Hearn ready for snooker to leave Crucible after 2027

Barry Hearn says snooker needs Sheffield to "treat us with respect"

Barry Hearn has promised the World Snooker Championship will leave the Crucible after 2027 unless the tournament's long-time home is revamped or replaced.

The contract to stage snooker's premier event at the Sheffield theatre expires in two years' time, and Hearn says the venue is "no longer fit for purpose".

Matchroom Sport president Hearn is heavily involved in negotiations and says World Snooker Tour ideally "want to stay" in the South Yorkshire city.

The 76-year-old, who retired as chairman of Matchroom four years ago and handed the reins to son Eddie Hearn, has a long personal history with the Crucible, which has hosted the tournament since 1977.

It is where he dashed out into the arena to celebrate when Steve Davis, who he managed for many years, won his first world title in 1981, almost knocking the champion off his feet.

Matchroom has largely controlled professional snooker since 2010, and to leave the Crucible would be a move that would be divisive.

Eddie Hearn said he would have taken the World Championship away from the theatre "five years ago".

His father says the 980-seat theatre will forfeit the tournament unless central government or Sheffield City Council, with whom he has a meeting planned next week, step up their commitment.

Asked by Rick Edwards on 5 Live Breakfast whether the World Championship could stay in Sheffield without a new venue or an extension to the Crucible, Barry Hearn said: "No. It's black and white: we love the Crucible, we love Sheffield, but the Crucible and Sheffield have got to love us."

He added: "We want to stay but the financials have to be taken into consideration.

"The facilities where the Crucible is are no longer fit for purpose, that's the key issue."

Barry Hearn has been coming to the Crucible for over 40 years

Hearn said players want "bigger prize money" and likened snooker to darts, which has been run successfully by Matchroom, becoming a sport that regularly fills arenas rather than theatres.

Next year's PDC world darts champion will collect £1m. The 2025 world snooker champion will receive a cheque for £500,000.

"The Crucible's been a big part of my life and a big part of snooker's life," Hearn said, "but it has to move with the times and someone, whether it's government or Sheffield, have to come up with a way of showing us that they're going to treat us with respect and give us the type of facilities we require.

"It's as simple as that. It's not complicated."

All parties involved said prior to this year's ongoing World Championship there would be no announcement about a future contract during the tournament.

Tradition or money - what do players really want?

The World Championship had lived a nomadic existence before promoter Mike Watterson took it to the Crucible almost half a century ago, heeding the advice of his wife, Carole, who had watched a play in the theatre and felt it had just the right attributes to stage a snooker event.

It is where the sport's most famous moments have been witnessed, and for many it has become almost synonymous with the tournament itself.

This is far from the first time a move away from Sheffield has been mooted, or that similar messages have come from Matchroom, yet the 50th anniversary of its first World Championship could well mark a farewell to the city.

China and Saudi Arabia have been linked with bids to stage the tournament, which could also move elsewhere in the UK.

Eddie Hearn, who has built the boxing arm of Matchroom to great effect, is openly "not a snooker guy".

The 45-year-old says snooker is "leaving a huge amount of money on the table" by staying faithful to the Crucible. He says it could sell 4,000 tickets for each session elsewhere if the sport moves away from its traditions.

He said: "I think World Snooker and my dad have been unbelievably loyal to the game and to the venue and to the dream of the Crucible, but at some point you've got to say we can provide greater opportunities for our players and life-changing opportunities.

"If there's a way to keep it in Sheffield, of course that's the preferred option. But ultimately, behind closed doors, trust me on one thing: the players want more money and that's the same in any sport you work in."