snooker tournament and dress shake up

someone has just posted this on 606, thought it would be good to discuss it here.

Her is the link...http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 60,00.html

Nice, can't wait till next season.

World Open eh?

bloody joke robbo misses out on defending another title

No GJ, it's the same tournament. The Grand Prix has been renamed many times before this, it was the Players' tournament, then the Grand Prix, then the LG Cup, and then back to Grand Prix.

World Open I like it

PL is the marquee event ...... WTF - not in this house it aint. Pile of marmite more like.

Concerned to say the least. Okay Worlds and UK untouched but the rest is pretty much Hearns play thing for now.

The Premier League is no more snooker's marquee event than the Welsh Open
What Hearn fails to grasp is that the UK & World Championship are the two most popular events BECAUSE they're longer matches, not in spite of.

thetubberlad wrote:The Premier League is no more snooker's marquee event than the Welsh Open
What Hearn fails to grasp is that the UK & World Championship are the two most popular events BECAUSE they're longer matches, not in spite of.

the worlds and uk are the best and i hope they never touch them, if they do i will be upset

thetubberlad wrote:The Premier League is no more snooker's marquee event than the Welsh Open
What Hearn fails to grasp is that the UK & World Championship are the two most popular events BECAUSE they're longer matches, not in spite of.

exactly Tubs

I'm concerned because it appears that Hearn has free reign to do whatever cos snooker is in such a marmite position...... BUT he is being kind and not messing with the worlds or UK. Sorry if I don't go on a lap of celebration but I'm thinking of a lot of shitty events mostly on Sky with smokey walk-ons and cheesy music, with shot clocks ....... which could lead to me watching 2 snooker tournaments a year - FACTOSMARTO.

StalinESQ wrote:

thetubberlad wrote:The Premier League is no more snooker's marquee event than the Welsh Open
What Hearn fails to grasp is that the UK & World Championship are the two most popular events BECAUSE they're longer matches, not in spite of.

exactly Tubs

I'm concerned because it appears that Hearn has free reign to do whatever cos snooker is in such a marmite position...... BUT he is being kind and not messing with the worlds or UK. Sorry if I don't go on a lap of celebration but I'm thinking of a lot of shitty events mostly on Sky with smokey walk-ons and cheesy music, with shot clocks ....... which could lead to me watching 2 snooker tournaments a year - FACTOSMARTO.

If we're faced with shot-clock, then I can seriously see my love snooker declining. And that would be very sad, because I think it's the most wonderful game in the world...

Davis won't let Hearn introduce the shot clock, don't worry.

Marquee event? What a load of bullocks! He's just lining his own pockets with that one and bigging it up like that is taking the snake hiss if you ask me. Wonder what Sir Rodders thinks of it! Fair play to Hearn, he's going to do a lot of good for snooker in the short term but the PL is a rubbish event and the snooker fans know it.

Sonny wrote:Davis won't let Hearn introduce the shot clock, don't worry.

Marquee event? What a load of tezzies! He's just lining his own pockets with that one and bigging it up like that is taking the pass water if you ask me. Wonder what Sir Rodders thinks of it! Fair play to Hearn, he's going to do a lot of good for snooker in the short term but the PL is a poo event and the snooker fans know it.

What Sir Rodders thinks of it has lead snooker where it is now.
Hearn is absolutely right on one thing for sure: if the sport is to survive you have to fill the arenas and get more young people interested. If it is "change or die", my choice is simple: change!
Full arenas is the way to better venues and more sponsorship. Venues managers are not interested in events that leaves their venues half empty and bring money losses.
Sponsors are not interested in having only 3 blokes and a dog seeing their adds.
People who consider PL with contempt are naive at best. The event is well run, brings snooker all over the country in good venues, provides television exposure to the sport and to the players involved on a weekly basis for nearly half of the season, brings the players good money and because it's an "elite" event, it also brings its own brand of prestige and raises their profile. Mark Selby was absolutely gutted to miss out last season and I can perfectly see why.

