Barry Hearn has again put pressure on Sheffield City Council to produce the funds to keep the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
The current deal to stay at the iconic venue ends in 2027, with the World Championship having been staged at the venue every year since 1977.
Most people would prefer to see the blue-riband tournament’s partnership with the Crucible extend beyond 50 years.
But the World Snooker Tour has aspirations to grow the sport and has reservations about staging its flagship event in an arena that houses less than 1,000 people.
Discussions have been ongoing to come up with a solution, but WST supremo Barry Hearn has expressed his frustration with how long the process is taking.
“I think I want to know by the end of this current year,” Barry Hearn told Metro Sport while also admitting that he is unhappy with how the discussions are going.
“Because plans have got to be put in place based on what we decide. I haven’t heard enough about it.”
“I’m having a meeting with Sheffield Council in early May. I wait to hear what they’re saying.
“The clock is ticking. I don’t know if people think I’m bluffing. It would be a bad move if they did.
“I’m hoping they give me a plan that ticks my boxes, and that is the improvement of facilities for players and spectators and the bigger number of seats to cope with the demand.
“Obviously, we run a commercial business, we’ve got to maximise revenue. We’ve just doubled the prize money in darts.
“It will only be a matter of time until the snooker boys say, ‘what about us?’ I’ll say, ‘while I’ve only got 900 tickets to sell, it’s a long old struggle, mate.’
“We’ve taken the prize money from £3.5m to £20m in snooker. In darts, it’s just gone past £25m, and the two of them are quite competitive.
“Sky’s deal with darts showed me the respect I was looking for, and we managed to add £7m-£8m of prize money.
“Snooker is in the same position as far as Sheffield is concerned. Show me that you respect what we’ve built, don’t take us for granted.
“Every relationship, whether it’s husband and wife or site fee and promoter, relies on not taking people for granted.
“I understand Sheffield want to keep it, I’d like to stay in Sheffield. Show me the money. It’s pretty basic.”
Hearn also again didn’t rule out that the World Snooker Championship could be moved outside the United Kingdom in the future.
China and Saudi Arabia have staged some of the most lucrative events on the calendar in recent years and may be interested in expanding their profile within the game.
The renewal of BBC’s partnership with the sport would indicate, however, that the World Championship is likely to stay in the UK until at least 2032.
Earlier this year, WST announced that the BBC had signed a new five-year agreement to broadcast the prestigious Triple Crown events until 2032.
That includes the World Championship in addition to the UK Championship in York and the Masters in London.
The most recent comments from Barry Hearn, meanwhile, contradict a joint statement released by Sheffield City Council and WST on the eve of this year’s tournament.
“Sheffield loves snooker,” read the statement on behalf of World Snooker Tour, Sheffield City Council, and Sheffield Theatres two weeks ago.
“Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Theatres, and World Snooker Tour have been working together, along with the BBC and partners across the city, to make the 2025 World Championship the best yet.”
“We can’t wait to welcome the snooker world back to the iconic Crucible theatre this month.
“Sheffield City Council, World Snooker Tour, and Sheffield Theatres are longstanding partners.
“Over the last 12 months we have had constructive conversations, with national Government, and key partners, about the World Snooker Championship beyond 2027.
“Due to the sensitive and commercial nature of these ongoing discussions, no announcement on the future of the Championship will be made by Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Theatres, or World Snooker Tour during this year’s event.
“When we can share more information with the millions of snooker fans around the world, and with the people of Sheffield, we will provide an update.”
Featured photo credit: WST
This is nonsense from Hearn that moving away from the Crucible means the prizemoney is going to significantly improve. It’s TV contracts and sponsorship which primarily generate the wealth for the sport.
Yes, you are correct.
But to get the sponsorship and broadcast deals, there needs to be facilities for media and corporate hospitality, as well as for players, officials and spectators. New sponsors and broadcasters will also require a fresh vision for snooker which will attract new fans.
