Anyone got tickets for this yet? I'm going on the Tuesday and Wednesday (14th +15th). I went last year and really enjoyed the venue, although the break between sessions was too long!

Second visit and doing all day Monday, cashed in the offer WS done early this year

I'll go, and have the week off work.

As I can commute from home though, I'll probably wait to see who is playing when. Tickets rarely sell out for the weekday afternoons. Last year, I purchased quarter-final tickets the day before when I was up there watching something else.

I bet they take a month to announce the match order now.

Can someone who already has their tickets please confirm that round one is non allocated seating like previously?

Going for a couple of the first round matches, saw Ding vs Robertson last year, great match

Can't comment on seating yet as the tickets haven't been sent out, it's usually choose your own seat in the first round.

The schedule has been announced. So far, I have tickets for me and a mate to see Mark Selby vs Mark Davis on Sunday afternoon. I got them blindly because it was the only match my friend could make. In the evening it is Higgns vs Bingham, I was hella tempted to go to that as well. But I've got to get back through London on public transport, and that'll be a pain in the bottom late night on a Sunday.

I've also purchased tickets to Tuesday afternoon, which is Ding vs Murphy. Might be good.

I'm also thinking about going on Wednesday. Which is a day that features Robertson vs Allen, but I'll see what some woman or another is doing for that one first.

Got Trump vs Fu and Maguire vs Perry

simplysnooker wrote:Got Trump vs Fu and Maguire vs Perry

Yeah, those matches don't interest me too much. Probably aint going to bother.

I got impatient and booked tickets to Robbo vs Allen as well.

Come on Robbo!

Ordered tickets for Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Friday afternoon.
So see you there on the Tuesday Snookerfan, but be aware I will be holding you personally responsible if Smurph spoils my afternoon by winning!

sundaygirl wrote:Ordered tickets for Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Friday afternoon.
So see you there on the Tuesday Snookerfan, but be aware I will be holding you personally responsible if Smurph spoils my afternoon by winning!

The way Murphy is playing, he won't win if they give him a four frame head start.

Got my tickets for all day Tuesday and Wednesday, I think if I lived in London I would be there all week as it's such a great event!

Allen79 wrote:Got my tickets for all day Tuesday and Wednesday, I think if I lived in London I would be there all week as it's such a great event!

The problem for me is the venue.

Since The Conference Centre, they've struggled to find a decent venue for it. Wembley Arena was okay, but was about five time too large for the event. If you booked Annual Leave, and went when most people were at work, there'd only be two or three hundred people in a venue meant for thousands. The famous 'Wembley atmosphere' was mostly fictitious. Sure, you'd get people getting rowdy when Ronnie or Jimmy played, but that was about it. Walking around the venue afterwards, it felt empty even when there were people milling around. Compare that to The Crucible where the whole of Sheffield is all about the snooker, it was a disgrace really. The Arena didn't seem to come alive somehow, let alone the town around it. It had a 'just another show at Wembley' feel.

The Ally Pally is better in some way, but still not great. I may be biased as it makes my journey slightly more complicated, but I find the Ally Pally a bit too out of the way. It's a bus ride from the Palace just to the main entrance of the grounds. You can't nip out to McDonalds between matches, and if you want a pint you have to have it in the arena at cost, because it's a bus ride anywhere else. It isn't as cavernous as Wembley, but somehow the atmosphere that they're supposed to have at the darts isn't quite there. It gets busier than at Wembley even in the week, but it very much feels like Barry Hearn has it there because it works for the darts. I half suspect he gets a frequent use discount. It's alright, but has far too much of an in the middle of nowhere feel, and the snooker fans there don't feel the same level of excitement for being there that they do for other tournaments somehow.


Sorry, that was a bit of an essay.

SnookerFan wrote:

Allen79 wrote:Got my tickets for all day Tuesday and Wednesday, I think if I lived in London I would be there all week as it's such a great event!

The problem for me is the venue.

Since The Conference Centre, they've struggled to find a decent venue for it. Wembley Arena was okay, but was about five time too large for the event. If you booked Annual Leave, and went when most people were at work, there'd only be two or three hundred people in a venue meant for thousands. The famous 'Wembley atmosphere' was mostly fictitious. Sure, you'd get people getting rowdy when Ronnie or Jimmy played, but that was about it. Walking around the venue afterwards, it felt empty even when there were people milling around. Compare that to The Crucible where the whole of Sheffield is all about the snooker, it was a disgrace really. The Arena didn't seem to come alive somehow, let alone the town around it. It had a 'just another show at Wembley' feel.

The Ally Pally is better in some way, but still not great. I may be biased as it makes my journey slightly more complicated, but I find the Ally Pally a bit too out of the way. It's a bus ride from the Palace just to the main entrance of the grounds. You can't nip out to McDonalds between matches, and if you want a pint you have to have it in the arena at cost, because it's a bus ride anywhere else. It isn't as cavernous as Wembley, but somehow the atmosphere that they're supposed to have at the darts isn't quite there. It gets busier than at Wembley even in the week, but it very much feels like Barry Hearn has it there because it works for the darts. I half suspect he gets a frequent use discount. It's alright, but has far too much of an in the middle of nowhere feel, and the snooker fans there don't feel the same level of excitement for being there that they do for other tournaments somehow.


Sorry, that was a bit of an essay.

I do agree with you about the Ally Pally, you feel a little bit out of the way, there doesn't seem to be much in the immediate area. Last year we spent several hours waiting for the evening session to start. It was kind of like that at Coventry for the champion of champions event as well, not sure of any other venues where they hold it though?

Oh really? I'd been debating going to the COC next year? Bit out of the way, is it? Actually, if I remember, a lot of the hotels seemed a bit far away as well. I might keep that in mind.

At least in Newport, the centre is surrounded by shops and pubs and the like. Though the chip shop that used to be next door has moved. The Crucible is pretty central too.

Now that Christmas and New Year are over Im really looking forward to this tournament, the players should be refreshed and raring to go!