I see nothing in the linked article about shot clock. So I wonder why people always bring this back. The short clock in PL was introduced for ONE reason only: to try to control the lenght of the matches because this event was designed in first place for television broadcasting. Same applies to the 6 frames format. There is no reason whatsoever, and no suggestion, that this would be introduced in regular tournaments.

snooker does not need to change that will be the final nail in its coffin make no mistake about it.

a sport that feels it has to change is a dying sport and it will snowball out of control.

snooker needs some different formats around a solid foundation yes but the actual game musent change.

theres this misinterpretations venues was always full in the 80s thats not how it was and far from it. but thats the interpretation snooker today has to try and live up to which was never the case.

there was a video on youtube of a 80s match featuring Jimmy on a one table set up and there was empty seats everywhere. unfortunately that match not there no more.

wildJONESEYE wrote:snooker does not need to change that will be the final nail in its coffin make no mistake about it.

a sport that feels it has to change is a dying sport and it will snowball out of control.

snooker needs some different formats around a solid foundation yes but the actual game musent change.

theres this misinterpretations venues was always full in the 80s thats not how it was and far from it. but thats the interpretation snooker today has to try and live up to which was never the case.

there was a video on youtube of a 80s match featuring Jimmy on a one table set up and there was empty seats everywhere. unfortunately that match not there no more.

Wild I'm not advocating a change in the rules or the number of balls... I'm advocating for variety of formats, for more of the invitational, relaxed events, for a different organisation of the venues and events so that families can come there with their children and enjoy the game together, for more interaction with the players and more space for the players to express their personalities.

but the other new events have got to have a shorter format and have to appeal to a younger audience

I like attracting a new audience but i am not sure shortening the format is the way to do it. Best of 9's are short as it is Also with shorter formats you risk losing the top players early on, is that a good thing?

case_master wc wrote:

but the other new events have got to have a shorter format and have to appeal to a younger audience

I like attracting a new audience but i am not sure shortening the format is the way to do it. Best of 9's are short as it is Also with shorter formats you risk losing the top players early on, is that a good thing?

I personally also think best of 9 is a minimum for ranking events to limit the risk of possible shocks related to luck or players needing time to settle. But not all events need to be ranking. IMO we need more non ranking events where players can be relaxed and where interactions of all kinds are allowed and even encouraged. And why not organise "plate" competitions as it is done in the Ladies tour?

I think.......The point being made here is to introduce variety.

Have more fun events but at the same time, recognising that Snooker can be a high pressurised environment but also reminding people at the same time that the game has a fun aspect attached to it & to add to that, the appeal of the game itself.

JohnFromLondonTown wrote:I think.......The point being made here is to introduce variety.

Have more fun events but at the same time, recognising that Snooker can be a high pressurised environment but also reminding people at the same time that the game has a fun aspect attached to it & to add to that, the appeal of the game itself.

second that.

Monique wrote:

case_master wc wrote:

but the other new events have got to have a shorter format and have to appeal to a younger audience

I like attracting a new audience but i am not sure shortening the format is the way to do it. Best of 9's are short as it is Also with shorter formats you risk losing the top players early on, is that a good thing?

I personally also think best of 9 is a minimum for ranking events to limit the risk of possible shocks related to luck or players needing time to settle. But not all events need to be ranking. IMO we need more non ranking events where players can be relaxed and where interactions of all kinds are allowed and even encouraged. And why not organise "plate" competitions as it is done in the Ladies tour?

Agree about non-ranking events, the players tend to be more relaxed and can interact a bit more without having to have one eye on rankings. The Irish Masters was a great event until they made it ranking, its strange that but the atmosphere changed and it didn't work

fair enough im all for variety and that was something we did have in the 80s with doubles and team events..

i like the set idea the tubber came up with adapted by sonny for 6 reds if they want to peruse that as a addition to the tour.

but what i want from hearn is to plug up the tour with more rankings and main tour invitationals which at the moment consists of the masters and nothing else but also another long format tournament like the UK.

then get things around that foundation thats different.

wildJONESEYE wrote:but what i want from hearn is to plug up the tour with more rankings and main tour invitationals which at the moment consists of the masters and nothing else but also another long format tournament like the UK.

I think that the UK itself needs something done to it before any more long format tournaments are added. Right now it's in a poor state with only nine days and half the matches being held in Cubicles. It needs an extra four days.

