If it was made bigger, the next complaint would be about the city, or the traffic, or the weather. As we know bigger isn't always better, living in a mansion with lots of empty rooms, I'd rather live in a mid terrace with amazing atmosphere. The Crucible is the goose that laid the golden egg for these players, now they want to Cut it's throat, shame on them.
Those saying the Crucible should be extended need to remember it's a theatre for 11 months a year and is perfect as it is. The fact it hosts snooker is a strange twist that shouldn't get in the way of its core business.
It's the TV audience that matters, not another couple of hundred or so at the venue itself. Plenty of big tournaments throughout the season in anonymous venues don't get the traction that the World Champs in the Crucible, Sheffield do.
Part of me hopes this is him negotiating to get a better deal in Sheffield, while the other part is afraid that this comes off the back of the new Saudi deal. Bad times for a sport I have loved for 40+ years.
Just don't send it to Saudi Arabia. I'm tired of them trying to greenwash their reputation. Unfortunately, just like a lot of pro golfers, there are plenty of snooker players ready to overlook their sins for the the sake of a big payday.
The UK/US/Isreal are the biggest Terrorist state, not saying Saudi doesn't have issues, they do, but, don't be blind to the atrocities committed by the biggest terrorist states periiod!
@@EannaButler Because the issues are separate. Here, we have our sports and we have our government. In Saudi, it's all government, and they use sport to make themselves look good. I say it all the time, if they were genuinely interested in these sports and wanted to grow these sports then I'm all for it - but the reality is they couldn't give a fuck. With the golf, they used LIV to get a deal with the PGA, because they needed to be sat at the top table to stop the conversations about their misdeeds. They're doing it with so many sports that at some point it will become unsustainable, and some sports will be thrown under the bus - snooker and nine ball pool will be some of those sports. The best investment the WST could make is China, because they have the money but they also have the genuine respect and interest in the game.
If you’ve got a crowd of say 3000 or more? spectators the people at the back are gonna see a very small snooker table that’s the way it is its not like football with a massive pitch so everyone can see. Please keep it at the crucible. Its our jewel in the crown 👑 👍
Never in a million years, yes there should be renovations and theatre expansion, but NO WAY it's leaving Sheffield. That's like moving tennis out of Wimbledon. Pathetic.
The best courts with the biggest stands in UK are at Wimbledon so it would be daft to move Wimbledon. The same cannot be said for the Crucible. You're analogy doesn't work.
@@PZ7537It's a theatre designed for pantomimes and plays and so on, not the biggest snooker tournament in the world. They won't build a big extention for 2 weeks of snooker once a year. It makes more sense to find a more suitable venue. Way too much nostalgia going on with this debate. Times change weather we like it or not.
As London is the centre of the U.K., World Snooker should be moved to London, as London is a major global city, whereas no tourist will have heard of Sheffield.
If its moved to Saudi Arabia then you are taking it away from the fans/spectators and you will lose the atmosphere purely for the greed of money, we see it with Boxing, fans cannot see the big fight live, it's become a local and celebrity event, so find an alternative venue in Britain and give Sheffield a chance to extend, rebuild/build a new venue.
2022 Hong Kong Masters did it before. But you need binoculars to watch the table if you dun wanna watch the screen for sure😂 Especially if you were sitting on the top row
I've been to many big sporting events. I have sampled atmosphere in many types and sizes of arena. I've been to the Crucible. Beyond a doubt, the atmosphere in the Crucible theatre is like none other that I have experienced elsewhere. How them fellas can hold cue there, not to mind play how they do, is beyond me. I have been watching snooker there since the early '80s and it is without doubt the ultimate test of a professional snooker player. Whoever is the last man standing at the end of those gruelling 17 days in that arena is a worthy winner and deserves to be crowned champion of the world.
Worldwide television money coming in ..a few more seats is a weak excuse to move it ..if it moves from the crucible then in my opinion not long after they will realise what a huge mistake ..the theatre as it stands is what makes the world championships what it is and has been for nearly 50 years ..the fact that something so very special is shown such little respect today by a few very greedy individuals is sad to see ..I hope many snooker players and snooker fans who love the venue stand tall and fight to keep it where it belongs
Ok, shall we now have a debate on moving Wimbledon? I’m a Sheffield lad, and I have strong feelings why it should stay. However, the Sheffield council would rather spend money on either crap, or themselves rather than modernise the Crucible, add a few hundred seats (not loads as that would make it just like any other venue) but that won’t happen. A shortsighted council that will sit on it’s arse and watch it get taken away
Moving the snooker world championship away from the Crucible would be as ludicrous as moving the Grand National away from Aintree or the Gold Cup away from Cheltenham..Has to be a non starter.
If they move it just loses all the history that’s happened in that little theatre but it Woodnt surprise me if it went abroad because the east are getting the money into all of our sports !
There's still tickets available for most matches including the semi-final, so they're being very optimistic if they think they can sell a bigger capacity. There's certainly no chance outside of the UK and China, in the modern world people don't have the patience to watch a match over several days and several sessions, the Saudi tournaments are best of 7's. It's probably a marketing ploy to attract attention and let people know the tournament is taking place.
