Huge financial blow hits snooker

califano

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/7544214.stm

zack01

just a reply to yesterdays msg, it's not all doom and gloom in the snooker world, professional snooker is very much on the up, yes the sponsorship is gone for the world c'ships and masters but that will be replaced very soon by two new sponsors, the game is very healthy at this time,when the tobacco companies were forced to pull out several years ago it was deemed a problem but now with excess monies in reserves and several potential sponsors lined up not only will the tournaments continue but will with increased prize money, you may see however that along with the three ranking tournaments already played abroad it may happen that two ar three more abroad may appear on the calendar,countries like india south africa and austrailia are possible contenders,it is after all a global sport and as i said it has a very healthy furture:)

ArmaniJeanss

zack01 wrote: »

just a reply to yesterdays msg, it's not all doom and gloom in the snooker world, professional snooker is very much on the up, yes the sponsorship is gone for the world c'ships and masters but that will be replaced very soon by two new sponsors, the game is very healthy at this time,when the tobacco companies were forced to pull out several years ago it was deemed a problem but now with excess monies in reserves and several potential sponsors lined up not only will the tournaments continue but will with increased prize money, you may see however that along with the three ranking tournaments already played abroad it may happen that two ar three more abroad may appear on the calendar,countries like india south africa and austrailia are possible contenders,it is after all a global sport and as i said it has a very healthy furture:)

Zack, You sound like Sir Rodney Walker (are you him?).

Snookers looks fubared to me. Only 8 ranking events a season and 3 of these now are unsponsored, and too many of them are played in continents where less than 2% of snooker pro's actually live.
I'll believe the new sponsors when I see them, the current snooker board are apparently impossible to deal with and companies aren't queueing up to get into the game.

Compare sports like Darts (so long the poor relation of snooker). 8 ranking events in the UK, and a premier league thats sells out 5K arenas in minutes.

Or tennis and golf, which often have 8 ranking events worldwide in ONE WEEK, as many as snooker has in a year.

And as for increasing prize money, its been plummeting for years to the extent that its about 30% of what it was about 10 years ago (except for the world champs). So increasing it from its current low levels wouldn't be anything to crow about.

zack01

hi there,
no i'm not rodney walker but i do have a close association within the game, yes golf and tennis are so far ahead in terms of sponsors and prize money,the WPBSA missed the chance of a unique 10 year sponsorship deal a few years back that would have trebled prize monies and comps etc, and somehow have not fully recovered from that loss,you say that ranking tournaments are being played in countries where very few of the players live, there is now 3 ranking tournaments in china, china is without doubt the new hotbed for snooker,the ammount of people who play and the viewing figures would amaze you, that is where the game must be taken to expand it's playing base and enhance new sponsors, and it is no surprise to see chinese players winning ranking tournaments,you only have to look at the impact the chinese made on the world c'ships this year! i believe india and austrailia are on course to hold ranking tournaments as the current base of players in those countries has increased ten fold in recent years, at the peak of the late eighties early nineties there was a maximum of ten ranking tournaments,that was with 64 players on the circuit, now there are over 700 players playing on two different tours so qualifiers have to be played at different stages of the season,this takes up a lot of time, then to the ranking events each tournament including the pre television takes on average 10 days from start to finish,with exception the worlds which is 17 days, now there are eight tournaments, in between there is the premiere league on sky just like the darts thats sells out every venue only you can't fit 5k people into a snooker venue and keep them orderly! there are also numerous mini non ranking tournaments scattered throughout europe and asia that give the players who play in them valuable match practice,snooker also has the academy in sheffield were the upcoming players can practice on the match tables that are not found in your local snooker club, and finally you may not beleive this but recently bbc television viewing figures gave snooker 2nd place in sports watched in 2007/2008 and that with only a one day pot black comp, the grand prix, the UK, masters and world c'ships! so snooker is healthy, the members are happy although truthfully they would like to see a return to the ten ranking tournament season.

