By Elliott West
Introduction
As the dust settles on the announcement of Barry Hearn as the head of Matchroom Sports and Chairman of World Snooker, the attention now switches to his successor at WST, Steve Dawson. Dawson has worked closely with Hearn since 1985, he breathes and believes in the same fundamentals as his predecessor. Perhaps a lesser known figure, time will tell on how Steve will shape the sport in its medium and long-term future. It is a daunting task, especially in the uncertain and fluid situation we live in at the moment. However, snooker is in a good place and Barry Hearn managed to ride the Coronavirus storm up to now and so leaves a good foundation for his successor to build on.
Background
Steve Dawson started his career, training for the company KPMG and then went on to join Barry Hearn’s sports promotion business, Matchroom in 1985. An astute businessman, Dawson has worked in the heart of the company, managing a stable of players such as Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Terry Griffiths, Dennis Taylor and Ronnie O’Sullivan. Having a long association with the sport, Steve was appointed CEO of World Snooker Limited in 2010, following Matchroom’s acquisition of the company.
Dawson was also a key figure in Matchroom’s purchase and subsequent sale of Leyton Orient Football Club, and brought about the unique 40 million property development project at Leyton Orient’s stadium on Brisbane Road. Prior to yesterday’s appointment as successor to Barry Hearn, Steve was responsible for the day-to-day responsibilities of the Matchroom business, including the legal and financial side of the company. Key to his portfolio, was strategic planning, to ensure the continued success and international expansion of the wide range of sports promoted under the Matchroom banner.
The Challenge Ahead
Subsequent to Barry’s retirement announcement, Steve Dawson was interviewed by the media. Heaping praise on his predecessor, Dawson didn’t envisage the day, joking that he expected to find Barry slumped at his desk on day, highlighting the longevity and drive of Hearn and that he would never be far from the decision making, as he continues on the board in an advisory role.
With over two hundred and fifty years of experience amongst the board members, Dawson will have a wealth of expertise and knowledge to tap into when required. His primary aim in the field of snooker is to find investment and work on a new snooker calendar for the forthcoming season. Using this financial gain, the goal is reopen the European and Chinese markets when safe to do so and try to put snooker back on track for his long- term aspiration of making snooker a global sport.
With these potential achievements, will come an expanding pot of prize money, a great encouragement for the players on the main tour and those that seek to join it in the future. Perhaps restrictions will limit this progress but it is an aim that is definitely achievable and was one that was coming on leaps and bounds under Barry Hearn’s watch prior to the start of the pandemic. The KPI is the linchpin to making this work.
It seems that Steve Dawson will be a safe pair of hands for snooker with Hearn choosing a candidate that would continue and build on his legacy. The question remains on whether he will deviate from this path or continue the publicised way forward? Snooker has had it challenges before but has always managed to come back from the brink. This time though, the sport is healthy and should only grow as a result when the opportunities occur.
