The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards. It is headquartered in Bristol, England. Founded as the Professional Billiard Players Association (PBPA) in 1946, with Joe Davis as chairman, it was revived in 1968 after some years of inactivity and renamed the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in 1970. Its current chairman is Jason Ferguson. The WPBSA devises and publishes the official rules of the two sports. It promotes their global development at the grassroots, amateur, and professional levels; enforces conduct regulations and disciplines players who breach them; and works to combat corruption, such as by investigating betting irregularities. Additionally, it is involved in coaching development and the training of referees. The WPBSA owns a 26 per cent share of World Snooker Ltd, which organises the professional World Snooker Tour. It also supports World Women's Snooker, World Disability Billiards and Snooker, and English billiards through World Billiards. Overview According to its financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2019, the principal activities of the WPBSA are "the governance of professional snooker and billiards through the regulation and application of the rules of the association, the development of snooker and billiards as a sport and the sanctioning of the Professional Snooker Tour". The governing body for the non-professional aspect of snooker and billiards is the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF). The WPBSA has a number of associated organisations, including World Snooker, World Billiards, World Women's Snooker and World Disability Billiards and Snooker. World Snooker Tour is responsible for running and administrating snooker's ranking and non-ranking professional circuit. These include the World Open, UK Championship, Welsh Open, China Open and the World Snooker Championship. It also holds the commercial rights for the professional game. Barry Hearn's Matchroom Sport owns 51 per cent of World Snooker, whilst the WPBSA owns 26 per cent. In January 2020, World Snooker was rebranded as World Snooker Tour. World Billiards supervises the English billiards ranking tournaments and ranking list. It was established as a limited company in 2011, with all shares owned by the WPBSA. World Women's Snooker (WWS) had changed its name from World Ladies Billiards and Snooker and Association (WLBSA) to World Ladies Billiards and Snooker when it became a subsidiary company of the WPBSA in December 2015. It moved to becoming World Women's Snooker in 2018. WWS supervises the Women's ranking