Can the tour be improved? Some ideas
According to Barry Hearn, in a recent tweet, "snooker is flying". When I read that tweet the word that jumped out was complacency.
The WST reply to Stephen Maguire inspired that same word - complacency.
Snooker isn't in imminent danger of dying but nevertheless Stephen Maguire and Anthony Hamilton seem to me to have correctly diagnosed that the patient is in need of some TLC.
If WST carry on regardless what happens next?
Does anyone out there want to set up an alternative tour? Current levels of prize money are too low to serve as a barrier to entry. If golf can be challenged so can snooker. The danger for the sport is that the form of an alternative tour would likely prioritise profit rather than the best long-term future for snooker. The deeper WST bury their heads in the sand, or at least portray that impression, the greater the chance that an alternative tour will surface. On the other hand if WST take on board constructive criticism and act upon it, that threat will gradually recede.
But if it did arrive should we support an alternative tour? That depends. The key to the answer is not who runs professional snooker but how professional snooker is run.
Establish credible long-term objectives. By 2030 professional snooker should have sustainable annual ranking event prize money in excess of €50M. To put that into context that's below the four majors total prize money in golf, and way below total prize money of the four tennis grand slam tournaments. Just four tournaments not the entire tours.
All steps and changes taken from now should be compatible with long-term objectives. If, as I suspect, the constraints of a 128 player tour and an overwhelmingly United Kingdom orientated calendar of events are acting as blockers to vastly increased prize money then remove them. Sporting integrity should be a key element of snooker going forward - ranking system, tournament structure and calendar should reflect that. The World Championship should be the only tournament not using an open flat structure.
What sort of tour for 2030?
Ranking list to be points based rather than money.
Ranking list includes all players who have competed in a ranking event in 2-year period.
Five tiers of ranking events based loosely on event length, match length, and prize money.
Tour structure to have pyramid of events - 1 tier 0, 3 tier 1, up to 8 tier 2, up to 22 tier 3, up to 22 tier 4.
Ranking prize money: tier 0 €10M; tier 1 €5M; tier 2 €1M; tier 3 €500K; tier 4 €250K.
All events to be classified as ranking are flat and open and follow a strict template with two qualifying rounds.
Flat 128: 176 players; top 104 rankings + 8 wildcards main draw; 105-160 rankings + 8 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 64: 88 players; top 52 rankings + 4 wildcards main draw; 53-80 rankings + 4 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 32: 44 players; top 26 rankings + 2 wildcards main draw; 27-40 rankings + 2 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 16: 22 players; top 13 rankings + 1 wildcard main draw; 14-20 rankings + 1 wildcard qualifier
Organisers encouraged to hold local preliminary competitions to select majority of wildcards
QSchool abolished - no longer necessary.
Fifteen weeks of the calendar blocked ie no events simultaneously: 3 weeks for a ShootOut tour and 3 weeks for a 6Red tour each with €5M centralised prize money, 3 weeks for the World Championship, and 2 weeks each for the German, UK and China.
Tier 2, 3 and 4 events run in parallel - but not in same geographical area.
Masters, Tour Championship are invitational not counting towards ranking points
ShootOut and 6Red tours have own rankings used as part of criteria for following season
DRAFT CALENDAR ASSUMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RETAINED
June 15 start season
June 15-August 2 (9 weeks China Asia) 2 tier 2 events, 7 tier 3 events, 7 tier 4 events
August 3-23 (3 weeks) ShootOut tour 8 venues eg Australia, Iran, Germany, UK, China, Belgium, Thailand, another in Europe - final venue rotated.
August 24-October 4 (6 weeks Europe excluding UK Ireland) 2 tier 2 events, 4 tier 3 events, 4 tier 4 events
October 5-18 (2 weeks) German Open - tier 1.
October 19-December 6 (7 weeks UK and Ireland) 2 tier 2 events, 5 tier 3 events, 5 tier 4 events
December 7-20 (2 weeks) UK Open - tier 1.
December 21-January 3 (2 weeks) mid-season break
January 4-10 (1 week Europe) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event + Masters invitational top 16 €5M
January 11-31 (3 weeks) 6Reds tour 8 venues eg Australia, Iran, Germany, UK, China, Belgium, Thailand, another in Europe - final venue rotated.
February 1-March 14 (6 weeks China Asia) 2 tier 2 events, 4 tier 3 events, 4 tier 4 events
March 15-28 (2 weeks) China Open - tier 1.
March 29-April 4 (1 week) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event
April 5-11 (1 week) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event + Tour Championship invitational season's top 8 €5M
April 12-May 2 (3 weeks) World Championship - tier 0.
