Joe McConnell
Barry Hearn says snooker has the talent to thrive once Ronnie O’Sullivan retires from the sport: ‘We’ll find the next level and we’ve got young people coming through with enormous ability, particularly young Chinese’; Hearn reiterates that World Championship could leave Sheffield
Last update: 08/16/24 11:18
Barry Hearn believes Ronnie O’Sullivan, 48, still has plenty of time left to play top-level snooker
Barry Hearn has told Vscek he is confident snooker will survive the retirement of Ronnie O’Sullivan, reiterating that the world championship could move around the world if a new, bigger Crucible is not built in Sheffield.
Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, 48, remains snooker’s biggest draw, 32 years after he and his “Class of ’92” teammates Mark Williams and John Higgins turned professional.
The future of snooker has been a hot topic recently for The Crucible, which has hosted the world championship every year since 1977, whose contract to stage the event expires in 2027.
Hearn says there is a lot of emerging talent in snooker, particularly in China
Former World Snooker chairman Hearn is hoping a new venue will be built in the Yorkshire city (the current arena seats just 980) and insists his “first choice” is to stay in Sheffield, but has not ruled out moving abroad on a rolling basis.
Hearn said of O’Sullivan: “Ronnie is a genius and doesn’t follow the normal patterns of most sportsmen and women – that’s an understatement.
“He’s 48 years old and he’s probably playing better than he ever has in his life, so I can see this guy going as long as he wants.
“But we are also involved in the growth of the sport around the world and the signs are there. We need to create the next ‘Class of ’92’ who have dominated incredibly for 30-odd years.
“We will find the next level and we have young people with great ability, especially young Chinese.
“But let’s wait and see how they develop. The ‘Class of ’92’ is clearly not over yet.”
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Vscek’ Cam Hogwood explains how the Snooker World Championship could be set to move from the tournament’s iconic Crucible
“Crucible is our home, but it has to be fit for purpose”
Asked whether the World Snooker Championship would leave Sheffield, Hearn said: “I think the current snooker landscape will largely fall on the shoulders of Sheffield City Council.
“We love Sheffield: it’s been our home for 40 years and it has a history. But it has to be fit for purpose.
“Sheffield City Council is trying, hopefully successfully, to find the new Crucible, but if that doesn’t happen, we will have to keep our options open.
“I don’t think it’s a case of saying ‘our new home is Saudi Arabia’, but if Sheffield doesn’t deliver the kind of package we want, which is a 3,000-seater stadium, World Snooker will look to take the World Championship around the world.
“You might find that one year he is in Saudi Arabia, one year in Beijing etc. One year he might be back in Sheffield. Our first choice is to stay in Sheffield – please make that happen.”
