BREAKAWAY RUMOURS
Right now there's a little rumour around the snooker world that a breakaway tour is taking shape amongst the top players. It's important to say that I have no inside information on this - the rumours got bigger when Selby's and Higgins' retirment hints - along with Williams saying that although he'll be playing snooker next season, the Tour Championship this week could be his last ITV event - got linked to an anonymous X (Twitter) account (that claims to be a professional player) that posted about a breakaway tour.
I should also remark that I don't think this account is truly from a pro player, and will insist on that until something it posted turn out to be true.
However, I have said here many times myself that recent acts from WST (basically Matchroom) do bother me when I consider long-term impact to the sport. Many top and low ranked players have also declared they're unhappy with the way things are being managed, so a breakaway tour idea coming up wouldn't be such a great surprise. But how advanced would it be? Enough for these facts above being linked to it (what would mean that this tour is starting next season already)?
I don't know, but this week WST announced that the Home Nations and German Masters would now also have a tiered system (like the World and UK Championships do). I think it might be the best decision WST has taken under Steve Dawson's management - the main events will be much more attractive and the lower ranked players will have a chance to battle amongst themselves for money and ranking points before they're put up againts the top players. This decision will definitely please the top and low ranked players - could it have been a reply from WST to the possible breakaway threats they received?
I suppose we have to wait and see, but I hope it doesn't happen. It's nice that players and fans step up and show Matchroom that they don't own the sport, but a breakaway tour in modern sports can send you back several years.
See, WST has ongoing contracts with the main broadcasters and venues (I won't mention sponsors because they'll be wherever the top names are). You'd think that the new tour would struggle to get in the main channels early on, and of course the World Championship at the Crucible would become secondary to the breakaway tour's World Championship if most top players decide to go.
Also, how would qualifying to this breakaway tour work? WPBSA has a structure of qualification events all over the World, with ongoing contracts with local federations. Would the new tour just go back to the 70's and just accept or decline applications?
A few years ago IBSF broke down with the WPBSA and tried to claim they were the main governing body of snooker. It didn't work out at all, but I wonder what it would've been if the top players had joined...
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