Barry Hearn has sent a clear message to officials at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, warning that the future of the World Snooker Championship at the venue is far from certain beyond 2027.
The Crucible has long been the home of snooker’s most prestigious event, but with its limited capacity of just 980 seats, commercial concerns are now front and center. Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, says changes are needed—and fast.
“I haven’t heard enough about it,” Hearn told Metro. “I’m meeting with Sheffield Council in early May. The clock is ticking. If anyone thinks I’m bluffing, they’d be making a mistake.”
Hearn wants assurances that any future plans for the event will include better facilities for both players and spectators, and a larger venue to help meet the growing demand.
“We run a commercial business,” he added. “We’ve got to maximise revenue.”
The conversation comes at a time when prize money in other sports is booming. In darts, also run by Matchroom, the prize fund has just doubled, with £1 million now awarded to the World Darts Champion starting next year.
“We’ve taken snooker prize money from £3.5 million to £20 million,” Hearn said. “In darts, it’s gone past £25 million. The two sports are quite competitive.”
Hearn hinted that snooker players may soon follow the lead of rising darts stars like Luke Littler, who recently expressed confidence that the larger prize pools are the future of the sport.
“I’ll say to the snooker players, ‘As long as I’ve only got 900 tickets to sell, it’s going to be a long struggle, mate,’” Hearn noted.
The 2025 World Snooker Championship is currently underway. Reigning champion Kyren Wilson has already exited, while Ronnie O’Sullivan began his campaign this week, returning to action after a break following a cue incident in January.
