Andy Spark wrote:Hearn's statement amounts to an admission of failure to achieve his stated goal of globalising snooker.
Snooker is a great product with a potentially huge global market. However, we need someone in charge that understands the game and how to promote it around the world. In order for snooker to succeed on a global level then first we need to somehow get rid of Hearn; secondly we need to actually give foreign snooker players a fair deal.
I have to disagree with this. Compared to the previous regime, snooker has exploded on a global level.
We have events in Australia, India and Thailand, with more events in China (where the money is).
We have 7 events in Europe, before there were zero. Viewing numbers for snooker on Eurosport are only second to football.
And foreign amateur players get the same deal English amateur players. The routes open to join the tour can be claimed by anyone.
We have seen English and Chinese amateurs claim their spot via the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Patrick Einsle get his tour card by the EBSA playoffs
And we have seen players from Switzerland and Qatar progress through QSchool.
Under the old system, they could only get a spot through their continental championships or by playing events in Pontins!! Now they can claim spots in their own country!
If anything, the current calendar is unfair to English amateur players. There are no longer PTCs in England - they have to travel to the likes of Portugal, Bulgaria and Asia to have their shot to facing a "Pro" (and despite this, the top 24 players on the EBSA tour play off rankings were based in UK/Ireland!)
Granted, QSchool is in England, but starting next year, the number of tickets available might drop as there will be QSchool events will be held in every continent.