Surely The Crucible can be transformed into a much bigger venue, with a capacity of 3000-5000 people! It would enhance the atmosphere, upgrade and improve the facilities for everyone, increase the revenue, and create a whole new experience for the players and fans! Sometimes things have to change, look at how Wimbledon has changed!
For the winners to be able to lift that same trophy in the same place as Steve Davis did in the 80s, Alex Higgins in '82, Dennis Taylor in '85, Hendry in the 90s etc. It's special, and it's historic. The same venue, the same trophy, the same doors, the same seats, the same stairs. It should stay there forever. Barry Hearn can make the money from other tournaments. The Masters, Tour Championship, World Open, Players Championship, World Grand Prix, Champion of Champions, International Championship: 5 out of 7 of them are held in the UK. Nobody is precious about them being held in the UK, so why not turn some of them into bigger events and have them somewhere like Saudi Arabia? Why does it have to be the World Champs that moves? If the money is elsewhere then why were 16 of the 23 WST competitions held the UK this season? 66% of all the prize money (not including the World Champs) comes from UK-based events.
I think the crucible is the home of snooker and is a unique atmosphere which would be very difficult to replicate. But for the sport and the economics of it. The premium event on the calendar needs to have a bigger stage and i say that with great sadness.
For all the nostalgia in the world, it will be moving elsewhere regardless. Money talks, BS Walks, tragically us humans are just programmed that way, there is no stopping it.
Seem to be mixing up two different points: 1. Having a bigger venue somewhere else in UK and 2. Moving to another country. Calling it the 'World Championship' doesn't make it necessarily the 'biggest', most prestigious event. There's nothing to stop an additional bigger event - more money, bigger crowds - happening somewhere else and calling it something else; e.g; "The World Super Crown". China already has the 'World Open' and the 'International Championship'. What's in a name?! If such an event became bigger then it would be bigger - obviously!
I live in Sheffield so I'd love for it to stay, but I'm always worried money will talk. Maybe the World Champs could move around but come back to Sheffield every five years like the Open does with St. Andrews? I'd have no problem with the odd final going to China or the far east, or anywhere else they want to grow the sport.
Move it to Saudi and I expect a lot of TV viewers will stop watching. Typical Hearns always looking for any way of making a few extra quid no matter the damage it does to the sport.
The world snooker championship should stay in its spiritual home in sheffield. It is a part of history increasing the size of the arena will not have the same atmosphere as it is now. My point is it should stay there forever.
Professional Snooker players need big prize money, they don't get that because the crucible has very limited capacity. The reason why The Crucible was chosen is because back in the 70's Snooker wasn't popular. But from the 80's onwards it has grown to become very popular, therefore needs a 5,000 seater capacity venue, which will enable more tickets to be sold thereby increasing the prize money for the professionals.
stupid. why do people not realise that at the end of the day a snooker table is very small? it's not football where you can get 100000 people in and they can all see and enjoy the game. even in most snooker venues, most of the audience can't really see shit. they are seated way too far from the table. the alexandra palace is horrible too. it is ONLY at the Crucible that you get a decent view of the table. come on
Personally, they need a bigger venue. If they turned the crucible into a massive snooker hall people would travel from all over. It absolutely has to stay in the UK and tbh in Sheffield. If they chose to sell out to Saudi the sport in UK dies.
I wish they’d make an effort to recreate the ethos of crucible in its heyday with the red carpets etc. but it just looks like any other venue on tv now
Amazingly, the guy who is vocal about doing things for the money, is the guy who wants it to stay there for the history - fair play to Mark Williams. Carter and Murphy talk about loving the game, but really they just see the dollar signs. But hey, money talks. Have it in Saudi, give a £1M prize - but I hope when the oil runs out, and their plans of tourist diversification fail (look at NEOM), when they come running to try and save the history then Sheffield tell them to suck it.
The crucible is where the world championships should stay its the home of snooker with the best atmosphere .( next best is goffs in Ireland)don't sell out for money and greed.
I've been to the Crucible both watching snooker and when it is quiet and no events on. It is a dive. That hideous carpet says it all and it's been like that for years. There are no nice places to sit and drink or eat. Yes, there are tables and nice big window views, but inside it is extremely dated and doesn't feel luxurious. Knock it down and build a state of the art historic character building in the square there and link it to directly to the Winter Gardens. That would be epic.
@@locusmortis tbf the backstage of the crucible looks like a school gym. got that breezeblock-esque feel to it. players dressing rooms look like they're in airing cupboards
I think World Snooker Championship should leave Crucible to grow bigger, but Crucible itself shouldn't be abandoned. There should be an extra event after World Championship, let's call it "Snooker Crucible Classic" where last 4 people who won Snooker Championship play round robin and then 2 best players play best of 35 in the final.
Why fix something that isn't broken, everybody loves The Crucible. If they really care about squeezing a few more pennies out of people I'm sure they could just add more tournaments to the tour...better sponsorship or television deals. Moving the whole World Championship just to cram another 1000 people in is so stupid.
