When we return to normality, there will be a lot of catching up to do. Snooker will need to show that it is a truly global sport when it is allowed to!
So, now that we are in 2021 and I feel the need to be optimistic. Let’s imagine we are back to normal and we can visit great venues across the world on the main tour again!
Are Standards Of Venues Slipping?
Ronnie O’Sullivan raised the issue of the quality of venues going downhill over the past few years and said he would sacrifice playing opportunities if he could see more ‘class’ put back into the sport. Ronnie requested greater investment into sporting arenas rather than a sole focus on profit. The Rocket said that playing in leisure centres and retail parks instead of iconic arenas has damaged snooker’s image and is one of the reasons behind the sport’s SPOTY drought.
I think his arguments are actually justified. Ronnie singled out the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley in particular, describing it among other things as “a bit of a hellhole“. I went to watch the English Open there two years ago. I enjoyed it there, but it was strange hearing a teacher shouting at her pupils in a different room in the same building while watching the matches. There was a professional event going on!
That’s not to say that World Snooker hasn’t tried to bring in newer and different venues. They include the Globus Circus in Bucharest, The Centaur in Cheltenham and Brazil’s Costão do Santinho Resort. Preston Guild Hall, which is one of the sport’s most iconic venues, was reintroduced but the problem, in addition to the inevitable issue of money, is finding places of the appropriate size. It is difficult to find a venue large enough to fit spectators and 128 players, as well as tables, practise facilities, etc.
Here is my list below. If you have any more thoughts on which other venues should be brought back once this sorry business is over, let me know.
5. Newport Centre, Wales
Newport Centre became one of the first casualties in favour of larger venues to fit in an entire tour of players. Terry Griffiths supported the move, due to better and closer facilities and “the capital city is a more attractive venue for some people“. But on Cardiff’s debut in 2015, Ronnie compared playing at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff to a shopping mall and nowhere near as good as the Newport Centre.
So, what makes the Newport Centre supposedly better? The Newport locals are more snooker-savvy and “far more vociferous and supportive to the players“. It also has a history, hosting the Welsh Open seventeen times between 1992-1998 and 2005-2014. Probably the most memorable moment that comes to mind is O’Sullivan’s maximum during his 9-3 victory in the 2014 final. Some even regarded the screw-back on the last red with his opposite hand to be one of the best shots in his career!
Problems with bringing back this venue are its size and increased Welsh competition. The Welsh Open has settled in Cardiff and doesn’t look to be moving anytime soon. Venue Cymru in Llandudno could’ve staged a tournament for the sixth consecutive year last year. But the 2020 Tour Championship moved to Milton Keynes due to the pandemic.
4. Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong
The Queen Elizabeth Stadium has hosted just one snooker event in its lifetime but it left a lasting impression.
The birth of the Hong Kong Masters in 2017 provided its audience with an absolute treat. The eight-man tournament had players from the Top 16 at the time, including Mark Selby, Marco Fu and Ronnie O’Sullivan. The event ended with Neil Robertson beating O’Sullivan 6-3 in the final. It was very lucrative too – £100,000 went to the winner from the £315,000 prize fund. Also included were exhibition matches featuring legends of the sport including local star and multi World Women’s Champion Ng On Yee.
A sell-out crowd in the final capped off a captivating tournament debut. Champion Robertson said then that to beat a world-class line-up in front of three thousand people was the best playing experience of his career. It is quite a statement from a player of Neil’s calibre. I’ve been to Hong Kong once and it’s a beautiful city. How can you not love a place where you can see the mountains, the sea, the countryside and the city all in one view?
Why haven’t we seen this stage more often? A congested calendar in Asia doesn’t help and travel and costs are also obvious issues. Maybe a tournament every 3 to 5 years might work, otherwise what alternatives might they suggest?
3. Hi-End Snooker Club, Thailand
I didn’t know much about the Hi-End Snooker Club in Thailand until two years ago. Both WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson and Vice Chairman Nigel Mawer visited it back in 2017 and Ferguson said that the club “is a shining example of a smoke-free, safe and clean environment where athletes can practice snooker at the highest level“.