FORMAT OF SHOOT-OUT and 6RED TOURS
Player has one entry
Round 1 17 days: 8x3-day event 2-day main event (2 groups of 8 round-robins - 1 afternoon 1 evening) 1-day qualifier (group of 8 round-robin)
2nd day of main event coincides with qualifying day of next event
Final round 2 days: 16 group winners in 2 round-robin groups; concluding with a final between the two group winners
Entries season 1: 1-104 + 16 wildcards direct; 105-152 + 16 wildcards qualifiers
Entries from season 2: split prioritises those who finished in top 4 of their groups previous season before using the rankings
What circumstances could cause the World Championship to not be retained?
If an alternative tour replaces WST.
What now?
We could make a start on improving sporting integrity.
Convert QSchool from knock-out to the Swiss system. IMPLEMENT MAY 2023
Ranking system remains money-based.
All players to have one-year tour cards only. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24.
End season the top 80 on the 2-year-list and the 16 'best of the rest' on the 1-year-list retain their cards. IMPLEMENT AT END 2023-24
End season 22-23 only. Any player who would have survived under new ranking system remains on tour for 23-24. IMPLEMENT END SEASON 2022-23 ONLY
All players retain their ranking points - only rookies begin season on zero. IMPLEMENT FOR START 2023-24
All ranking events bar the World Championship to be flat 128. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
All flat 128 draws feature 4 wildcards directly into last 128 stage. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
Qualification round to reduce field to 128 features everyone below a certain point + a further 4 wildcards. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
EG: For 135 ranked players entered: 1-109 directly in last 128 accompanied by 4 wildcards; 110-135 in qualification round with other 4 wildcards.
All flat 128 draws protect the top 32 seeds. RETAIN FOR 2023-24
All flat 128 draws protect players that met the top 32 seeds in the opening round of the previous competition. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
NB In simple terms place those 64 players on the left side of the draw.
All events to have all rounds operating entirely at one venue, or at least in one area. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
All events to be played in one contiguous timeframe. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
ShootOut to use 10 second shot clock throughout (cuetracker records ASTs of over 15 seconds for more than a third of this year's competitors) IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
And the transition between 2023-24 and 2030-31?
For another day........................................
The WST reply to Stephen Maguire inspired that same word - complacency.
Snooker isn't in imminent danger of dying but nevertheless Stephen Maguire and Anthony Hamilton seem to me to have correctly diagnosed that the patient is in need of some TLC.
If WST carry on regardless what happens next?
Does anyone out there want to set up an alternative tour? Current levels of prize money are too low to serve as a barrier to entry. If golf can be challenged so can snooker. The danger for the sport is that the form of an alternative tour would likely prioritise profit rather than the best long-term future for snooker. The deeper WST bury their heads in the sand, or at least portray that impression, the greater the chance that an alternative tour will surface. On the other hand if WST take on board constructive criticism and act upon it, that threat will gradually recede.
But if it did arrive should we support an alternative tour? That depends. The key to the answer is not who runs professional snooker but how professional snooker is run.
Establish credible long-term objectives. By 2030 professional snooker should have sustainable annual ranking event prize money in excess of €50M. To put that into context that's below the four majors total prize money in golf, and way below total prize money of the four tennis grand slam tournaments. Just four tournaments not the entire tours.
All steps and changes taken from now should be compatible with long-term objectives. If, as I suspect, the constraints of a 128 player tour and an overwhelmingly United Kingdom orientated calendar of events are acting as blockers to vastly increased prize money then remove them. Sporting integrity should be a key element of snooker going forward - ranking system, tournament structure and calendar should reflect that. The World Championship should be the only tournament not using an open flat structure.
What sort of tour for 2030?
Ranking list to be points based rather than money.
Ranking list includes all players who have competed in a ranking event in 2-year period.
Five tiers of ranking events based loosely on event length, match length, and prize money.
Tour structure to have pyramid of events - 1 tier 0, 3 tier 1, up to 8 tier 2, up to 22 tier 3, up to 22 tier 4.
Ranking prize money: tier 0 €10M; tier 1 €5M; tier 2 €1M; tier 3 €500K; tier 4 €250K.
All events to be classified as ranking are flat and open and follow a strict template with two qualifying rounds.
