World champion John Higgins has backed promoter Barry Hearn’s plans to revolutionise snooker as the sport’s leading players prepare to vote today on the future of the game.
Higgins leads a whole host of top players, including six times world champion Steve Davis, Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby, who want Hearn on board because he believes the Englishman's entrepreneurial skills could herald the start of a golden era.
World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker is up for re-election and Hearn, who transformed the fortunes of darts in recent years and who is a successful boxing promoter and football chairman, is waiting in the wings to take over.
Higgins is not convinced by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association’s (WPBSA) proposals for a world tour encompassing a minimum 15 events and said: “I love snooker, I care deeply about the game and want to see it progress. What is clear to just about everyone is that snooker is crying out for change. I've been fortunate enough to be involved in the World Series of Snooker with my manager Pat Mooney, taking the game to so many countries and from what I can see other people are basically regurgitating our ideas.
“I'm flabbergasted that at a time we have been losing tournaments – right now we've only got six ranking events – Sir Rodney Walker is talking about staging at least 15. To suddenly come out with that is simply plucking figures out of the sky.
“This is a massive vote.”
Should Sir Walker fail in his attempt for re-election, Higgins is fully behind moves to put Hearn in charge of promoting the sport. He said: “I do not think there is anyone better equipped to take over as chairman than Barry Hearn.
“You just need to look at his track record promoting sport throughout the world – he is successful at whatever he turns his hand to and there is no better example of that in darts which is enormously popular again after years in the doldrums."
Like Higgins, Steve Davis is extremely wary about the WPBSA's proposed plans for a world tour. He said: “The morale amongst players has been so low recently, it's so desperate. Players ranked in the 20s and 30s are thinking about getting jobs because they are not getting the prize money out of only six events a year. They have really lost confidence, we're all very, very worried.
“Barry Hearn has said he'd be happy to resurrect snooker like he's done to darts, if enough players want him to.”