ArmaniJeanss

A new ranking event in Bahrain.

http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=snooker/08/08/18/SNOOKER_Bahrain.html

The Middle East will stage a world-ranking tournament for the first time this year, with Bahrain hosting a new event from November 8 to 15.

The event, called the World Snooker Bahrain Championship, will take place in the capital Manama at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.

The world's top 16 players will be automatically seeded into the final stages of the tournament, to be joined by 16 qualifiers and six local wild cards.

Former world champion Peter Ebdon, who lives in Dubai, said: "This is tremendous news for snooker. To have a brand new tournament is a great boost for the players, and particularly to have one in a new territory.

"I have witnessed at first hand the popularity of snooker in the Middle East, the people love it here. It's great news for fans in the region as they will get the chance to see their heroes in action, and I have no doubt that the tournament will be well supported."

Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the WPBSA and World Snooker, added: "This is a major step in our strategy to make professional snooker a global sport. We are moving into a territory which we know has a huge following for snooker; this tournament will be a focal point for that interest as well as a catalyst for further growth across the Middle East."

ArmaniJeanss

Though not everyone is happy about this new event.

Barry Hearn’s Matchroom organisation has indicated it will sue for breach of contract if any of the four players scheduled to play in the Premier League at Haywards Heath on November 13 instead compete in the Bahrain Championship, the new ranking event announced today.
http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/search?q=bahrain

ArmaniJeanss

Just bumping this old thread.

Any idea whats happened in the background Zack such that we are now down to just 6 ranking events. You suggested a 'healthy future' but things actually seem to have got worse in the last year?

zack01

The way i see it the pro game has seen a slight improvement albeit only in prize money, yes there are now only six ranking tournaments, but to offset this the WSA have introduced seven pro challenge tournaments spread throughout the season, prize money is nothing like that of a ranking tournament but it does give the players that enter valuable match play.


There is also the Premier League on Sky, yes this is by invite only but it is a reward for a players high ranking and it does bring snooker to our screens more frequently.


There is now finally talk of a players union, i feel this is most important as the players will now finally have a platform to speak from and will not have to wait until AGM's or EGM's to voice their opions about the game.

The WSA cannot use the reccession as an excuse to find sponsors as everyone can see that other sports seem to find them, take darts for example, that sport is thriving under SKY and as i posted earlier snooker did have the chance to go the same way but the governing body at the time voted against it.

During the world championships this year talk was of the tournament going to China with a vastly increased prize fund,this was almost immediately voted against and was further declined with an announcement of Bet Fred's continued sponsorship and the new deal to keep the tournament in Sheffield.
Funny but it took the threat of the tournament going abroad before the governing body took steps to ensure continued sponsorship!!

That's where the new players union may really work, after all they are the stars, they are the people we watch.


Already John Higgins has made huge inroads in trying to bring the game to places like Russia, Poland and the Czech Rep where snooker is a fast developing sport. It is a worldwide sport and was further shown by the two players contesting last sundays Grand Prix final, one from Austrailia and the other from China.

And this December coming, the world six red snooker c'ships comes to Killarney, our very own Ken Doherty being instumental in bringing this to our shores.

So maybe it's not all that bad at the moment, we may never see a return to the days of the mid '80's when snooker seemed to be on tv all the time but maybe just maybe with the players on board two or three more ranking events may be added.:)

connie147

Nice post.
But it looks like the WSA are going to refuse to recognise the new players association. Here is a real tale of the tail wagging the dog. Its about time the players had a say in how their tournaments are organised/ran. The WSA have definately left the sport slip over the last few years and this stand off with the players association will generate some headlines I think.
I know from talking to some of the players that they are not happy with whats happening to their sport. Obviously, the people supposeably leading the sport at the head of the WSA needs to be freshened up.

Connie

magma69

Such a pity to see this great sport in decline. Snooker players are amongst to most talented of all sports people.