The venue’s biggest moment was when it hosted the 2019 Women’s World Snooker Championship. Reanne Evans won her record-extending 12th World title, beating Thai hot prospect Nutcharut “Mink” Wongharuthai 6-3 in the final. Evans was highly complimentary about the venue, saying that “the facilities have been top class, the hospitality has been fantastic, it has been well-run and all the people have been brilliant.”
Two-time ranking semi-finalist Noppon Saengkham, former professional Kwan Poomjang and Mink regularly practice there. Jimmy White said in his Eurosport interview with Saengkham that Hi-End is one of the clubs he most enjoys going to. As a 19-year-old, Mink compiled her first career maximum at the same club in 2019. The video of the break is below:
The biggie is what tournament to use the venue for. When it hosted the Women’s World Championship in 2019, it made a statement that the Women’s Tour is getting better and better. The club is world-renowned and certainly one to look out for when the most elite level snooker can be played in that continent again.
2. Stadthalle Fürth, Germany
Aside from the German Masters, Germany hosted the Paul Hunter Classic, which has been a pro-am, a PTC and then a ranking event renamed in memory of the late, great, Paul Hunter who won the event in 2004. The prestigious and popular event at Stadthalle Fürth became something that everyone wants to protect. Many players from the very top of the sport have won there, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy.
Sadly, when the Paul Hunter Classic became a ranking event between 2016-18, things began to decline. People seemed to regard it as a ‘lesser’ ranker because of its short format, its BO7 final and relatively little prize money. The top players chose not to participate in favour of, understandably, much more lucrative events. It was demoted to an invitational, non-televised, 16-man event and then cancelled the following year due to the pandemic.
The community living around the Stadthalle thoroughly enjoyed the Paul Hunter Classic. The audiences are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. Michael Holt remarked that 2,000 people watched the final in 2006 and the 2019 champion Barry Hawkins even went as far as to say that the fans there “are some of the best in the world.”
Even during its PTC days, over 200 professional and amateur snooker players turned up with amateurs getting great experience and exposure playing against the professionals. 13-year-old amateur Ben Mertens made his debut at a professional ranking tournament there with a win over then professional Adam Stefanów in 2018 and hot prospect Iulian Boiko qualified a year later.
I think Stadthalle should focus on being a really significant part of the amateur circuit. It’s easily accessible for European amateurs, Fürth has a phenomenal fanbase and has a prestigious history for the entrants to live up to. The incentives could include the inclusion of some professionals and a place in the Speed Snooker Challenge, which they had in 2019, for the most successful. It does have the basis of a brilliant snooker festival.
1. Goffs, Republic of Ireland
Goffs was the former home of the Irish Masters between 1987-2000. Many world champions and other legends have won at this venue including John Spencer, Terry Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry. Steve Davis dominated the Irish Masters, winning it eight times between 1983 and 1994. Tobacco sponsorship was outlawed in the Republic of Ireland in 2000, forcing the Irish Masters to move to Citywest Hotel, Saggart, where it stayed till 2005. It hasn’t been used on the main tour for over ten years now.
Since 2017, the Seniors Irish Masters has been ever-present, except 2020 for obvious reasons. White won the 2019 title and Davis lifted the trophy the year before, whitewashing Jonathan Bagley 4-0. This was Steve Davis’s last competitive outing.
It’s amazing how many players rate the venue so highly. In his book, Me And The Table, Stephen Hendry gives Goffs a place among the Top 5 venues he played in. Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted that it is the best venue he has ever played in. O’Sullivan said:
“It’s the only time where I’ve played when you hear people say ‘the hairs on the back of your neck stand up’ that was the one time it did.‘”
Bringing Goffs back feels like a no brainer but it won’t be big enough to fit two tables. As a result, Goffs wouldn’t have the potential for hosting the European Masters but its 12-man invitational format was always a roaring success. They could bring in the best Irish talent alongside some of the best players in the world. It would be brilliant!
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This article is also featured in cue sport online magazine The Chalk! You can find the article on pages 18-19 in Issue 9 by clicking here!
