Barry Hearn
was appointed Chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker
Association which was reformed into a rules and regulatory body. In
winning a players vote on 2 June 2010 by a margin of 35-29, Hearn also
took control of World Snooker Ltd, which is the commercial arm of the
sport. A number of new tournaments like the Player Tour Championship and Sky Shootout have been added to calendar. The Grand Prix tournament has been revamped as the World Open.
One of the matters most relevant to the ousting of the previous WPBSA board and the return of Barry Hearn was giving the players more playing and earning opportunities. In the 2009/2010 snooker season (pre Hearn) there were 6 ranking tournaments, added with invitationals the number of events on the calendar being at around 15 competitions in total that were open to most professionals. Those players lower down the rankings required second jobs to supplement their income as the game for them had become a part time choir.
In contrast, the provisional calendar for the 2011/2012 season features 9 ranking tournaments, 13 minor ranking events under the Players Tour Championship brand and 7 invitationals which include the traditional Wembley Masters and the shotclock Premier League. The calendar increasing to a record breaking 29 official World Snooker events. The sport is now a full time profession once again.
Format alterations such as Power Snooker and Six Reds also include the very top players, with these type of tournaments added to mix, there could potentially be 35 events available on the circuit for the 2011/2012 season.
With an expanded tour schedule, it will give players an option to pick and choose their events, similar to the practice in other sports like tennis and golf.
ITV and Sky Sports are seeking to broadcast more coverage of the sport once again.
More tournaments are scheduled to take place in Asia in the coming years.
The current generation of top players still includes Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. In recent years, new global talents have emerged such as Australian Neil Robertson, Englishman Judd Trump and Ding Junhui from China. Multiple World Snooker Ladies champion Reanne Evans was the first ever female to be granted a place on the main tour for the 2010/2011 snooker season.
The prize money fund for each season currently stands at £5 million ($8 million US dollars). The winner of the sports flagship World Championship collects £300,000 ($500,000 US dollars), as of 2014.
One of the matters most relevant to the ousting of the previous WPBSA board and the return of Barry Hearn was giving the players more playing and earning opportunities. In the 2009/2010 snooker season (pre Hearn) there were 6 ranking tournaments, added with invitationals the number of events on the calendar being at around 15 competitions in total that were open to most professionals. Those players lower down the rankings required second jobs to supplement their income as the game for them had become a part time choir.
In contrast, the provisional calendar for the 2011/2012 season features 9 ranking tournaments, 13 minor ranking events under the Players Tour Championship brand and 7 invitationals which include the traditional Wembley Masters and the shotclock Premier League. The calendar increasing to a record breaking 29 official World Snooker events. The sport is now a full time profession once again.
Format alterations such as Power Snooker and Six Reds also include the very top players, with these type of tournaments added to mix, there could potentially be 35 events available on the circuit for the 2011/2012 season.
With an expanded tour schedule, it will give players an option to pick and choose their events, similar to the practice in other sports like tennis and golf.
ITV and Sky Sports are seeking to broadcast more coverage of the sport once again.
More tournaments are scheduled to take place in Asia in the coming years.
The current generation of top players still includes Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. In recent years, new global talents have emerged such as Australian Neil Robertson, Englishman Judd Trump and Ding Junhui from China. Multiple World Snooker Ladies champion Reanne Evans was the first ever female to be granted a place on the main tour for the 2010/2011 snooker season.
The prize money fund for each season currently stands at £5 million ($8 million US dollars). The winner of the sports flagship World Championship collects £300,000 ($500,000 US dollars), as of 2014.