By Elliott West
“He used to play snooker when he lived in Toronto and he told me that I brought back a lot of memories, he really appreciated that. He said it’s hard to find places to play snooker in the USA”.
Romil Azemat
Introduction
A couple of days ago, a photograph circulated on social media of Keanu Reeves pictured at the Arizona Snooker Academy situated in Chandler, Phoenix. The picture was taken of the film star who had starred in films such as Point Break, The Matrix and Speed, standing next to the club owner Romil Azemat. Apparently, this visit came straight out of the blue with Keanu turning up announced. Jaws dropped as the 57-year-old entered this plush snooker club, shocked by the presence of such film royalty but it turns out that Reeves has been a snooker fan for a long time, loving to watch the game and having played in many clubs in his homeland of Toronto, Canada. Romil later commented on the visit, saying:
“I couldn’t believe it myself when I saw Keanu Reeves walking in. He told me it brought his childhood back as he used to play snooker in Toronto.”
Romil Azemat
The two also had a long conversation, which lasted an hour about motorcycles which both Keanu and Romzil have a shared passion in.
The Club Itself
Snooker is not widely played across America with pool having long being the dominant cue sport. However if you search carefully state by state, there are some impressive snooker clubs to play in. One such club is the Arizona Snooker Academy. Priding itself on having one of the best facilities in the USA with four Star heated tables in its snooker room, what pictures and information I have seen on the internet have impressed me with both the facilities and the tables kept to a high standard.
The club’s website displays a large number of tables open to buy on the market and has been quite successful in selling a few of them with over 40 tables sold so far. The owner has been actively trying to push the game across America and dreams of the day when a tournament can be played and televised on his shores, saying :
“Our dream is to have pro tournaments in the USA.”
Romil Azemat
The Future
It is never a bad thing when a famous Hollywood actor walks into your snooker club and highlights his passion for snooker. In a country where the game is still an alien commodity, it only helps to promote this fantastic cue sport in far-flung climbs. Judd Trump also promoted the causes last year when he seized on a gap in the snooker calendar, caused by the postponement of the Turkish Masters and travelled to the USA to play pool in Atlanta at the US Open. Additionally, he travelled to Seattle to play in a one-off snooker exhibition at Ox Billiards. A treat for those who attended with tickets going at $400 per head.
Snooker still remains a niche market in America but there are definitely green shoots in this vast country. Like all sports, it needs a tournament or successful player to start the ball rolling and investment to grow. That can maybe be situated away down the road but it is retrievable. With the right management and promotion, anything is possible and it is all about educating Americans on how great and fascinating snooker is to play and watch. Good times are coming but we may have to wait slightly longer for them to happen.
