QSP Series @ South West Snooker Academy-£25,000 prize fund*

[Souwester]

I see the QSP entry fee has now been reduced to £350 for the four events.

[Sarah Mount]

I see the QSP entry fee has now been reduced to £350 for the four events.

Hi Souwester,

That is correct. Having spoken to several amateur players we began to realise that the £500 entry fee was pricing some people out of entering the event. This is something we have always wanted to avoid as someones chances of success should never be down to whether or not they can afford to have a go in the first place. A full explanation can be read below in the press release we have sent out:

QSP ENTRY FEE REDUCTION ANNOUNCED

The entry fee for the QSP series of 4 events has been reduced to £350
This change has been made in response to calls from several players we are in close contact with, of the standard that the QSP series is aimed at . The players have asked if there is anything we can do, during these difficult times and so close to Christmas, to reduce the costs to the players without reducing the quality of the series of Tournaments.

As an organisation focused on offering what the players want, at a reasonable price, we have decided to act.

After discussing the QSP series with these players, to identify what they wanted from the series and what we were planning to do, we were able to identify things that would be costly for the Academy that were not seen as essential to the players.

Therefore in order to reduce the entry fee and to satisfy the players needs we have decided the following:-

1) Not to re-cloth the tables before every event as this is viewed by the players, probably quite rightly so, as overkill.

a. We will re-cloth at our planned times during the year, to maintain our standards, therefore the cost will be carried by the overall Academy budget and not a cost directly linked to the QSP event.

2) Minimise the use of referees during the event with only the latter stages of each event having a referee. The previous rounds will be self-refereed by the players.

3) Not to have a table fitter on site throughout the event.

The prize fund remains unchanged as do the 4 scholarship places.

This change in entry fees means that the Academy will, in round terms, pay out £1,000 in prize money for every £1,550 received in entry fees.

Note - The 4 Scholarships are not included in the cash prize calculation and are an additional prize with no cash equivalent. If any of the top 4 players in the series do not take up the scholarship their place will be awarded by concession.

Anyone who has already entered will be refunded £150 of their entry fee.

[wildJONESEYE]

Hi Souwester,

That is correct. Having spoken to several amateur players we began to realise that the £500 entry fee was pricing some people out of entering the event. This is something we have always wanted to avoid as someones chances of success should never be down to whether or not they can afford to have a go in the first place. A full explanation can be read below in the press release we have sent out:

QSP ENTRY FEE REDUCTION ANNOUNCED

The entry fee for the QSP series of 4 events has been reduced to £350
This change has been made in response to calls from several players we are in close contact with, of the standard that the QSP series is aimed at . The players have asked if there is anything we can do, during these difficult times and so close to Christmas, to reduce the costs to the players without reducing the quality of the series of Tournaments.

As an organisation focused on offering what the players want, at a reasonable price, we have decided to act.

After discussing the QSP series with these players, to identify what they wanted from the series and what we were planning to do, we were able to identify things that would be costly for the Academy that were not seen as essential to the players.

Therefore in order to reduce the entry fee and to satisfy the players needs we have decided the following:-

1) Not to re-cloth the tables before every event as this is viewed by the players, probably quite rightly so, as overkill.

a. We will re-cloth at our planned times during the year, to maintain our standards, therefore the cost will be carried by the overall Academy budget and not a cost directly linked to the QSP event.

2) Minimise the use of referees during the event with only the latter stages of each event having a referee. The previous rounds will be self-refereed by the players.

3) Not to have a table fitter on site throughout the event.

The prize fund remains unchanged as do the 4 scholarship places.

This change in entry fees means that the Academy will, in round terms, pay out £1,000 in prize money for every £1,550 received in entry fees.

Note - The 4 Scholarships are not included in the cash prize calculation and are an additional prize with no cash equivalent. If any of the top 4 players in the series do not take up the scholarship their place will be awarded by concession.

Anyone who has already entered will be refunded £150 of their entry fee.

Sarah

you cant keep reducing or players will be holding you to randsom until in the end you will be paying them to use the Academy or enter events.

you got to charge what will benefit the long term stability of the academy if some cant enter then tough.

[Terry Davidson]

Sarah:

I think reducing your own costs and passing that on to the players is a very good idea and I totally agree with the decision not to re-cloth for an event (unless it's a pro ranking event) and also dropping the referee number down to something affordable.

No referees will mean you'll have to somehow police the miss calls though, as they can be a huge bone of contention. How about one 'roaming' referre who can be called upon when a player has a tough snooker and a possible miss is on. I've found here the players are pretty good on calling themselves on the more simple snookers, especially when there is a pack of reds still on, but it gets a little tricky when a 3 or 4 cushion hit to one ball is called for.

Also, seeing as how you are having some difficulty getting a full roster of 128 players to pay for all 4 events in one whack before Christmas, would you consider if you have less than the 128 signed up then opening up each tournament to single entrants at 1/4 of the 350pounds per tournament?

This option would work for me as I hope to come over after the New Year and I like to play in high-quality tournaments (well, ANY tournaments really) even though my chances are slim to none of winning and Slim just left town.

Terry

[the legend]

Congratulations sarah i am absolutely convinced your doing the correct thing.The tables dont need recovering every event and i am sure you are now much more likely to receive the support of more players...

[wildJONESEYE]

They Re Clothed the UK Tables in sheffield after 4 Days Play .....

[Sarah Mount]

Sarah

you cant keep reducing or players will be holding you to randsom until in the end you will be paying them to use the Academy or enter events.

you got to charge what will benefit the long term stability of the academy if some cant enter then tough.

