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Should the tour be cut to 64 players?

Yes
2
22%
No
4
44%
Maybe
3
33%
 
Total votes : 9

Cut the tour?

Postby Casey

We all know snooker has sever finainacial issues. Currently only the top 48 players make a standard living from the game, with the rest of the player relying on sponsors and part-time jobs.

Going forward is it visable for the tour to support 90+ players? The cost savings from a reduced tour could go towards funding new tournaments, R&D, marketing etc.

Say the top 48 players are safe along with the top 5 under 21 players outside of that. The remaining places could be filled from the Q-school system which will make its debut in May.

The downside is that many players would lose their job and it will be difficult for those players to find something else. It will make it even more difficult for players to stay and gain entery on the tour, but overall the survival of the game is paramount. I would see this as only a temproary measure until the game is in a better financial state, so say in about 5 years or so look to raise the number.

What do you think?

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby Bourne

Well the way I see it is that the number of players on tour should be relatively proportionate to the number of tournaments out there on the calendar, ie with the tour we've got now, PTCs in particular, 90 odd is okay. But i'm hoping in the near future, next 10 years or so, when we have tournaments coming out of our ears every week or two, then the number of pros will shoot up to hundreds so that players can pick and choose which tournaments they play.

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby Wildey

The Way it is at the moment Every Player on the planet is a Pro Player you got only 5 Ranking Tournaments that is purely for Tour Players

Shanghai Masters
UK Championship
German Masters
Welsh Open
and
China Open

The World Open is open to anyone and The World Championship i believe will go the same way now where there will be avenue for Amateurs or Non Tour Players to enter.

i think there might be a case where if you want to play in the German Masters and Welsh Open you better be inside the top 64 at the Cut Off point after the UK Championship but then for China Open and WC all 96 Main Tour Players Play.

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby Tubberlad

I've been saying yes for quite a while. However, that said, I don't understand fully how tough it is for lower ranked players and all the ins and outs of the tour.

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby JohnFromLondonTown

Case. What the buck mate?

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby Witz78

i agree with Wild that anyones almost a pro these days given they can enter most of the tournaments.

IMO on that basis i see no reason to not just open the tour up to all players willing to take a chance. Whilst theres not the money to sustain hundreds of pros in the game, theres not the money to sustain 96 pros either. But the amatuers arent really any different to the lower ranked pros on the main tour in the sense that they have second careers as do these "pros" on the tour. Theyare pros only in name, so i support an opening up of the tour which will truly open the game up and let the new talent emerge just as it did in the early to mid 90s when Higgins, O'Sullivan, Williams and er McBride rocketed up the rankings.

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby Wildey

lets say we had a 64 man main tour where would the cut off point be Top 32 or Top 48 with 32 or 16 pros having to go to Q School to retain their place.

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby JohnFromLondonTown

wildJONESEYE wrote:lets say we had a 64 man main tour where would the cut off point be Top 32 or Top 48 with 32 or 16 pros having to go to Q School to retain their place.

That's called Ice Skating thinking. <ok>

When people were earning a living 18 years ago top 192, £10k a year minimum, what wheel were you on?

Re: Cut the tour?

Postby SnookerFan

As a fan, and somebody who has only ever picked up a cue to play pool very badly when in the pub, it doesn't make that much difference to me. I'd say no for the benefit of the players. But if it's a straight choice between cutting down the bottom end of players or the sport not existing, I know what I'd pick.

My favourite player outside of the top-16, now Mark Williams is back in it, is Ken Doherty, but other then him there aren't too many players I'd miss from that far down the qualifiers as they don't tend to get through that often anyway. So selfishly, I'd say it wouldn't detract from my enjoyment as a spectacle, unless somebody I liked dropped drastically down the rankings.

On saying that, I think for the players themselves it'd be sad, and certainly isn't a preferable option.


   

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