How big is the Premier League?

[The Boss]

Is it the 5th biggest tournament, after the World Championship, UK Championship, World Open and Masters? Bigger than some Ranking tournaments or bigger than none?



Premier Success: Current champion Shaun Murphy edged out 8 times winner Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2009 :snooker:

[Odrl]

First of all, I find the World Open as part of the "big four" laughable, as I consider it about as big as the Wuxi Classic.

As for the Premier League... It certainly has a feeling of "grandness" about it, and there is never a poor atmosphere or any uninteresting pairings. It's good to have it during these two months of snooker drought.

But of course it can't compare to the full rankings events with a full field of players and an entire week of action. And on top of that, the Premier League is shot-clock snooker, which is way less enjoyable.

[Mignon]

PL is a successful business where everyone wins: promoter, players (I don’t mean match/competition winners), fans.
Comparisons with ranking events ? Well, maybe, but then some basic criteria should be set. Performance level, prize money, popularity? I’d say that PL is doing pretty well.

[The Boss]

PL is a successful business where everyone wins: promoter, players (I don’t mean match/competition winners), fans.
Comparisons with ranking events ? Well, maybe, but then some basic criteria should be set. Performance level, prize money, popularity? I’d say that PL is doing pretty well.

I was thinking if it was bigger from a players' and audience point of view. Some of the players invited to the Masters will claim it is even bigger than the UK, but definitely bigger than minor ranking tournaments. The Premier League doesn't provide ranking points either, but the prize money and viewing figures are high. I reckon the players will regard it more highly than some of the other tournaments

[Matt_2745]

In terms of prestige I don't think it really has a great deal to be honest, I'd rather my favourite players won any of the ranking events out there than the Premier League.

In terms of how 'big' it is though, then that is a different matter entirely due to the huge amounts of prize money on offer and the crowd levels. Probably below the Worlds/Masters/UK's but ahead of everything else to the players.

As a fan I'm not really bothered about it. If I couldn't watch a ranking event I'd be gutted but with the Premier League I'm not really bothered. It's entertaining and a good way to pass an evening, but I don't take it particularly seriously, it's just a series of exhibition matches to me with added cash thrown in.

[Rane]

It´s big in term of money and audience, but I don´t see much in it. 4- 5 frames and I can´t stand anymore, as the players runs out of position because of the shot clock over and over again, even O´Sullivan regularly loses his position because he has to rush a shot.

[Ronnie's tip]

It's probably the 5th biggest IMO.

I do think there should be some sort of rankings in it though. Maybe have 4 Premier leagues, and every year players get promoted, relegated ect.

[ace man]

It doesn't compare to ranking events because it is invitational after all. But I especially enjoy watching it because the camera angles are better than at regular ranking events. For e.g. the table doesn't cover the whole TV screen, so at times you can actually see the player's stance setup, bits of cue action, etc...not bad for those who also like to play snooker from time to time.

Not sure about the shot clock though. Some players fell into trap by shooting at exact time when the buzzer went off and they missed of course...felt sorry for them.

Edit:
Oh, how big it is? Not sure, but to me being invited to play in it is very very big. It is sort of recognition for a player. Must be a great honor for most players who get to play in it.

[magicman]

It's a competition with 7 people in it. The Open at Prestatyn is harder to win than the premier league. The Masters has only 18 people in it as well, so again its hard to call that a major tournament.

Don't get me wrong, both the Masters and the Premier league are good to have on the calendar and entertaining enough, fairly prestigious, obviously the Masters more so, and lucrative too. Realistically though with 7 people and a stupid beeping noise every 25 seconds the Premier League will never be accounted a big or a proper tournament.

The Masters was always just the top 16. Once they opened it up to wild cards and qualifying winners, then the premise went out the window frankly, and now they may as well play qualifiers down to 16 to join the top 16 and make it a ranking event.

[João]

The Premier League is as important as Power Snooker or 6 reds tournaments.

Even PTC tournaments are bigger.

[Migtsf]

At the moment, the Premier League is way too big.

It’s actually clogging the first half of the snooker calendar so much that it has been impossible to add a proper ranking event in that period. The western world has to wait a lifetime of 7 months between the World Championship and the UK Championship.