New association gives players 'stronger voice'

Yahoo

4 hours ago

A new, independent association for leading snooker players will give them "a stronger voice", according to its chairman John Higgins.
The four-time world champion is a director of the Professional Snooker Players Association (PSPA) which says it is launching to "champion the sport", along with its leading names.
"We feel as though we've not been listened to as we should have been in recent years", Higgins told BBC Sport.
"The game has not moved forward with the times compared to other top sports.
"Snooker deserves a strong, independent players' association that stands for fairness, transparency, and progress."
The association also claims the governance of snooker "should factor in more of the views of the players".
It has vowed to foster a "collaborative relationship" with the sport's authorities, including the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the existing WPBSA Players' Board, and World Snooker Tour "to enhance the sport's future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests".
The PSPA says it has established a players board comprising of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Joe Perry. Another player - Matthew Selt - has been appointed a director, alongside lawyers Ben Rees and Mark Kenkre.
The association also claims that seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has agreed to become a member, along with Chinese stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong.
"I've had lots of discussions with Ronnie" said Higgins. "He's really excited about it, so it's full steam ahead."
The fact so many of the top players are behind the new body suggests some feel they do not have enough say in the running of the World Snooker Tour (WST), particularly the commercial side.
During the 2024 World Championship, the headlines at the Crucible were dominated by talk of a potential breakaway tour. This came after the game's top players were approached to play in lucrative events in China and North America as part of a potential breakaway circuit.
Professional players sign a contract which does not allow them to compete in any outside events while WST tournaments are being played, unless they are events sanctioned by the WST, although players have recently negotiated more flexibility.
However, the WST has been increasing the amount of prize money in the game, and is preparing to stage the sport's "fourth major" in Saudi Arabia with a prize pot of more than £2m. The second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will take place later this week in Jeddah.
The WPBSA's own players' body was formed in 2020, and the governing body says it has "a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game."
It says that it "acts as a channel for member concerns and provides a platform whereby issues surrounding their wellbeing can be raised at the highest levels by the WPBSA Players Board."
The PSPA says it has been formed with expert guidance from leading sports law professionals, and that its key objectives include legal and commercial support to protect players' rights in sponsorship, broadcasting, and contractual matters.