Ken Doherty - Snooker legend calls Crucible the 'holy grail' as World Snooker Championship commences
A world champion snooker player has backed the Crucible as debates around the tournament’s future in Sheffield continue to dog this year’s events.
Gambling.com recently questioned Irish legend Ken Doherty about his feelings going into this year’s World Snooker Championships, which began Saturday, April 19.
The champion is facing a lot of pressure this year, claiming it to be ‘one of’ the most competitive he’s ever seen.
But inevitably the interview turned to the future of the Crucible, with the current deal between the World Snooker Tour and Sheffield City Council set to end in 2027, with no agreement in place yet for after that date.
Speculation has run wild, with claims that the tournament could move to Saudi Arabia or that the council will build a new, 3,000 seat ‘billiardrome’.
However Ken, who took the coveted trophy at Tudor Square in 1997, feels a connection to Sheffield.
He said: “If it did move, there could be other cities like Liverpool, Newcastle or Birmingham. I wouldn't like to see it go to London because of the Masters.
"However, City Hall in Sheffield is a big enough place, and only about 200 or 300 yards from The Crucible. It's a venue where they put on concerts, comedy shows and stuff like that.
“It could hold possibly a couple of thousand people.
“It would stay in the city of Sheffield, which would be great and they would get a lot more people in.
“But would it have the same atmosphere? Would it have the same intensity? Would it have the same sort of heat as The Crucible gives us? I’m not quite sure.
“But I just hope it doesn't move from Sheffield.
"I love the Crucible. It's one of the most amazing places a snooker player can play in. When you walk down those steps into that crowd, it's almost like you're a gladiator going into the Coliseum for want of a better analogy.
"There's no feeling like it. And yes, there's only 950 people in there. The facilities around the Crucible aren't great. It's quite compact and there are no really extensive corporate facilities, so they can only make so much money.
"But for me, that should sell snooker around the world. That is the sort of holy grail, and people come from all over the world just because it's in the Crucible. So that's one of the reasons and everything that goes with it, the history and nostalgia and everything, you cannot buy that, you have to create it.
“I hope it never moves."
In a joint statement about the championship’s future, the World Snooker Tour, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Theatres added: “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."
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