Flat 128: 176 players; top 104 rankings + 8 wildcards main draw; 105-160 rankings + 8 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 64: 88 players; top 52 rankings + 4 wildcards main draw; 53-80 rankings + 4 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 32: 44 players; top 26 rankings + 2 wildcards main draw; 27-40 rankings + 2 wildcards qualifiers
Flat 16: 22 players; top 13 rankings + 1 wildcard main draw; 14-20 rankings + 1 wildcard qualifier
Organisers encouraged to hold local preliminary competitions to select majority of wildcards
QSchool abolished - no longer necessary.
Fifteen weeks of the calendar blocked ie no events simultaneously: 3 weeks for a ShootOut tour and 3 weeks for a 6Red tour each with €5M centralised prize money, 3 weeks for the World Championship, and 2 weeks each for the German, UK and China.
Tier 2, 3 and 4 events run in parallel - but not in same geographical area.
Masters, Tour Championship are invitational not counting towards ranking points
ShootOut and 6Red tours have own rankings used as part of criteria for following season
DRAFT CALENDAR ASSUMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RETAINED
June 15 start season
June 15-August 2 (9 weeks China Asia) 2 tier 2 events, 7 tier 3 events, 7 tier 4 events
August 3-23 (3 weeks) ShootOut tour 8 venues eg Australia, Iran, Germany, UK, China, Belgium, Thailand, another in Europe - final venue rotated.
August 24-October 4 (6 weeks Europe excluding UK Ireland) 2 tier 2 events, 4 tier 3 events, 4 tier 4 events
October 5-18 (2 weeks) German Open - tier 1.
October 19-December 6 (7 weeks UK and Ireland) 2 tier 2 events, 5 tier 3 events, 5 tier 4 events
December 7-20 (2 weeks) UK Open - tier 1.
December 21-January 3 (2 weeks) mid-season break
January 4-10 (1 week Europe) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event + Masters invitational top 16 €5M
January 11-31 (3 weeks) 6Reds tour 8 venues eg Australia, Iran, Germany, UK, China, Belgium, Thailand, another in Europe - final venue rotated.
February 1-March 14 (6 weeks China Asia) 2 tier 2 events, 4 tier 3 events, 4 tier 4 events
March 15-28 (2 weeks) China Open - tier 1.
March 29-April 4 (1 week) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event
April 5-11 (1 week) 1 tier 3 event, 1 tier 4 event + Tour Championship invitational season's top 8 €5M
April 12-May 2 (3 weeks) World Championship - tier 0.
FORMAT OF SHOOT-OUT and 6RED TOURS
Player has one entry
Round 1 17 days: 8x3-day event 2-day main event (2 groups of 8 round-robins - 1 afternoon 1 evening) 1-day qualifier (group of 8 round-robin)
2nd day of main event coincides with qualifying day of next event
Final round 2 days: 16 group winners in 2 round-robin groups; concluding with a final between the two group winners
Entries season 1: 1-104 + 16 wildcards direct; 105-152 + 16 wildcards qualifiers
Entries from season 2: split prioritises those who finished in top 4 of their groups previous season before using the rankings
What circumstances could cause the World Championship to not be retained?
If an alternative tour replaces WST.
What now?
We could make a start on improving sporting integrity.
Convert QSchool from knock-out to the Swiss system. IMPLEMENT MAY 2023
Ranking system remains money-based.
All players to have one-year tour cards only. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24.
End season the top 80 on the 2-year-list and the 16 'best of the rest' on the 1-year-list retain their cards. IMPLEMENT AT END 2023-24
End season 22-23 only. Any player who would have survived under new ranking system remains on tour for 23-24. IMPLEMENT END SEASON 2022-23 ONLY
All players retain their ranking points - only rookies begin season on zero. IMPLEMENT FOR START 2023-24
All ranking events bar the World Championship to be flat 128. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
All flat 128 draws feature 4 wildcards directly into last 128 stage. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
Qualification round to reduce field to 128 features everyone below a certain point + a further 4 wildcards. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
EG: For 135 ranked players entered: 1-109 directly in last 128 accompanied by 4 wildcards; 110-135 in qualification round with other 4 wildcards.
All flat 128 draws protect the top 32 seeds. RETAIN FOR 2023-24
All flat 128 draws protect players that met the top 32 seeds in the opening round of the previous competition. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
NB In simple terms place those 64 players on the left side of the draw.
All events to have all rounds operating entirely at one venue, or at least in one area. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
All events to be played in one contiguous timeframe. IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
ShootOut to use 10 second shot clock throughout (cuetracker records ASTs of over 15 seconds for more than a third of this year's competitors) IMPLEMENT FOR 2023-24
And the transition between 2023-24 and 2030-31?
For another day........................................
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