First and foremost professional Snooker is a business not a charity; the purpose of a business is to maximise profits; the bigger the venue the bigger the prize money for the professionals, which will inspire future generations of Snooker players. The Cruicible is at best only suitable for the least important Snooker tournament; World Snooker Tournaments need at least a 5,000 seater venue
@@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO Which online article did you copy and paste that Barry Hearn corporate slime from?😂. Crucible is one of the smallest venues on the tour but has the biggest prize money so that point was stupid. Big venues don’t work for snooker either, they moved the masters to the Wembley arena in 2007 and it was disastrous, all you could hear was coughing and ringtones, and a fight broke out in the first year. The crucible has inspired 3 generations of great players including Ronnie, Hendry, Judd etc, you think some rinky dink Saudi sportswashing venue will inspire anybody?
@@dxd8663 Your counter-argument is weak: While the prize money for the World Championship at the Cruicible is the highest, nevertheless if a venue with a 3,000 capacity was used more revenue would be raised for even higher prize money; plus with a 70% more capacity than the Cruicible, ticket prices for some tickets could be reduced. Just because a venue in Wembley was tried 17+ years ago doesn't mean it cannot be tried again, as nothing remains the same over time. Unlike you whose opinion on this topic is fuelled by your emotions and nostalgia; Barry Hearn's opinions are based on sound judgment and rationality. Lastly, all professional sports are business ventures, their main objective is to maximise profits.
London is a capital city on the global stage, therefore London should be made into the new home of Snooker. Hardly anyone outside the U.K. has heard of Sheffield. Only the crappest tournaments should be held outside London. Yes I am a Londoner and Londoncentric
It must go.....if u get a ticket its like winning a lottory.....as a fan it cant stay the way it is and I debut Sheffield council will extend the area. Even if it did its still not addressing other issues. Its a small event and snooker is a business and if the sport needs growth it needs the Chinese and UAE market. This will increase prize money....better hospitality for the players and the fans have a lot more chance in getting a ticket to see their players live in action. Players only get money when they start winning big matches which excludes most qualifiers.....so this model will die out the sport......it need to change.
All the arguments for it are rooted in tradition. From a spectator point of view having a cramped two table situation in the earlier rounds does not look good.
They struggle to control a crowd of 900 a lot of the time, plus being intimate works for a sport like snooker, atleast the crowd can all see what's going on.
It's already take away from the British snooker fan , tickets for next yrs world champion are already sold to the same rich corporate clients, only 900 seats ,might as well go to Saudi, bet as a British fan ld get a seat out there ,
The Crucible is just a theatre in Sheffield. Why spend lots of cash to improve the seating capacity for two weeks out of the year? How will the theatre expect to fill those seats for the rest of the year? Untold amounts of cash is being poured into the game in Asia. Move the WC for one year and see what happens. The players will not be complaining as they all get treated like rock stars over there.
Yes pls use the existing london stadium for this - you can hold all the tourneys there . Whats this about history and all that. sounds so dated. it shd be new. Make crucible a museum for snooker. Its what its worth. But pls keep snooker in britain as you need the fans and the right atmosphere.
I think they should make it more modern. The number of frames played is just too high in my opinion, seems very outdated... gotta go with less frames, but then they matter more so they are more competitive... Like 4 years ago during the corona crisis i took the time at home to watch really a lot of these frames, but nowadays its not possible anymore... and i believe this is true for most people...
move the worlds, but keep it as the 'snooker classic' - creates the Dosh elsewhere, yet burns the heart of every snooker player to win it. sweet ass compromise i think 👍
the ausdience isn't who's in the arena ... it's the TV audience. It doesn't matter where it is for those watching on TV and the only argument really is the revenue, mainly for Hearn. Everyone goes on about the Saudi human rights issue, right up until the saudis offer massive financial incentives
I agree it's difficult. Certainly you would loose the atmosphere at bigger venues but it is very crowded and not as spectator comfortable as other venues with less intimate atmosphere. For 'cost of living crisis reasons I an staying away for a few years, but I have been a regular their 16 years ...next time I will probably just attend the cheaper qualifyers.
If it left n moved to china it be a nightmare cause of time difference and i wouldnt watch any of it because of time difference. as for saudi i found their event hard to watch cause most of it had no crowd. so if it moved to a different country i would not watch it
If they move it to Saudi Arabia it's the end of this tournament for me, It will be devalued so much, it's no longer an english tournament and has now been handed over to criminals who will destroy everything that's good about it. And I don't dig the bs about it being a smaller venue. 18 million people watched the final between Davis and Taylor so there's no excuses as it has to stay in Sheffield. If it moves it will be devalued so much as viewers like me will tune out but the rich globalist audience for sure will take our place. The government need to step in and make sure that this tournament stays in Sheffield where it belongs.
I think some players are grumbling because of the prize money. Just make the prize pot bigger to justify the tournament. The crucible venue is snookers jewel in the crown
Its outgrown the venue. Its like having the FA cup final in a 10,000 seat ground. Many people will never get to see a match at the World Championships as its too small and tickets are too hard to get now. Nostalgia is the only thing keeping it at the Crucible, certainly not common sense. Darts never had this nostalgia problem and has flourished. The WSC should always be in UK though. The UK is the home of snooker, not Sheffield.