Another thing is the look of the venues. I miss those cool half-globes that were in the Crucible, plus the flowers in Wembley. These events looked great back then but are just bland now.

having 4 tables with 2 matches played in cubicles is appalling for the second biggest tournament they need a massive rethink on that aspect but also id take it back home to the guild hall Preston where it made it home for 20 years of it 33 year history with York holding it for 6 years with Bournemouth and Telford 3 years apiece.

2 things happened to the UK they reduced the final from a best of 31 to the best of 19 to suit the instant society we have these days and also moved it from Preston then it started to lose the magic it had.

For somebody who claims the love of sport is in his blood, Hearn talks some nonsense about the sport. The Premier League is the premier event? On what planet? I don't even bother watching the Premier League that often.

And this quote seemed odd; "We're going to do a lot more interaction between the players and the crowds, but more probably off the table," added Hearn. "You've got a product like the World Championships that doesn't need changing but we need to improve the experience of the people who pay to buy a ticket." I appreciate what Hearn is getting at when trying to bring in new crowds, but for me there is nothing in snooker, or possibly even life, as exciting as going to The Crucible. I went there once to see what it was like, and have never stopped going again. Having been to Wembley, Telford and Newport it beats the crap out of all of them. Easily. He should be changing what needs to be changed in the sport, not bucking about with the one tournament that works.

Changing the players outfits is an interesting idea, but I can't see it'll make a difference in the long run. Does it really matter?

Still, he's right about bringing in new fans. I hope he is the man for the job.

Barry Hearn im afraid is coming over as a clueless Moron that is Totally out of Tune with What the Problems are in the sport.

his ideas if we believe whats written is to make it a fairground circus sort thing like WWF Wrestling is.

that has no credibility as a sport and some of these ideas will turn people off and not on.

obviously we dont know if its all talk or not but my sugestion to Barry Hearn is quite clear SHUT THE buck UP YOUR TALKING CRAP

wildJONESEYE wrote:Barry Hearn im afraid is coming over as a clueless Moron that is Totally out of Tune with What the Problems are in the sport.

his ideas if we believe whats written is to make it a fairground circus sort thing like WWF Wrestling is.

that has no credibility as a sport and some of these ideas will turn people off and not on.

obviously we dont know if its all talk or not but my sugestion to Barry Hearn is quite clear SHUT THE buck UP YOUR TALKING CRAP

How many events have you gone to Wild in the last few years, say last 5 years?
My bet is you have gone to none. And the real problem of the sport is exactly this: so called "real fans" who don't want to change a thing but imagine a sport can survive with only remote armchair fans who can't be bothered to turn up to watch it and, inject money in events and venues and seem to think everyone can live on thin air and fresh water. Get real.
I don't want snooker to change as a sport, not as a professional sport in ranking competitions, and certainly don't want "institutions" like the Crucible to change or, God forbid, disapear. But I do go to events, I travel from abroad to go to events and I have seen what kind of atmosphere we have there and how much unhappiness and fear there is.for the future. I take time on my hols for that and to take pictures, including from the Ladies tour and rxhibitions and qualifiers. Picture I give, not sell, to try to raise the profile of the game in some areas. So, surely my opinion is a valuable as anyone's, is it? And I think changes are needed in the way the events are organised and marketed. I think we first and foremost need a solid set NON RANKING events that allow for more variety of format, more freedom and more fun and for the players to be seen and recognised. Because it breaks my heart to see players trying their best in front of 2 men and a dog. I breaks my heart to see more grey hair than blond ones in audiences, not that I've anything against older people, I'm one myself.
Some of the players are really funny guys, some of the once many fans loathe because they have won nothing big, sometimes nothing at all. But they certainly could and would contribute to the health of the sport if they had the opportunity: after all it's their bread and butter. Surely a bit of fun can do no harm. In the past when "Big Break" was on television it was nothing different: players dressed as clowns playing speed snooker. Did it kill the sport? No; Quite the contrary.
So please calm down, wait and see what EXACTLY the plans are and give it a chance.
And yes, like it or not, the premier League is a premium event: people turn up massively for it, in venues and to watch it on telly. Players love it because the atmosphere is relaxed, it's well paid and it's fun. I don't think this can be said for any other tournament today except the Crucible, and, maybe, the Masters.

