Mark Allen admits ‘this will sound bad’ as he calls for major controversial change to World Snooker Championship
MARK ALLEN has made his case in favour of moving the World Snooker Championships away from the Crucible.
The tournament has been held at the iconic Sheffield venue since 1977, but recent controversy has seen players discuss the potential of moving elsewhere.
Allen is amongst a group of players, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has backed a move away from the historic Yorkshire theatre.
As snooker continues to grow in popularity, the Crucible’s limited 980-seat capacity limits how much more the sport can grow and also has an impact on the prize pots available to players.
This week’s Saudi Arabia Masters is boasting a whopping £2.3MILLION pot with the winner set to pocket £500,000 – that eclipses every event except the World Snooker Championship.
And players are now suggesting that following the money may be the right answer to bringing more eyes to the sport.
World No.2 Mark Allen said: “There was a lot of chat about the World Championship moving when we were in Sheffield. I’m not really bothered either way.
“This will sound bad but we need to go wherever the most money is because that’s how the sport will grow.”
The world champs are currently tied down to a contract that will see them remain at the Crucible until at least 2027.
But the potential to head over to Saudi Arabia will be tempting for snooker execs when that contact nears its end.
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Snooker’s greatest ever player Ronnie O’Sullivan has also been outspoken on the idea of moving away from Sheffield to increase viewership and prize money for players.
Speaking in April, he said: “Listen, Sheffield’s got the history and that history will never change.
“A lot of people say, ‘what about the history there?’ Come on man, history is getting rewritten everyday.
“I think if Eddie and Barry [Hearn] and World Snooker decide it is right to take it to Saudi, then why not?
“It’s a massive circus and you need a massive space to accommodate it.
“Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do great.”
Not everyone loves the idea of having two major competitions out in the Middle East, however.
World No.1 Judd Trump reckons that it “wouldn’t make too much sense” to have both the World Snooker Championship and the Saudi Arabia Masters in Saudi.
Instead Trump has said that he would “like to see the World Championship move around the world and change venue every year”.
Snooker’s most presigious tournament hasn’t been held outside of England since 1975, when Australia played host to the world’s best potters.
Other previous hosts include Jersey and South Africa.