ONE SIDE OF THE COIN - Like all other World Championships in sport, it should have more then just the one venue and played in more then one Country. Imagine had we decided for Football & Rugby not to flourish into the games they have become globally. OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN- Are there any other countries other then England ( and probably China ) where a crowd can sit in silence and motionless for hours watching a game that can potentially ( depending on who's playing obviously) drag on for hours and would be more exciting to watch paint dry
Rotate the location from UK, China, maybe Saudi, maybe Thailand etc etc and at venues that draw not just larger crowds but more energetic fans as well affluent folks (other sports stars) with perhaps private boxes, and the players provided with all levels of attention and services. Make it bigger and grander and wealthier. Make it a celebration like F1. Promote the sport as a spectacular demonstration of skill and personality and reach out to the "who's who". To be global, act global. Dream big. I like tradition and nostalgia but snooker is in danger of stagnating and not shaking it's image of being attached to the snooker clubs of old that wasn't "inviting" to a broader cross section of people. Snooker needs to "break out".
Keep Saudi out of the equation, the place is soulless for sporting events and there is NO market there for it .At least in China they love the sport and create a massive buzz
Why dont they try somewhere else next year or three and if it doest work go back to the crucible. No need to start smashing things up. Im sure theres somewhere available.
Don’t move it to Saudi Arabia, they have enough influence in this country.
If it was made bigger, the next complaint would be about the city, or the traffic, or the weather.
As we know bigger isn't always better,
living in a mansion with lots of empty rooms, I'd rather live in a mid terrace with amazing atmosphere.
The Crucible is the goose that laid the golden egg for these players, now they want to Cut it's throat, shame on them.
Well said
It should stay for the sake of history and traditions. Money comes and goes, legacy is eternal.
Well said !
Nonsense.....its a business not a charity
WELL SAID, MONEY COMES AND GOES BUT LEGACY IS ETERNAL. RAY-UL9MY IS WRONG.
History and traditions don't pay wages, money does, and professional Snooker is first and foremost a buisness.
If you want the sport to stand still, sure.
Those saying the Crucible should be extended need to remember it's a theatre for 11 months a year and is perfect as it is. The fact it hosts snooker is a strange twist that shouldn't get in the way of its core business.
It's the TV audience that matters, not another couple of hundred or so at the venue itself.
Plenty of big tournaments throughout the season in anonymous venues don't get the traction that the World Champs in the Crucible, Sheffield do.
Great point. I think people forget about this.
I'm sure the money from the TV pics worldwide is very high ..the more seats thing is just an excuse
Isnt it BBC that stream the worlds? which has no monitization...
Sadly after seeing Barry Hearn on tv today it seems the crucibles days are numbered.
Part of me hopes this is him negotiating to get a better deal in Sheffield, while the other part is afraid that this comes off the back of the new Saudi deal. Bad times for a sport I have loved for 40+ years.
Just don't send it to Saudi Arabia. I'm tired of them trying to greenwash their reputation. Unfortunately, just like a lot of pro golfers, there are plenty of snooker players ready to overlook their sins for the the sake of a big payday.
The UK/US/Isreal are the biggest Terrorist state, not saying Saudi doesn't have issues, they do, but, don't be blind to the atrocities committed by the biggest terrorist states periiod!
I agree. But it concerns me that our governments don’t feel the same about selling eg arms to some of these countries..
Laughable, historically and geo-politically ignorant, western arrogance infused nonsense.
@@EannaButler Because the issues are separate. Here, we have our sports and we have our government. In Saudi, it's all government, and they use sport to make themselves look good. I say it all the time, if they were genuinely interested in these sports and wanted to grow these sports then I'm all for it - but the reality is they couldn't give a fuck. With the golf, they used LIV to get a deal with the PGA, because they needed to be sat at the top table to stop the conversations about their misdeeds. They're doing it with so many sports that at some point it will become unsustainable, and some sports will be thrown under the bus - snooker and nine ball pool will be some of those sports. The best investment the WST could make is China, because they have the money but they also have the genuine respect and interest in the game.
Ronnie is owned by the Saudi prince
If you’ve got a crowd of say 3000 or more? spectators the people at the back are gonna see a very small snooker table that’s the way it is its not like football with a massive pitch so everyone can see. Please keep it at the crucible. Its our jewel in the crown 👑 👍
It sure is
Big screens in larger venues normally work as well.
Never in a million years, yes there should be renovations and theatre expansion, but NO WAY it's leaving Sheffield. That's like moving tennis out of Wimbledon. Pathetic.
The best courts with the biggest stands in UK are at Wimbledon so it would be daft to move Wimbledon. The same cannot be said for the Crucible. You're analogy doesn't work.
@@ColinFlowers Wimbledon got capacity upgrades over the years. So could the Crucible.
@@PZ7537It's a theatre designed for pantomimes and plays and so on, not the biggest snooker tournament in the world. They won't build a big extention for 2 weeks of snooker once a year. It makes more sense to find a more suitable venue. Way too much nostalgia going on with this debate. Times change weather we like it or not.
As London is the centre of the U.K., World Snooker should be moved to London, as London is a major global city, whereas no tourist will have heard of Sheffield.