monique in the last 5 years ive been to average one a year and ive been going to snooker on and off since 1988 and guess what nothings change in attendances in that time absolutely nothing.

i like to go to the arena and i like to watch snooker but its very uncomfortable to actually sit on hard seats behind jolly green giant and Humpty Dumpty either side of you thats the reality and theres nothing to do but watch snooker so changes need to be done in the enjoyment of people back stage but i do not understand how changing the sport will do that you still got hard seats you stll got humpty dumpty and you still got jolly green giant no matter what barry hearn does.

and ps monique ive never been more bored watching snooker as i was during this seasons prem league to the extend there was snooker in llandudno about 45mins in a car from me with Hendry playing and i could not be bothered going.

if a ranking event was that close to me id be there every day.

wildJONESEYE wrote:monique in the last 5 years ive been to average one a year and ive been going to snooker on and off since 1988 and guess what nothings change in attendances in that time absolutely nothing.

i like to go to the arena and i like to watch snooker but its very uncomfortable to actually sit on hard seats behind jolly green giant and Humpty Dumpty either side of you thats the reality and theres nothing to do but watch snooker so changes need to be done in the enjoyment of people back stage but i do not understand how changing the sport will do that you still got hard seats you stll got humpty dumpty and you still got jolly green giant no matter what barry hearn does.

I wish you would actually READ my posts properly. No need to change the sport, no need at all to change anything in the ranking events. BUT why not try things in a different context, in non ranking fun events? What harm can it do? None at all in my opinion. And, yes, venues are unconfortable and there is nothing to due except watch snooker. Well that's exactly what needs to change. Venues must become more welcoming, activities - around snooker - should be organised at the venues. Facilities to accomodate the needs of younger children should be provided: you can't expect young kids to sit down for hours without moving or speaking. But all this costs money. Better venues won't be cheap. Even if the players give their time free for extra activities, which they should, there is still organisation, people to prepare it, goods, posters, gadget, you name it. It costs money. So you need sponsors and you need people to actually turn up and pay for it. You need newcomers to turn up, not just the good old hardcore fanbase. I'm afraid our society is what it is and whoever is going to help snooker out of the slump has to deal with that fact. You will not change the society, you have to cope with its reality. IF, and mark that i write IF, the way to assure a future to the traditional sport and to events like the Crucible it is to have circus events because they act as teasers and are profitable, let's have them. As I said "Big Break" did the sport no harm.

And I know more than one person who has taken their cue off the rack and started playing in earnst again when the opportunity was given to play in the 6-reds WC earlier this year? Isn't that positive? To me that's awsome... and, yes, it was "only" six reds... so what?

wildJONESEYE wrote:and ps monique ive never been more bored watching snooker as i was during this seasons prem league to the extend there was snooker in llandudno about 45mins in a car from me with Hendry playing and i could not be bothered going.

if a ranking event was that close to me id be there every day.

I agree with you that this season PL wasn't the best. The choice of Marco Fu was very questionable and didn't prove to be the right one. Shaun Murphy, I like to watch him play, but somehow didn't really fit into it. Hendry struggled too much. Still the concept has worked and filled venues for years.

monique

lets get the ranking structure straight first without talking of some daft ideas im genunly worried his brain is running away with him that he is forgetting whats important or not.

i want ranking tournaments to be a family ocation back stage where its not most of the time if you got a family of 4 visiting a snooker town ie telford maybe the father or mother is a snooker fan but they wont go because theres nothing for the kids to do if say father in watching then the mother with kids then swap over.

ive been to telford 3 times once for the GP and twice for the UK its hopeless But it was the closest venue to me and that was 3 hours in a car.

wildJONESEYE wrote:Barry Hearn im afraid is coming over as a clueless Moron that is Totally out of Tune with What the Problems are in the sport.

his ideas if we believe whats written is to make it a fairground circus sort thing like WWF Wrestling is.

that has no credibility as a sport and some of these ideas will turn people off and not on.

obviously we dont know if its all talk or not but my sugestion to Barry Hearn is quite clear SHUT THE buck UP YOUR TALKING CRAP

hows this got past the swear filter?