Snooker Sheffield: Barry Hearn sends message to council amid Qatari interest in hosting world championship

The Crucible has hosted the sports blue-riband event since 1977 and the current deal to keep it in the city runs until 2027 but the World Snooker Tour president has suggested extending the tournament’s stay in the city is far from a done deal. He suggested a bigger venue than the 980-seat Crucible is needed, and that despite talk of a new 3,000-capacity venue being built, Sheffield Council is so far failing to move fast enough for his liking.

He was reported as saying: “Take the Crucible - the debate goes on. 980 seats. I am getting closer with Saudis on tournaments. Qatar said to me last week ‘what year does that World Snooker contract run out with Sheffield?’ they asked me.

“I said ‘It’s 2027-28.’ They replied ‘Can we be in consideration? Can we have a say in it?’. They don’t have a snooker background. But it’s ‘if you want to do a nice big event, then we will put you in the mix’. Who knows what is going to happen.

“I mean I have told them (Sheffield) what they have got to do. I haven’t seen too much activity in that way. We are part of the Sheffield development plan. But again I need a bit more juice on it. I live in a world of people talking about things. In the world I like to operate in, it’s where people do things. They are in that process, I am not criticising them. Let’s hope it comes up.”

He added: “We are in 2023. They have four to five years. But I don’t want it to be a decision made in four or five years. I am a Sheffield fan, I want to stay here. But it might not be my decision. Well… it is not. I am the president non-executive. So I don’t really have any power – other than we are still going to do what I tell them to do!”

Barry Hearn stepped down as chairman of World Snooker Tour and Matchroom Sport in 2021, with Steve Dawson and Barry’s son Eddie respectively replacing him in those roles.

The Star reported this week how plans for a new purpose-built 3,000-seat snooker venue in Sheffield appear to still be on the cards despite no obvious progress having been made in the last year.

A World Snooker Tour spokesperson said it had recently had a ‘positive' meeting with Sheffield Council, discussions were ongoing and it ‘loved’ the city, as do the players and fans. They added that the WST was ‘always looking at ways to make tournaments bigger and better’ and wanted ‘as many snooker fans as possible to be able to come and enjoy the World Championship, the pinnacle of our calendar’.

Sheffield Council, meanwhile, said it was in ‘regular dialogue’ with the WST and that the tournament was 'key for the city’. Kate Martin, the council’s executive director of city futures, added: “We are proud of our snooker history, what it means culturally to the city, the economic benefits that it brings, and we look forward to many more successful World Snooker Championships here over the coming years.”