@@ColinFlowers HIS ANALOGY DOES WORK, SORRY.
If its moved to Saudi Arabia then you are taking it away from the fans/spectators and you will lose the atmosphere purely for the greed of money, we see it with Boxing, fans cannot see the big fight live, it's become a local and celebrity event, so find an alternative venue in Britain and give Sheffield a chance to extend, rebuild/build a new venue.
Yes!
I don’t think watching a snooker match in a 9000/10000 seat arena sounds like a lot of fun. How would you see binoculars maybe 🤷♀️
All the coughing
The ref would be constantly saying "quiet please"
2022 Hong Kong Masters did it before. But you need binoculars to watch the table if you dun wanna watch the screen for sure😂 Especially if you were sitting on the top row
How many will turn up at 10 am on a Tuesday morning in Saudi Arabia?
One sheikh and his dog...
@@karlmoore7406maybe lioness*😂
@@karlmoore7406maybe lioness😂
More than 900. They're not from some shit hole council estate on the dole... They love pumping money into sports
It would be full (and I don't want it to go to saudi).
Move it to London temporarily and work on renovating the crucible to make it bigger for a crowd of 2000 or so people
It’s only a Snooker venue for 17 days of the year. The rest of the time it’s a theatre in Sheffield. They will never fill it for theatre performances.
I think you're missing the point of what makes the Crucible special.
And make it less "smelly" as vafaei claimed
The World Snooker Championship needs a 5,000 seater venue; the more spectators means bigger prizes for the players.
Leave it in the North, it's the only thing we have for F sake. The south get everything.
Did Wilson say 9 thousand fans in hong kong really did that happen ? Cant imagine seeing much unless you gad binoculars 😂
exactly. i was there at the top row. couldn't see a goddamn thing. tickets were cheap enough though, at 50hkd only.
If it goes anywhere other than England, supporters of England will probably not be traveling.
Just leave it alone where it is.
I've been to many big sporting events. I have sampled atmosphere in many types and sizes of arena. I've been to the Crucible.
Beyond a doubt, the atmosphere in the Crucible theatre is like none other that I have experienced elsewhere. How them fellas can hold cue there, not to mind play how they do, is beyond me. I have been watching snooker there since the early '80s and it is without doubt the ultimate test of a professional snooker player.
Whoever is the last man standing at the end of those gruelling 17 days in that arena is a worthy winner and deserves to be crowned champion of the world.
Worldwide television money coming in ..a few more seats is a weak excuse to move it ..if it moves from the crucible then in my opinion not long after they will realise what a huge mistake ..the theatre as it stands is what makes the world championships what it is and has been for nearly 50 years ..the fact that something so very special is shown such little respect today by a few very greedy individuals is sad to see ..I hope many snooker players and snooker fans who love the venue stand tall and fight to keep it where it belongs
Its going its as simple as that fast barry cemented it yesterday MONEY TALKS and thats that
Ok, shall we now have a debate on moving Wimbledon?
I’m a Sheffield lad, and I have strong feelings why it should stay. However, the Sheffield council would rather spend money on either crap, or themselves rather than modernise the Crucible, add a few hundred seats (not loads as that would make it just like any other venue) but that won’t happen. A shortsighted council that will sit on it’s arse and watch it get taken away
It should never,definitely make it better for the fans but that venue is THE HOLY GRAIL for snooker!Snooker is not much without it!🤷🤷👁👁👁👌👊🤝
Moving the snooker world championship away from the Crucible would be as ludicrous as moving the Grand National away from Aintree or the Gold Cup away from Cheltenham..Has to be a non starter.
Should be a non starter ..but the greedy want more
Yes it should be a non-starter but the greedy people want more, like Mark Littlewood said.
If they move it just loses all the history that’s happened in that little theatre but it Woodnt surprise me if it went abroad because the east are getting the money into all of our sports !
There's still tickets available for most matches including the semi-final, so they're being very optimistic if they think they can sell a bigger capacity. There's certainly no chance outside of the UK and China, in the modern world people don't have the patience to watch a match over several days and several sessions, the Saudi tournaments are best of 7's. It's probably a marketing ploy to attract attention and let people know the tournament is taking place.
Snooker is not darts, stay at this theatre it is a masterpiece
Exactly
Its an iconic sporting venue
Exactly
Yes, it is an iconic sporting venue.
Surely The Crucible can be transformed into a much bigger venue, with a capacity of 3000-5000 people!
It would enhance the atmosphere, upgrade and improve the facilities for everyone, increase the revenue, and create a whole new experience for the players and fans!
Sometimes things have to change, look at how Wimbledon has changed!
For the winners to be able to lift that same trophy in the same place as Steve Davis did in the 80s, Alex Higgins in '82, Dennis Taylor in '85, Hendry in the 90s etc. It's special, and it's historic. The same venue, the same trophy, the same doors, the same seats, the same stairs. It should stay there forever.
Barry Hearn can make the money from other tournaments. The Masters, Tour Championship, World Open, Players Championship, World Grand Prix, Champion of Champions, International Championship: 5 out of 7 of them are held in the UK. Nobody is precious about them being held in the UK, so why not turn some of them into bigger events and have them somewhere like Saudi Arabia? Why does it have to be the World Champs that moves?
