is snooker dying out in uk?

[ADW147CUEMAN]

Well i started in the 80s and it was working mens clubs ect ie beer and smoking and socializing + games leagues on the Tuesdays and Wednesdays when slow going through the week on a home and away basis snooker and billiards ,and very popular friday saturday sunday monday , nearly every day of the week , not everyone was tv standard but it showed more people to the game and that was a massive chunk of people trying the game out and lots of interest as it was a big subject to talk about even if you just watched the lads playing and up and coming player getting better!! , and were did you go to have tea and biscuits to have a good time enjoying playing snooker sucking on a rich tea biscuit haha , smoking ban and closure of pubs pool game? and clubs snooker/billiards game suffered and getting worse as nearly all the pubs now are paint shops and all the clubs are carpet shops haha dwindling fast , government dont like us socializing in that way anymore. con clubs liberal clubs working mens clubs ect snooker centers were all heaving , the government are changing the way we used to live by lots of people drinking at home amongst other things, look at big Bill Werbunuik 20 pints before a game and all the snooker players on the tv drank alcohol and smoked there heads off advertising the embassy world championships say no more , now its sipping water ect:snooker: more people went out to enjoy themselves and the snooker table and beer and smoking was the way to do it and it didnt cost the earth like it would now , thats my 2 pence worth :biggrin-new: give that man a cigar lol

[itsnoteasy]

Interesting that the notion that snooker could wane because of participation, this forum for instance contains snooker players who concern themselves about snooker and certain factions only want to know what cue x plays with or what tip y plays with. If tv was full of snooker comps and millions watched but no one played would that mean it was florishing or dead? Look at f1 whats the participation level there? We need to seperate the game we see on the screen and the game we indulge in. Its not all about young lads taking up the game and becoming superstars its about reasonable prices small clubs good leagues thats what built snooker in the first place. Rileys went. Because they deserved to go. They had no interest in snooker at all. They just chased the money till it blew up in their face

Excellent post, it would be interesting to know the percentage of people who actually play and love playing snooker, compared with the watchers and lovers of all things snooker but don't really play, I have never thought about where that leaves the game, but in the end you need players coming through to give the audience the next generation to support and you need the watchers to give the players a living,(no audience no sponsors) so they are probably each as important.
Our clubs dead as a dodo, I don't know how it's still open. Four teams including mine have pulled out the league because we couldn't get players.

[ADR147]

Interesting that the notion that snooker could wane because of participation, this forum for instance contains snooker players who concern themselves about snooker and certain factions only want to know what cue x plays with or what tip y plays with. If tv was full of snooker comps and millions watched but no one played would that mean it was florishing or dead? Look at f1 whats the participation level there? We need to seperate the game we see on the screen and the game we indulge in. Its not all about young lads taking up the game and becoming superstars its about reasonable prices small clubs good leagues thats what built snooker in the first place. Rileys went. Because they deserved to go. They had no interest in snooker at all. They just chased the money till it blew up in their face

a very good post - the game should be enjoyed by people playing who can't make a 20 break as well as watching top pros.

[Kieran m]

I see snooker as similar to golf- in that to be good at it you must first have high natural ability. If you have high natural ability you must then put in hour after hour of practice to hone the skills you have and make shot after shot repeatable. The money you have to spend to do that is quite high.

If you don't play snooker or golf to a high level it inevitably becomes boring, you spend more time looking for your ball in the rough than enjoying the game.

My solution to bring more youngsters in to the game would be to have clubs with many more 3/4 or even smaller tables- this would enable people who can cue decent enough but don't want/can't put the time in, to enjoy the odd game a hell of a lot more.

[golferson123]

Interesting that the notion that snooker could wane because of participation, this forum for instance contains snooker players who concern themselves about snooker and certain factions only want to know what cue x plays with or what tip y plays with. If tv was full of snooker comps and millions watched but no one played would that mean it was florishing or dead? Look at f1 whats the participation level there? We need to seperate the game we see on the screen and the game we indulge in. Its not all about young lads taking up the game and becoming superstars its about reasonable prices small clubs good leagues thats what built snooker in the first place. Rileys went. Because they deserved to go. They had no interest in snooker at all. They just chased the money till it blew up in their face

[Inoffthered]

theres only a handfull of pros who really pull in the crowds, ronnie being the main one

To possibly be more precise ( subjective, I know ), ROS, Neil Robertson and Ding.. not sure who else puts bums on seats? ( Unless Jimmy makes it through to the main venues ).

[matt926_uk]

theres only a handfull of pros who really pull in the crowds, ronnie being the main one

[svendh]

I think snooker will shrink but never die out.

[guernseygooner]

not people from outer space with jumper s on their mum has knitted for them

Spurs fans

[matt926_uk]

Well as for snooker being a sport thats open for debate! Its roots are built round socialising and its heyday has indeed gone no doubt speeded up by the recession and smoking ban because no pastime/hobby/sport can survive just with dedicated enthusiasts you need casual participants as well

Snooker is on Eurosport, that makes it a sport don't it? lol
yeah, in its heyday you had players like Alex Higgins and Bill Werbeniuk, hardly what u would call sportsmen, but times have changed and now the top players like Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui are proffessional on and off the table and good role models for kids.

Granted though there are two types of players i guess, those who treat the game a bit more seriously and play it as a sport and those who just want a casual game and a few pints, sometimes there is a conflict of interests between the two. I don't think youngsters are really catered for which is a shame, i'm suprised anybody under 18 takes the game up!

With the smoking ban and strict drink driving laws the casual players are dwindling. Players who took the game up in its heyday are getting older and maybe giving up the game too. Just heard about Rileys clubs closing down, but i'm sure many clubs however are still doing well, as is the club i play at.

Would a well run club where there was no bar and people under 18 welcome be successfull?, i'm not sure, many pros and cons

[tony9ball68]

Yes snoooooooooooozzzzzzzzzzzzer is dying and has been for years, I remember playing in a club where we used to have competitions on weekdays, people would even skive off work to play in them. Smoking ban didn't help, nor did the rise of home entertainment. Too many robot players on tv don't help either. Zzzzzzzzzz
Darts has never been boring, apart from the BBC amateur events

[Leo]

Darts used to be seen as boring until sky sports etc got involved and made it more exciting with huge crowds loud noise better atmosphere ,i just wondered if snooker could go down this road,you watch snooker on tv and let's be honest you look at some of the people in the crowd and many don't look like normal human beings,maybe rearrange the arenas and make snooker comps an atmosphere where woman want to go like they do darts.
we love snooker as we know the game and how it's played,but you stick a neutral in the crowd at an event they would walk out in frame 2 as they would either fall asleep or say it's boring as hell.
Good atmosphere brings in crowds not people from outer space with jumper s on their mum has knitted for them

[cyberheater]

From my point of view, it doesn't help that there isn't a single tournament staged in Scotland where I live and yet we are starting to get used to seeing PTC events held in remote places that hardly have any audience attendance. It's really annoying and frustrating.

[golferson123]

a new type of snooker club needs to come through, snooker is a sport, people shouldn't need to drink 6 pints to enjoy it. this is why kids don't take up the game, because most clubs don't allow kids to play. too much of a drinking culture in england

Well as for snooker being a sport thats open for debate! Its roots are built round socialising and its heyday has indeed gone no doubt speeded up by the recession and smoking ban because no pastime/hobby/sport can survive just with dedicated enthusiasts you need casual participants as well

[matt926_uk]

a new type of snooker club needs to come through, snooker is a sport, people shouldn't need to drink 6 pints to enjoy it. this is why kids don't take up the game, because most clubs don't allow kids to play. too much of a drinking culture in england