Hi wildJONESEYE

Any amateur tournament that we run is not staged with the intention of benefiting the long term stability of the Academy financially. All we ask for is that the costs for staging that tournament are at least met. If we are able to reduce our costs and pass those savings onto the players then I see that as only a positive for all concerned. If we were unable to do anything to reduce the costs then it would have had to have been a case of only those who could afford the £500 were able to enter, but, as it is, I think making it more affordable for more people is a great thing.

Sarah:

I think reducing your own costs and passing that on to the players is a very good idea and I totally agree with the decision not to re-cloth for an event (unless it's a pro ranking event) and also dropping the referee number down to something affordable.

No referees will mean you'll have to somehow police the miss calls though, as they can be a huge bone of contention. How about one 'roaming' referre who can be called upon when a player has a tough snooker and a possible miss is on. I've found here the players are pretty good on calling themselves on the more simple snookers, especially when there is a pack of reds still on, but it gets a little tricky when a 3 or 4 cushion hit to one ball is called for.

Also, seeing as how you are having some difficulty getting a full roster of 128 players to pay for all 4 events in one whack before Christmas, would you consider if you have less than the 128 signed up then opening up each tournament to single entrants at 1/4 of the 350pounds per tournament?

This option would work for me as I hope to come over after the New Year and I like to play in high-quality tournaments (well, ANY tournaments really) even though my chances are slim to none of winning and Slim just left town.

Terry

Hi Terry,

Many thanks for your comments and input. The referee situation is one we will have to think about as you rightly say, in the event of a decision not being made between the players.

We fully expect to fill all 128 places so we don't envisage a possibility of single entries to one or more of the events. We have had great deal of interest already including some entries at the £500 fee (who will be refunded £150) as well as many others who have told us they will be entering.

I'm sorry this doesn't help you during your visit to the UK in the New Year. :-(

Congratulations sarah i am absolutely convinced your doing the correct thing.The tables dont need recovering every event and i am sure you are now much more likely to receive the support of more players...

Many thanks The Legend!

We are more than happy to listen to constructive criticism and advice, especially from those who our events are designed for. If we feel we have got something wrong or there is a way of making an improvement then we will make the required changes to ensure a successful event for all concerned. Likewise, if we feel there is no alternative and we are justified in our decision, then we will stand by it. In this case, there was something we could do and we were happy to.

They Re Clothed the UK Tables in sheffield after 4 Days Play .....

At ranking events the cloths are often changed every 3-4 days. The amateur players we spoke to felt that as we change our cloths regularly anyway, they would still be playing on the best facilities possible if they entered the QSP without a re-cloth before every tournament. We listened to their input and made the decision based on what the players thought on this occasion.

[magicman]

Good decision in my eyes Sarah. I love the fact that you're prepared to re-align your initial plans without feeling aggrieved or manipulated in any way.


If they really are re-clothing the tables after 4 days of play, can't you buy those cloths cheaply? Is a retro-fit with an existing cloth like that even do-able?

[Terry Davidson]

The slightly used #10 S&S cloths are usually available on eBay.co.uk for 149pounds + shipping. The only problem is you have to use acetone to get out the original 'D' and spots, but that's not too difficult.

The other problem is he can't supply #10 cushion cloth and substitutes 6811 for the cushions, but that's no big deal either.

I purchased two of them and both were in really good condition with not a mark on them, although I sold one on to a fellow in Vancouver and I haven't installed my ownn one as yet.

Terry

[Sarah Mount]

Good decision in my eyes Sarah. I love the fact that you're prepared to re-align your initial plans without feeling aggrieved or manipulated in any way.


If they really are re-clothing the tables after 4 days of play, can't you buy those cloths cheaply? Is a retro-fit with an existing cloth like that even do-able?

Many thanks indeed magicman

Regarding the cloths, my honest answer is that I am not sure. Paul deals with that side of things so I will speak to him about it. Though I would imagine he would prefer to use new cloth at each re-cloth.

Thanks again!

[JanieWatkins]

You can now enter online for the QSP series at www.southwestsnookeracademy.com

If you require an entry pack to print off and send in, please pm me or email me, giving your email address and I'll send an entry pack off to you.

Get your entries in quick because QSP series is limited to 128 entries.

I'll look forward to seeing many of you down at the Academy in January.

[khizzy]

You can now enter online for the QSP series at www.southwestsnookeracademy.com

If you require an entry pack to print off and send in, please pm me or email me, giving your email address and I'll send an entry pack off to you.

Get your entries in quick because QSP series is limited to 128 entries.

I'll look forward to seeing many of you down at the Academy in January.

superb event,i wish i could play both the qsp and q school, i have applied for my visa so lets hope i get it in time and can play all the 4 qsp events.

great job janie, ever so hard working to promote the game.

[JanieWatkins]

superb event,i wish i could play both the qsp and q school, i have applied for my visa so lets hope i get it in time and can play all the 4 qsp events.

great job janie, ever so hard working to promote the game.

we'll look forward to seeing you. Contact Sarah Mount if you need a Visa Invite letter.

[hasankhan786]

hi Sarah

will these tournaments be run during the week or weekends.?

thanks

[Sarah Mount]

hi Sarah

will these tournaments be run during the week or weekends.?

thanks

Hello!

All four events run from Friday until Sunday. We were conscious of people who would need to get time off work so tried to minimise the number of week days we scheduled for the series. Hope you will be able to make it. If you need an entry form, PM me your email address and I will be happy to email you a copy.

Regards

Sarah