If the money is elsewhere then why were 16 of the 23 WST competitions held the UK this season? 66% of all the prize money (not including the World Champs) comes from UK-based events.
I think the crucible is the home of snooker and is a unique atmosphere which would be very difficult to replicate. But for the sport and the economics of it. The premium event on the calendar needs to have a bigger stage and i say that with great sadness.
For all the nostalgia in the world, it will be moving elsewhere regardless. Money talks, BS Walks, tragically us humans are just programmed that way, there is no stopping it.
Never. But it will, because of the greedy hearns.
They are hateful. Barry Hearn's interview with the BBC was awful. I don't like the way that snooker is going. The Saudi tournament was laughably bad.
Don’t move it to Hong Kong because of the Chinese money
I agree with Mark Williams, KEEP IT HERE FOREVER :-)
Seem to be mixing up two different points: 1. Having a bigger venue somewhere else in UK and 2. Moving to another country.
Calling it the 'World Championship' doesn't make it necessarily the 'biggest', most prestigious event. There's nothing to stop an additional bigger event - more money, bigger crowds - happening somewhere else and calling it something else; e.g; "The World Super Crown". China already has the 'World Open' and the 'International Championship'. What's in a name?! If such an event became bigger then it would be bigger - obviously!
Why? Because Ronnie said so?
Absolutely not
I live in Sheffield so I'd love for it to stay, but I'm always worried money will talk. Maybe the World Champs could move around but come back to Sheffield every five years like the Open does with St. Andrews? I'd have no problem with the odd final going to China or the far east, or anywhere else they want to grow the sport.
Move it to Saudi and I expect a lot of TV viewers will stop watching. Typical Hearns always looking for any way of making a few extra quid no matter the damage it does to the sport.
The world snooker championship should stay in its spiritual home in sheffield. It is a part of history increasing the size of the arena will not have the same atmosphere as it is now. My point is it should stay there forever.
I agree
Professional Snooker players need big prize money, they don't get that because the crucible has very limited capacity. The reason why The Crucible was chosen is because back in the 70's Snooker wasn't popular. But from the 80's onwards it has grown to become very popular, therefore needs a 5,000 seater capacity venue, which will enable more tickets to be sold thereby increasing the prize money for the professionals.
Barry Montgomery and Mark Littlewood are right.
@@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO You make good points though.
bigger audiences bigger hospitality..thats what snooker is about now? havent they made enough money of it at some time
Barry Hearn has eaten a lot of the money Snooker generated.
Williams underestimating demand, every match would be sold out
stupid. why do people not realise that at the end of the day a snooker table is very small? it's not football where you can get 100000 people in and they can all see and enjoy the game. even in most snooker venues, most of the audience can't really see shit. they are seated way too far from the table. the alexandra palace is horrible too. it is ONLY at the Crucible that you get a decent view of the table. come on
Same could be said for a Taylor Swift concert but it turns out they just put up big screens.
@@jeffreychongsathien not the same and you know it
@@equisde8026 Rather than abrogating your responsibility of having to make your case, how about you just make it?
@@jeffreychongsathien so you think watching on a screen is the same as watching the actual table up-close? wanker
👌👍
Personally, they need a bigger venue. If they turned the crucible into a massive snooker hall people would travel from all over. It absolutely has to stay in the UK and tbh in Sheffield.
If they chose to sell out to Saudi the sport in UK dies.
It's akin to England playing at Loftus road.Sheffield has had it's day.
Snooker deserves a better venue for the World Championships if crucible decides not to improve it's current venue.
I wish they’d make an effort to recreate the ethos of crucible in its heyday with the red carpets etc. but it just looks like any other venue on tv now
Embassy tobacco had a big part in that; same for the Masters being gold-washed by B&H
I like how close the crowds are to the players in the first few rounds, you can feel the tension. Dont like these big buildings with wide open spaces.
Amazingly, the guy who is vocal about doing things for the money, is the guy who wants it to stay there for the history - fair play to Mark Williams. Carter and Murphy talk about loving the game, but really they just see the dollar signs. But hey, money talks. Have it in Saudi, give a £1M prize - but I hope when the oil runs out, and their plans of tourist diversification fail (look at NEOM), when they come running to try and save the history then Sheffield tell them to suck it.
The crucible is where the world championships should stay its the home of snooker with the best atmosphere .( next best is goffs in Ireland)don't sell out for money and greed.
I've been to the Crucible both watching snooker and when it is quiet and no events on. It is a dive. That hideous carpet says it all and it's been like that for years. There are no nice places to sit and drink or eat. Yes, there are tables and nice big window views, but inside it is extremely dated and doesn't feel luxurious. Knock it down and build a state of the art historic character building in the square there and link it to directly to the Winter Gardens. That would be epic.
There's literally a decent pub 20 yards outside and more good places very close
@@garymitchell5899 That's not the point....it needs to be a top class self-contained venue with a modern state of the art feel but with character.
