Barry Hearn has as soon as once more indicated that the way forward for the World Snooker Championship on the Crucible Theatre is in jeopardy.
The World Snooker Tour supremo, who’s retired as chairman however nonetheless has an lively function within the sport’s future behind the scenes, was questioned on the topic in an interview on Monday.
The World Snooker Championship is contracted to stay on the Crucible Theatre till 2027, which can mark the fiftieth anniversary of the event in Sheffield.
Opinion is split as to what ought to occur past that, with a number of followers pining for issues to stay the identical, to uphold custom, and for Crucible’s intimate setting to stay intact.
Others consider that the venue, which boasts lower than 1,000 seats and is curtailed in its choices to be renovated, isn’t appropriate to stage a world sport’s pinnacle occasion any extra, however that the event ought to stay in snooker’s non secular house of Sheffield.
After which there are lots of who assume that it’s time for the sport to benefit from profitable alternatives which are out there elsewhere all over the world.
To that time, China and particularly Saudi Arabia have been rumoured to have expressed an curiosity in internet hosting the World Championship past 2027.
Eye-watering cash has began to funnel in from the latter this yr with Judd Trump pocketing a record-equalling £500,000 prime prize on the controversial Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters earlier this season.
China, after all, has invested closely within the sport for the most effective a part of twenty years with a number of rating and invitational occasions already on the annual calendar.
Barry Hearn has repeatedly put stress on Sheffield Metropolis Council to provide you with an answer to the World Championship drawback, however to date nothing has been resolved.
When pressed on the subject, the 76 year-old admitted once more that huge adjustments might be afoot.
“It’s greater than life like,” Barry Hearn stated on talkSPORT Breakfast with Jeff Stelling about the potential of the World Snooker Championship leaving the Crucible Theatre.
“We deal within the cash world, and I’ve obtained to push prize cash up and up and as much as preserve the gamers pleased.
“If I don’t do it, another person will do it. I hate competitors, I don’t like competitors. I need to personal issues that make sense for everyone.
“So if the Crucible holds someplace round 900 seats on the market. I might promote three or four-thousand seats a session.
“Work it out over the 17 days on the World Championship, it’s some huge cash to place again into the prize cash. It really works with darts as effectively.
“Each the snooker and the darts [World Championships] have gotten roughly £2.5 million prize cash with £500,000 going to the winner. I’ve obtained to double that very, in a short time – particularly on the darts, I’ve obtained to double it.
“So watch this house, however it’s going to be £1 million for the winner very, very quickly as a result of it must be.
“In any other case individuals will flip their consideration away or another person will come up and say, ‘I’ll put £1 million up’.
“In fact [it could go to Saudi Arabia]. It’s very easy. I imply we do occasions in Saudi now, and so they’re getting greater.
“There’s nonetheless not the group and never the environment – I perceive all that. However as a substitute of me promoting the Crucible out and making £3.5 or £3.7 million on gate, I can get a £20 million web site payment from Saudi.
“If I get a £20 million web site payment, I can double, I can treble the prize cash. All of the gamers say ‘oh, we love the Crucible, we don’t need to depart’.
“I’ll inform you what I’m going to do, I’m going to treble the prize cash and we’re gone right away. We’re led by cash, let’s not child ourselves.”
The 2025 World Snooker Championship will run from April nineteenth to Might fifth on the Crucible Theatre, with Kyren Wilson because the defending champion.
Featured photograph credit score: WST
