By Elliott West
“I work around the world and work odd hours”.
Jason Ferguson
Introduction
Jason Ferguson is one of the most genuine and approachable people you could meet. The current Chairman of the WPBSA, Director of the World Snooker Tour, President of the World Snooker Federation and Director of World Seniors who seems to live in a suit can be spotted at most tournaments, flitting around backstage, mixing business with pleasure, determined to catch up with everyone he knows at an event but never far from a laptop. I first met Jason several years ago and he has been supportive of my website and the progression of my writing career, which is mainly on snooker but I do write on other topics as well. Jason, who I call ‘the boss’ because he oversees our large snooker family, hails from Mansfield and I can safely say he is very proud of his northern roots. A man who travels the length and breadth of the world to promote snooker and often comes back sealing a new deal. The last time we met at the Masters, he mentioned that he had even mastered travelling on London Underground, a 160-year-old transport system on which I work as a Customer Service Supervisor at Victoria station, one of the busiest stations on the network. An achievement which is no mean feat and I should know because I have been working on it for 21 years and often have to help customers lost in the system.
Jason is married to Jing who he met through snooker, she works in the Asia office and gave birth to a new family addition, their son Jensen Thomas Li in 2020 and has two other sons, Elliott and Jordan and a daughter, Eleanor from his first marriage. I am bemused by the fact that his son’s name is spelt the same as mine as it often loses an l or a t when parents choose it as a name. Elliott is also Jason’s middle name. A name that has a biblical origin, deriving from the prophet Elijah. Ferguson is a family man who is extremely proud of his wife and children and has embraced the Chinese culture and language.
Quite the Professional
I have always believed that the best leaders in any organisation come from the grassroots and Jason Ferguson is no exception. Although he wouldn’t admit himself, he was a good snooker player, turning professional in 1990, he reached a high of 28th in the world rankings in the 1994-1995 season and reached the first round of the World Championship in 1992, 1996 and 1998 where he earned his highest earnings of £12,000. A player who reached the last 16 of an event on ten occasions. Ferguson spent 14 seasons on the professional tour, playing a total of 309 matches with a highest break of 137. Although he didn’t win any titles, he did reach several non-ranking finals, runner-up in the 1994 Merseyside Professional Championship, losing to Dean Reynolds 1-5, 1999 UK Tour – Event 4, losing to James Reynolds 4-6 and as an amateur, he reached the final of World Under-21 Championship, losing to Ken Doherty 5-11. His only title came in the 1998 Pontins Autumn Open where he defeated Jonathan Birch 5-2. Jason left the tour in 2004 and went on to serve as Mayor of Ollerton, serving the Newark and Sherwood communities between 2009 and 2010 before being re-elected as Chairman of the WPBSA in 2010.
The Vision
Jason Ferguson has been a key player, overseeing some radical changes in snooker, changing the way it is governed, steering the sport through the challenges of the pandemic, securing new tournaments and investment and helping expand the global vision of snooker. Thanks to himself and others, he has increased viewing figures, ticket sales and raising prize money to unprecedented levels. I would describe Jason’s management style as firm but fair, he listens and adapts accordingly. He is not just a man in a business suit, his experience shines through, precisely because he knows the ins and outs of snooker and was quick to help set up an inquiry when the revelations of match-fixing emerged recently, dedicated to bringing about a thorough investigation, a detailed report and swift action to anyone to be found to have fallen foul of the snooker rules and regulations.
Ferguson isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in. A man who works long hours to nurture and develop the snooker brand and game, simply because like all of us in the snooker family, he loves snooker. One of his ideas was the internet search tools of the 147 and Global Club finders, which were devised during the lockdown and helped parents and snooker players find coaching and snooker clubs close to them. Brilliant tools that map out grassroots snooker activity. A project that has already seen a large number of snooker clubs sign up for the scheme since it was set up two years ago. We hear all the time about the rise of the UK and Chinese professional players but dig below the surface and there has been a surge in the UK in the amateur game despite having very limited resources. I am always pleasantly surprised when I hear of a snooker club being mentioned in a country where you wouldn’t normally associate with snooker and just proves the sheer international love and interest for snooker. This snooker project is forever evolving and never ceases to excite me with its groundbreaking announcements. This a project that is greatly appreciated and thoroughly enhanced by the brilliant work of Jason Ferguson. Their hard-working ethic stems from his family with his mother working in a knitwear factory, someone who I have had the pleasure to meet, his father and both grandfathers were miners with his grandmother working in the colliery canteen. His father literally had the bruises and scratches of his work on his body, was involved in an accident with coal machinery and was once buried under coal. Away from snooker, Jason loves nothing more than spending time by the sea, a lover of sailing and snorkeling. A man who I am proud to call a friend and it is always a pleasure to spend time with him.