@@blackporscheroadster-yw8hb The crucible is about watching snooker, not about tarting about eating prawn sandwiches.
@@locusmortis It's called hospitality in 2024. It's not 1991 anymore.
@@locusmortis tbf the backstage of the crucible looks like a school gym. got that breezeblock-esque feel to it. players dressing rooms look like they're in airing cupboards
What a stupid question
It’s like saying move The Masters from Augusta.
I think World Snooker Championship should leave Crucible to grow bigger, but Crucible itself shouldn't be abandoned. There should be an extra event after World Championship, let's call it "Snooker Crucible Classic" where last 4 people who won Snooker Championship play round robin and then 2 best players play best of 35 in the final.
Why fix something that isn't broken, everybody loves The Crucible. If they really care about squeezing a few more pennies out of people I'm sure they could just add more tournaments to the tour...better sponsorship or television deals. Moving the whole World Championship just to cram another 1000 people in is so stupid.
I agree
First and foremost professional Snooker is a business not a charity; the purpose of a business is to maximise profits; the bigger the venue the bigger the prize money for the professionals, which will inspire future generations of Snooker players. The Cruicible is at best only suitable for the least important Snooker tournament; World Snooker Tournaments need at least a 5,000 seater venue
@@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO Which online article did you copy and paste that Barry Hearn corporate slime from?😂. Crucible is one of the smallest venues on the tour but has the biggest prize money so that point was stupid. Big venues don’t work for snooker either, they moved the masters to the Wembley arena in 2007 and it was disastrous, all you could hear was coughing and ringtones, and a fight broke out in the first year. The crucible has inspired 3 generations of great players including Ronnie, Hendry, Judd etc, you think some rinky dink Saudi sportswashing venue will inspire anybody?
@@dxd8663 Your counter-argument is weak: While the prize money for the World Championship at the Cruicible is the highest, nevertheless if a venue with a 3,000 capacity was used more revenue would be raised for even higher prize money; plus with a 70% more capacity than the Cruicible, ticket prices for some tickets could be reduced. Just because a venue in Wembley was tried 17+ years ago doesn't mean it cannot be tried again, as nothing remains the same over time. Unlike you whose opinion on this topic is fuelled by your emotions and nostalgia; Barry Hearn's opinions are based on sound judgment and rationality. Lastly, all professional sports are business ventures, their main objective is to maximise profits.
I AGREE WITH DXD8663 AND PSYCHIC_PSYCHO IS WRONG.
Tradition means something!!!
The fact that it's even being considered means the crucible is out...I'm sure they will just move it to Saudi Arabia 😢
No london no any where else but Sheffield
Home of snooker
London is a capital city on the global stage, therefore London should be made into the new home of Snooker. Hardly anyone outside the U.K. has heard of Sheffield. Only the crappest tournaments should be held outside London. Yes I am a Londoner and Londoncentric
It must go.....if u get a ticket its like winning a lottory.....as a fan it cant stay the way it is and I debut Sheffield council will extend the area. Even if it did its still not addressing other issues. Its a small event and snooker is a business and if the sport needs growth it needs the Chinese and UAE market. This will increase prize money....better hospitality for the players and the fans have a lot more chance in getting a ticket to see their players live in action. Players only get money when they start winning big matches which excludes most qualifiers.....so this model will die out the sport......it need to change.
All the arguments for it are rooted in tradition. From a spectator point of view having a cramped two table situation in the earlier rounds does not look good.
It’s is now a true world played sport and I think it should travel the world like the football World Cup but take a vote players and supporters
Mr Carter is right move to a bigger venue.
They struggle to control a crowd of 900 a lot of the time, plus being intimate works for a sport like snooker, atleast the crowd can all see what's going on.
Take it to Saudi and take it away from the British fans that Cnt get there that supported the sport for years why don’t ya ..
Learn to use grammar. It's there for a reason!
@@j2shoes288 it’s a UA-cam comment section 😂 if that’s bothered you that much you need to have a word with yourself
It's already take away from the British snooker fan , tickets for next yrs world champion are already sold to the same rich corporate clients, only 900 seats ,might as well go to Saudi, bet as a British fan ld get a seat out there ,
@@superted6743 yeah but you will have no arms or legs when you finish paying for it 😁.
@@NNC93Doesn't matter if this is a social-media platform, if you're going to write, write like a intelligent adult, Dunce.
I just watched Higgins v Allen tonight, decider frame, the crowd were involved, big time.
The Crucible is just a theatre in Sheffield. Why spend lots of cash to improve the seating capacity for two weeks out of the year? How will the theatre expect to fill those seats for the rest of the year? Untold amounts of cash is being poured into the game in Asia. Move the WC for one year and see what happens. The players will not be complaining as they all get treated like rock stars over there.
Yes pls use the existing london stadium for this - you can hold all the tourneys there . Whats this about history and all that. sounds so dated. it shd be new. Make crucible a museum for snooker. Its what its worth. But pls keep snooker in britain as you need the fans and the right atmosphere.
I think they should make it more modern. The number of frames played is just too high in my opinion, seems very outdated... gotta go with less frames, but then they matter more so they are more competitive...