Barry Hearn is just going through political manoeuvres. As some point he’ll be caught out, and then snooker will suffer through lack of sustainable vision. I worry that he might get frustrated with it all, and say “to hell with them, let’s cash in: Saudi Arabia”.
Snooker is at a crossroads. It either goes forwards, or backwards.
A move to another venue in the UK – and that’s the case while the BBC are host broadcaster – is not going to attract any significant uptick in sponsorship. Darts has increased the prizemoney due to a massively enhanced Sky deal.
Hearn saying they need to get digging us utter nonsense and he knows it. You don’t build a brand new venue in less than two years.
If he really was thinking of going to Saudi Arabia, World Snooker wouldn’t have extended the BBC deal until 2032.
As already mentioned, more nonsense from Hearn.
It’s about time he was retired …
Yes, he’s done great things for snooker, but he doesn’t know how to take the game forward. His era is long gone.
i have been in sheffield last monday. waiting in the rain because the previous session ran late… that is no good for snooker.
the winter gardens is also small amd has nothing to offer.
i loved the crucible though,goosebumps.
i dont know which way is forward or backwords.
Yes apologies, I used a mixed-metaphor! Of course a crossroads offers many directions, and unfortunately one of them leads to Saudi Arabia…
For me, ‘backwards’ is to prioritise our (collective) childhood memories, whilst ‘forwards’ is to try and ensure snooker’s relevance and appeal to people in the 2040’s and 2050’s. My generation (I was born in 1972) don’t own snooker, but after all the pleasure it has given me, I want it to continue beyond my time, for others. It’s a very competitive century, and any sport or entertainment has to fight for its space.
It won’t lead to Saudi Arabia until at least 2033 while the BBC are the host broadcaster. You want to attract new fans but at the same time not alienate many of the current fans. Staying at the Crucible is about more than nostalgia anyway.
I agree that the BBC contract makes it much more likely that the event will stay in the UK. Any move abroad would trigger an exit clause in the BBC contract, and WST would need a very good deal with the replacement broadcasters to offset that.
But no snooker fan would refuse to watch the World Championship on TV if the venue were changed – the pictures of the table would still look the same. It might discourage travelling fans (like me!), or UK viewing fans if the timezone of the matches were changed, or if the event was no longer free-to-air in the UK. That would suggest an attempt to honour the BBC contract. But if the event moved to, say, Manchester Central things would carry on unchanged for almost all snooker fans, but with probably better broadcast quality for many.
We also shouldn’t overlook that yesterday there were 16M viewers in China on the Huya streams alone, watching O’Sullivan-Carter or Ding-Surety.
The crowds in Saudi and China are not what they are in Sheffield especially over 17 days. Hearn is all about the money but these guys are making enough. Do you really think snooker is loved in Saudi? No way. China is a different story but still they won’t support every session like at the Crucible. Don’t alienate those who made this sport popular for 50 years.
Yes, and in general that’s why I support a UK option, rather than China/Saudi/Germany, etc. or the option of moving the tournament around each year which has been touted.
But it has to be a venue suitable for a major global sporting event. I don’t not a subscriber to the view that “UK can’t do major sports events”. In particular, there have to be proper facilites to accommodate the world’s media. At the moment, there are just a dozen or so British journalists and one Chinese photographer. Eurosport (or TNT, or D+, or whatever) are commentating from a studio in Chiswick, West London. This is because of space limitations. Even the BBC (and practice tables, etc.) are in a separate location the other side of Tudor Square.
But of course the issues go much deeper than just media facilities.
Nobody knows if there’s an exit clause.
People would still watch generally but the challenge of playing at the intimate confines of the Crucible. A theatre is tailor-made for snooker drama and it also offers much better seats than most snooker venues.
Eurosport are not commentating in London. Dave Hendon is definitely in Sheffield. While the BBC will be in the arena from the semi-final stage.