Is World Snooker Championship leaving Sheffield? Ball in council's court, says sport's supremo

Fears that Sheffield could lose the World Snooker Championship have ramped up after the latest comments from one of the sport’s supremos.

World Snooker Tour chairman Steve Dawson said he ‘loves’ the Crucible, which has hosted the sport’s premier event since 1977, and doesn’t want to move ‘if we can afford it’.

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But he also talked about the venue ‘getting a bit old and tired behind the scenes’ and said it ‘doesn't necessarily have all the facilities that we now need and perhaps expect for a blue-riband event’.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he added: “It's very much in the City of Sheffield's court. We are in conversations with them and are trying to understand their plans with them.”

He continued: “The ball is very much in their court. There's not much more I can say until they come forward with more.... “One thing for sure is that if we had a bigger venue, we could sell three times as many tickets as we do now, that is a fact.

Why are there calls for tournament to move?

“There are demands from the players and there are pressures created from the new events that are happening.

“The Saudi event will have the second largest prize money after the World Championship, so there is pressure on us from the players to deliver more and more, bigger crowds, more prize money.

“It would be a very sad day if we were to leave the Crucible, or Sheffield for that matter, because we are an intrinsic part of the city at that time of the year."

Dawson’s comments follow those from seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who said it would be a ‘wise decision’ to move the event away from Sheffield, and suggested Saudi Arabia as a possible alternative.

O’Sullivan’s comments, which came just days before it was announced he had signed an ‘ambassadorial agreement’ with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, provoked a backlash from fans.

The Crucible has a maximum capacity of 980 for the snooker, and it has been suggested that the event could easily sell out a venue three times that size.

Plans have previously been drawn up for a 3,000-capacity purpose-built venue to host the snooker in Sheffield.

What has Sheffield City Council said?

Sheffield City Council has an agreement with World Snooker to host the tournament until 2027.

In a statement this week, the council said: “We are working with World Snooker on a new agreement for the event to remain in Sheffield.

“We are committed to securing the tournament's long-term future in the city. Sheffield is proud to be the home of the World Snooker Championship and looking forward to another fantastic tournament this year.”