Like 4 years ago during the corona crisis i took the time at home to watch really a lot of these frames, but nowadays its not possible anymore... and i believe this is true for most people...
It should stay in Sheffield, in the Crucible Theatre.
move the worlds, but keep it as the 'snooker classic' - creates the Dosh elsewhere, yet burns the heart of every snooker player to win it. sweet ass compromise i think 👍
the ausdience isn't who's in the arena ... it's the TV audience. It doesn't matter where it is for those watching on TV and the only argument really is the revenue, mainly for Hearn. Everyone goes on about the Saudi human rights issue, right up until the saudis offer massive financial incentives
Yes and no
Because of the history it should stay but as its the biggest tournament there should be a bigger crowd aswell
Sell it to sky and they can have cheerleaders and crowd chants , ruin it like they did the darts.
No!
I think it should stay but I fear its inevitable that for the sport to grow it must evolve
money will win in the end. Big arena snooker not so good for spectators.
There's a feeling and a smell about the crucible that's second to none.
I agree it's difficult. Certainly you would loose the atmosphere at bigger venues but it is very crowded and not as spectator comfortable as other venues with less intimate atmosphere. For 'cost of living crisis reasons I an staying away for a few years, but I have been a regular their 16 years ...next time I will probably just attend the cheaper qualifyers.
No. Home is where the heart is
If it left n moved to china it be a nightmare cause of time difference and i wouldnt watch any of it because of time difference. as for saudi i found their event hard to watch cause most of it had no crowd. so if it moved to a different country i would not watch it
If they move it to Saudi Arabia it's the end of this tournament for me, It will be devalued so much, it's no longer an english tournament and has now been handed over to criminals who will destroy everything that's good about it.
And I don't dig the bs about it being a smaller venue. 18 million people watched the final between Davis and Taylor so there's no excuses as it has to stay in Sheffield. If it moves it will be devalued so much as viewers like me will tune out but the rich globalist audience for sure will take our place. The government need to step in and make sure that this tournament stays in Sheffield where it belongs.
Move it to New York and get the Americans on to snooker and take the game to the highest potential.
Would you move cricket from Lords because it's a small capacity ground?
I think some players are grumbling because of the prize money. Just make the prize pot bigger to justify the tournament. The crucible venue is snookers jewel in the crown
The only way to increase the prize money while remaining at the Cruicible would be to increase the ticket prices by at least 100%
Trust me, it will move.
Its outgrown the venue. Its like having the FA cup final in a 10,000 seat ground. Many people will never get to see a match at the World Championships as its too small and tickets are too hard to get now. Nostalgia is the only thing keeping it at the Crucible, certainly not common sense. Darts never had this nostalgia problem and has flourished. The WSC should always be in UK though. The UK is the home of snooker, not Sheffield.
It’s going anyway, money will talk
ONE SIDE OF THE COIN - Like all other World Championships in sport, it should have more then just the one venue and played in more then one Country. Imagine had we decided for Football & Rugby not to flourish into the games they have become globally.
OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN- Are there any other countries other then England ( and probably China ) where a crowd can sit in silence and motionless for hours watching a game that can potentially ( depending on who's playing obviously) drag on for hours and would be more exciting to watch paint dry
Who want to go to snooker and have to watch it on a screen because venue is that big might as well watch it on your sette with a cup of tea,
I thought that when I had a seat at the back at the Wembley Arena; people just don't get the value of being able to watch the actual table.
I AGREE WITH WHAT KYREN WILSON SAID :-)
We need some young blood to move game forward before it dies
Centre circle of Wembley stadium. 😂😂
Greed greed and more greed. Nothing more nothing less. Shameful
What about maintain Sheffield venue for Tour Final or Champions of Champions but move WSC final to bigger capacity arena.
Don't get why it has to be at one place. Let venues from all over the world bid for it, and have it played at a different city each and every year.
Milkins cant go beyond the basics 😂 Amazing guy 🤔 4:16
The players dont care about the Crucible or the history. All they want is more money to fill their greedy pockets.
NO!!
Shaun Murphy has massively underachieved for his talent.
Not to live but get rebuild the venue Sheffield council should give space to build better and more comfortable for players get on with it
Yes
Rotate the location from UK, China, maybe Saudi, maybe Thailand etc etc and at venues that draw not just larger crowds but more energetic fans as well affluent folks (other sports stars) with perhaps private boxes, and the players provided with all levels of attention and services. Make it bigger and grander and wealthier. Make it a celebration like F1. Promote the sport as a spectacular demonstration of skill and personality and reach out to the "who's who". To be global, act global. Dream big. I like tradition and nostalgia but snooker is in danger of stagnating and not shaking it's image of being attached to the snooker clubs of old that wasn't "inviting" to a broader cross section of people. Snooker needs to "break out".
Keep Saudi out of the equation, the place is soulless for sporting events and there is NO market there for it .At least in China they love the sport and create a massive buzz
@@VamboMarbleEye Saudi? 🤑 Its all about the money. Just ask Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Mr tumble murphy
Helloooooo !! ✋
Lol
Why dont they try somewhere else next year or three and if it doest work go back to the crucible. No need to start smashing things up. Im sure theres somewhere available.