 years. I don't care if it is held this year or next year. I don't think it occupies the billiards community either.
Kozoom/EÇ: What have been the most difficult things during your presidency, and what made you upset?
Ersan Ercan: There is a prejudice that was inherited from past Federation Administrations. Some people see the Federation and its administration as an opponent who has conquered the power against them. They see the administration as if it was an entity, which constantly dictates things on them, and punishes them at every chance it gets. Even worse, they portray us as people who exploit athletes to make personal financial gains.
While I largely demolished this view during my 6-year tenure, you should ask how much I have been through in the process of achieving this. Forget making any financial gains, I am the person to whom the Federation owes the highest amount of debt. You may be shocked if I reveal the amount. Show me another president of the Federation who is as close as I am to the athletes and takes care of their problems. You can't see me in the protocol tribune in any of the tournaments except the final day. I always watch the matches with my athletes from the back of the tribune and do the critique of the games. Furthermore, reaching me is the easiest thing in the world. My phone is turned on 24 hours. I answer everybody, no matter who calls, and I follow up until the problem is taken care of.
As I said, there was a bias in our billiards community that was inherited from the past administration. While this has been broken down over time, I am not going to lie, I was hurt and offended many times. Well, perhaps 6 years must have passed to make this progress.
We visited the President of the Turkish Billiard Federation, Mr. Ersan Ercan, in his office
Kozoom/EÇ: So, what made you the happiest and proudest during your presidency?
Ersan Ercan: The interest and sympathy of the billiards community! I am 48 years old. I have enough experience to distinguish between sincere and fake affections until this age. If you are the president, they will already respect you. But gaining people's genuine love is totally different. I experience this at the highest level and I am very happy about it. This is also the biggest source of motivation for me. If I feel that I am starting to lose it, I will step down without any hesitation.
Kozoom/EÇ: We know that your journey to the Presidency of the Billiards Federation was not a smooth ride. It was more like a revolution that required tremendous efforts. What were the difficulties you experienced in the process? How did you manage them?
Ersan Ercan: I did not become the president in a general election. I took office under extraordinary circumstances by collecting signatures from the members and forcing the General Assembly to an early election. As you guys very well know the situation back then, I think I don't need to explain it repeatedly. We came to the office at the right time, with the right set of team members, and the generosity of the delegates.
When we started the job, there was no money in the safe, the Association had no income, the reputation of Federation was at ground zero and many athletes were offended and quit the sport. Despite many obstacles and impossibilities, we have made many innovations and breakthroughs that set an example to the world. It is obvious how much the Turkish billiards environment changed in the last 6 years.
But now this discourse is over. Six long years have passed and we are not a new administration anymore. We were praised enough and we also took enough pride. Now it's time to say new things. Indeed, we have more to say. Especially the billiard complex and the elective billiards course project in schools are the two most important projects in the history of the 27-years old Federation. When we achieve these, the history will be written, a completely different period will be opened in billiards and we will be an example country in the world.
Kozoom/EÇ: Do you remember your first election 6 years ago? How do you compare Ersan Ercan at that time with the present one?
Ersan Ercan: How couldn't I remember? Of course, it is my mind as if it happened today. At that time, I used to tell my friends the following: "I'm not running to be the president of the Federation but to manage the billiards." I have the same feelings right now. Of course, with a massive difference in experience.
The presidency is just a title to do my service. I have it today, but I won't have it tomorrow. However, after I step down, if I can watch the game with the same love and affection from the fans, and feel the same respect, it means I left a pleasant image and I have done my duty well. This is my criterion for success.
My election speech 6 years ago is still in my archive. I announce it for the first time from here that I have an idea for the future. I will share the text with you either in the next election or right before it. I have reread it recently. Considering that the billiards facility and school project will be realized, I have achieved everything I promised.
Kozoom/EÇ: Besides all these, you are a UMB Board Member and Sportive Director. Is the UMB Presidency a goal for you?
Ersan Ercan: I was not even thinking about joining the UMB administration. I came to this position with the proposal of Mr. Farouk Barki and his request to have on his team. I am saying this with all my sincerity and as one of the closest individuals to Mr. Barki. He is a great chance for World Billiards, and he must continue as the president for at least one more term. If he were to decide to step down and encourage me to run for the presidency, I would tell him exactly what I told you. It is obvious how much progress the world billiards achieved under his leadership.
Kozoom/EÇ: Pharmacy, cosmetics business, Federation Presidency and the UMB board. Despite your busy schedule, how can you simultaneously achieve all these? How do you manage your time?
Ersan Ercan: Yes, it is true that I am very busy. Sometimes 24 hours is not enough to work for my own profession, my business and the Federation. But, I did not volunteer for these duties to complain about them. This is the nature of this business. They also say that if a person does a job that he loves, he will never get tired. All the tiredness is gone, especially when beautiful things come out. This also motivates me.
I'm a person who doesn't like to stay idle anyway. I want to constantly deal with something, develop new projects and make innovations. If my one day is the same as the other, I feel uncomfortable.
Kozoom/EÇ: Mr. President, it was a great interview. Thank you for your sincere answers. Finally, is there anything you want to say to the billiard community?
Ersan Ercan: Due to the pandemic, we remained separated from billiards and tournaments for a long time. During this time, we missed both each other and billiards, as well as the excitement of competition. But, of course, health is first.
I look forward to meeting the billiards community with the same level of enthusiasm, excitement, and many innovations as soon as possible. Stay healthy and stay with billiards.