Barry Hearn has confirmed talks with Sheffield Council over the prospect of building a 'new Crucible'. The legendary venue for the World Championship has been criticised by some players, claiming it is too small.
Now the Matchroom Sport president has shed some light on the matter and explained that while conversations have been had regarding a new venue, the current building will continue to host the tournament for now. “A lot of people have been quite public about us needing to go to a bigger venue,” Hearn began.
“I can understand it’s quite cramped at the Crucible, especially with a two-table set-up. The demand for tickets means a lot of people don’t get to tick their bucket list wishes and get to the Crucible.
“We have an agreement with Sheffield Council for the next five years. That will be honoured. I’ve always made it quite clear that while I’m alive I want snooker to stay in Sheffield. We’re synonymous with Sheffield, the history we have created.” He added: “But there are early-stage talks at the moment with Sheffield Council. Why don’t we look at perhaps building a new Crucible in Sheffield?
“Maybe a 2,000 or 2,500-seater venue instead of 900, which we know we’ll fill up every time. And maybe a little bit more space on the playing arena. It’ll cost money. It all starts with the first conversation and it ends when we open the doors to a magnificent new Crucible.”
While open to the idea of new venue within Sheffield, sadly for the city’s Snooker lovers, Hearn admitted that the tournament could move elsewhere if a new project is not supported. “The Crucible name is synonymous with snooker globally, 500 million people will watch this event around the world, so the name has to remain,” he added.
“You can take history with you. It would be the original name, it would have the original design of the building, just a bit bigger. It’s a wonderful marriage. There is no need to divorce. It just needs a little bit of understanding and a little bit of investment – people’s times, people’s hearts and maybe a few quid from central government.” The likes of world No.16 Stephen Maguire suggested the tournament could be moved elsewhere in future.
Neil Robertson who slammed the venue as "cramped", Judd Trump, and Shaun Murphy have also floated the possibility of officials searching for a new venue to host the tournament. Maguire - the 2004 UK champion - who said his height was an issue at the building - even has a replacement venue in mind. "I’m not slagging the Crucible, but I’m not the biggest fan of the Crucible, I think it’s small," Maguire told The Metro. "I’ve said that from day one when I qualified, it’s very small and it takes a bit to get used to.
"I’m tall, I like a walk in and you don’t get the walk in. But it is special, it’s got a special atmosphere on top of that, so it’s kind of 50-50. I would move it, yeah, I would. I think Ally Pally [Alexandra Palace] has made itself our best venue by probably a good distance."
