The people behind WESTAST.

From junior player to WESTAST owner.

Pascal Nydegger’s billiards story is closely connected to Biel/Bienne. In 1993, alongside Sarah Zbinden and Dimitri Jungo, he was among the first young players in Pool-Billard Club Biel’s youth programme. Those early club years led to a journey through Swiss billiards as a player, organiser and developer of billiards software.

Pascal Nydegger’s sporting achievements include eight Swiss championship titles: four individual titles and four team titles. He represented Switzerland at the European Championships four times. His first appearance was at the 1996 European Junior Championships in Fürth, where he finished 17th in 8-ball and 25th in 9-ball. He also gained international tournament experience, achieving 9th and 17th places at the Ardennen Cup in Luxembourg. Alongside his championship titles, his record includes two bronze medals at Swiss championships. His Swisspool player profile lists 10-ball as his favourite discipline and a highest recorded straight-pool run of 127 points.

His involvement in the sport extended beyond competition. In 2003, he compiled a training programme with scoring and evaluation to help advanced pool players practise specific skills. Technique, positional play and tracking progress at the table thus also had a place outside tournament play.

Another part of his billiards story takes place behind the scenes. Through WebPublishing by P. Nydegger and TournamentApp, he connects the sport with digital tournament organisation: websites, tournament management, results and streaming are part of this work. In 2010, he presented an automated tournament system to Swiss Snooker. At the 2023 Swiss championships in Vétroz, his work on production and live match coverage received an explicit acknowledgement.

Federation work is also part of his journey. In 2012, Pascal Nydegger was elected to the Swiss Snooker board and took responsibility for the technical commission. In 2013, he became Swisspool’s secretary. He therefore knows billiards both from a player’s perspective and from that of the people organising competitive play.

Taking over Werner Hurni’s former Pool-Inn and extensively renovating it opened his next chapter in August 2025: WESTAST Billiards & Sportsbar at Aarbergstrasse 87. The venue’s established billiards culture gained a new setting with a bar, bistro seating, raised platform and darts area. His long connection to the sport now also carries the responsibility of running his own meeting place in Biel/Bienne.

Hospitality is also part of Pascal’s family roots: his family comes from the hospitality industry. At WESTAST, this background connects with his own decades-long billiards journey. Today, his experiences come together here: playing, organising tournaments, welcoming club life and looking after guests. Together with his team, Pascal runs a place for ambitious players, people picking up a cue for the first time and anyone wanting an evening in good company. For him, WESTAST is the natural continuation of his life’s journey. It brings together his passion for billiards, his work behind the scenes and hospitality, along with a personal sense of having found his place in life.