By Elliott West
Introduction
The running of snooker as a sport can be a complicated affair prone to applause and disagreement. Snooker is in a far better place than it was in the past, technology has advanced, tables improved and the standard of play has come on by leaps and bounds. Snooker has become a global enterprise that is now being played across the globe with so many new prospective avenues of further tournaments in the pipeline. In recent times these have included the staging of a snooker tournament being held in Antalya, Turkey, the Turkish Masters, won by Judd Trump and we still have the prospect of the Saudi Arabian Masters, a 10-year deal being held at some stage, sadly pushed back in the calendar due to the pandemic.
Exciting Times
Changes to the UK Championship
“This guarantees a star-studded line-up for the final stages, while the qualifying event itself also creates drama and great storylines as 128 players battle for 16 coveted spots at the fabulous York Barbican venue”.
Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson, the new Chairman of World Snooker, announced this week that there would be a major shakeup to this year’s UK Championship structure. Prize money will be increased from £1,009,000 to £1,205,0000, with the first prize up from £200,000 to £250,000. The changes will also guarantee that the top 16 will play in the televised stages, mirroring the current World Championship format from next season. The top 16 seeded will automatically go through to the last 32 and will be joined by 16 players who come through the qualifying rounds.
This year’s UK Championship qualifiers will now be made up of 128 players, a mix of 112 professional players and 16 invited amateurs. A bold move and hopefully if this format remains, we will start seeing some of the young blood in the sport, moving into the televised rounds.
Invitational Tour Cards
“We have decided to offer Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry invitational tour cards for the next two seasons. They are both great ambassadors for our sport and they have both done a huge amount to grow snooker around the world over many years”.
Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson also announced that Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry will have their tour cards renewed, allowing them both to play on the main tour for the next two years. This is one of those marmite decisions that divide the fans and media alike with some saying they continue to deserve their places due to their years of contribution to snooker and others declaring it nonsense, believing that it is blocking the way for new and talented players from entering the tour.
A lot of it is frankly down to marketing and potential capital with well-known names increasing ticket sales and revenue. I personally don’t have anything against it providing the players turn up and play in the tournaments on the snooker calendar. If they don’t, it’s a waste of a place and could be utilised better.
Helping Hands
There was an interesting conversation between Alan McManus and Jimmy White during Eurosport’s coverage of the World Championship. This was surrounding the financial support of lower-ranking players. With the potential of a qualifier having to pay for his travel to a tournament and accommodation costs, it must be soul-destroying for a player to lose their first match and walk away with no money.
This situation could be averted by sponsoring a player in the first year as a professional, something that they the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association do in China and opening up the avenues of sponsorship for struggling professionals. At the end of the day, these are the best 128 professional players, a snooker family and certainly deserve better than the present arrangements.
