Barry Hawkins says there are “pros and cons” to keeping the World Championship in the UK, following news that the Crucible will remain as the tournament’s host until at least 2045.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the sport’s blue-riband event would continue to be staged in Sheffield in what is a landmark deal lasting a couple of decades.
As part of the new agreement, which will come into effect after the conclusion of the current contract in 2027, the Crucible Theatre will undergo significant redevelopment.
A huge sum worth £45 million – £35 million of which will come from government funds – will be invested into modernising the Grade II listed building.
The news has generally been positively met, although some people have expressed concerns that the plan to raise the attendance by only 500 people will still leave the venue short of the numbers required to host the major championship.
In 2029 and potentially again in 2030 while the redevelopment is being completed, there will be an opportunity for an alternative venue to host the World Championship.
That would mark the first time since 1976 that the Crucible Theatre won’t stage the event, and after years of speculation, it would offer a glimpse into how the tournament might fare at another location.
Although he would prefer to follow tradition and for the event to stay in the UK at this time, Hawkins is unsure whether or not that would be the optimal decision for the sport as a whole.
“I’ve said before that I’ve got mixed feelings about the Crucible,” Hawkins told 247Bet. “You can’t deny its history and how special it is, but to attract the bigger sponsors and to grow as a sport, we probably need the upgrade.”
“There are pros and cons, but I’d prefer it to stay in the UK to be honest [in 2029]. It just feels like the World Championship should always be in the UK – ideally, in Sheffield.”
China and Saudi Arabia have been the two destinations most frequently touted as possible venues for the World Championship, but Hawkins thinks the former is most likely.
“Out of those two countries, I think China would be the favourite, more for the climate and stuff like that,” he said.
“It just lends itself to better conditions. Also, you would get better support out in China.”
“At the moment, Saudi Arabia is an emerging market. We don’t really get the number of fans out there as we would like.
“It needs a bit more promotion over there before we can think about hosting the bigger tournaments out there, I think.
“So if it’s going to be played abroad, I’d probably say do it in China. I think that all of the players love going to China anyway. It’s a great place to be and to play snooker.
“But ultimately, I think I’d prefer it in the UK. Obviously, the BBC cover the World Championship. It’s a big thing over here, and I’ve grown up watching it all my life in the UK.
“So yeah, I’d prefer it to stay here. It’s just, like I say, I think we’ve outgrown the Crucible now unfortunately – at least in its current state.”
Hawkins will be one of the top 16 seeds at the 2026 World Snooker Championship, so he enjoys an automatic ticket to the venue stages at the Crucible this year.
Before that, the recent Welsh Open champion will be seen participating at the Tour Championship, which takes place next week in Manchester.
Featured photo credit: WST
Apparently even Ronnie O Sullivan even said he did not appreciate the Crucible. Let’s face it, this man has had trouble all his life with his convictions. So really, he was just being who he is. I think he suits so well in China and Saudi Arabia is because there is a language barrier. This year I believe his maturity is finally starting to show and the fact that he admits he has mental issues is a great step forward. I truly love watching him play and I hope that one day, he could find true peace within himself.
I just found out that Sheffield is home to the world’s oldest football club. It is a true blue, blue collar city (sorry for the pun). I was blue collar when I worked and extremely proud of my contributions as a union representative. Sheffield is a place I would be proud to respect. This will be my first Crucible. It sounds like the matches are extra extra long. Perhaps that has an effect on both the players and fans. I even notice that some great players in their fifties are finding it difficult to maintain a certain level of their game. I know I am no longer the Olympic athlete I was once. In fact a girl could now kick my ass. Not that women are not amazing athletes. I am an old geezer after all.
The World Championship was labelled the “Marathon of the Mind” by Clive Everton. It’s the toughest test in the game by far.
Vintage Clive quote.
The WC is as much a test of stamina and mental toughness as it is of snooker ability — to take the trophy, I believe you have to win 71 frames — if matches are close, the winner will have played in total almost 2x that many frames — even spread over just more than 2 weeks, that has always seemed pretty grueling to me — a real test.
Whatever anyone’s personal views are about the Crucible deal, nobody can be absoultely sure – there must be doubts. That’s why it is incredible that WST have signed a 20-year deal, on the basis of a shoddy AI-generated ‘artistic impression’. Effectively, they are gambling their whole future on the newly rebuilt Crucible being a success. It’s very difficult to know what the success criteria actually are in 20-25 years from now…
When Barry Hawkins says ‘outgrown’, it’s not exactly clear what he is referring to. The audience capacity isn’t the only factor and isn’t really the most important factor anyway. But he’s right about attracting new sponsors and new fans. It’s the showcase event and determines the view that people who are not existing snooker fans have about the snooker and its future.