is snooker dying out in uk?

[trains]

SKY covering the World Championship qualifiers would be a good injection to get the uninitiated into the tension and aches and pains of this cruel game and get them more interested in lower ranked players,I suspect the SKY top brass don't know f.a. about snooker so a kind of 'feeler' event like this for them wouldn't go amiss imo just to see the public's response.
I read somewhere that Eurosport's snooker budget is really low but that isn't an excuse for some of their rubbish commentators,Eurosport should go freelance with former players for their commentary and not stick to their stale contracted commentators who come across as either emaciated or know nothing's imo,they're not good enough to retain new viewers.

[DeanH]

Trains - when on Eurosport International do you get the same commentators as we do with British Eurosport - Joe Johnson, David Hendon, Phil Yates, Mike Hallett,etc. - or do you local/regional commentators?

[Tony Morgan]

Got to agree with you Trains. Those commentators on Eurosport are boring. I actually press the mute button. It's far more enjoyable than listening to their stale/rubbish/boring/non interactive dull voices.

[trains]

Trains - when on Eurosport International do you get the same commentators as we do with British Eurosport - Joe Johnson, David Hendon, Phil Yates, Mike Hallett,etc. - or do you local/regional commentators?

Sorry mate I don't know,my post was just a lament on whats been obvious imo for age's now thats all.

[trains]

Got to agree with you Trains. Those commentators on Eurosport are boring. I actually press the mute button. It's far more enjoyable than listening to their stale/rubbish/boring/non interactive dull voices.

Indeed,the only thing is the total silence if you mute it kind of robs you of the tension if you get my drift.

[Ramon]

Got to agree with you Trains. Those commentators on Eurosport are boring. I actually press the mute button. It's far more enjoyable than listening to their stale/rubbish/boring/non interactive dull voices.

BBC commentators !!! . Are the best of world,imo. Especially with snooker.

[gavinR05]

Just Dipping in with my tuppence here.......... I am 37 now and not played on a full size table for some time. Son now gone to uni. I bought him the 6ft pool table, not played on often, but was looking forward to taking him out to play on a full size table. Where we are now I think there are 4 tables in our catchment area. I enjoyed going out to training at snooker before I was 18, local clubs( ran by political clubs) wd lay on early morning training Sat and Sunday. We followed this into a few sessions but the interest and price drove us away..... I was no great player, best break was mebbe 37, but me and my pal played for ages one day in a match he beat me 9-1. Didn't matter a jot to me the score, the whole social aspect was there and he was a far better player. Now with a bit free time I looked into heading out for a game, but unless league players no one plays the game socially under at least 60!

[cushtymax]

We have a big problem when it comes to clubs & youngsters getting interested in the game. I agree with all the comments on smoking ban( but I see that as a good thing obviously) consoles, supermarket prices , but there is more to than that. We have two different games now due to the tables being so different between a club & Tv table or an Academy table or a club where you might have 1-2 tables for pros only. Clubs can't afford to put Star tables in or even convert a table to be as close as it can get to one ! So as far as club snooker & and finding talent it's going to be harder . Also a star table is not made the same way and would prob be crap after a few weeks in a snooker club due to conditions. So what do we do? Also academy's are quite pricey too. When you play a game that requires you to be as accurate as snooker does, you need the facility's to be the same or as close as can be. Granted a club can't just have tight pocket tables as those who just want to have a knock about will struggle and won't play anymore. This is a problem that won't change in a hurry & we can't compete with china as they have funding and the best facility's for modern game. I know there are some clubs that are great still and promote the game with lots of comps and great facility's but the general pattern does not seem to show this in a lot of areas due to them shutting down. I could talk about different areas in the county doing better than others because of cost , unemployment & all that
political bollox but I won't.

[Princepugh]

As others have said, if we want to get youngsters involved then we need decent venues – that is, if we think this is a sporting activity which we want to see develop, right? What other sporting activities for youngsters would be run inside something resembling a pub? It’s just not professional, attractive or modern. Think of all the effort which goes into other sporting academies and then look at what snooker has to offer in your town. We are lucky enough to have the Star Academy in Sheffield but if I’m honest, I can’t afford to spend a decent amount of time there and it’s closed in the evenings!

My lad plays snooker because he loves it but it’s a hard sell to his mates because the venue is relatively poor compared to other offerings outside of snooker. And yes, Kieran m is bang on, give us more ¾ sized tables – they’re so much more manageable for kids, they can get their hand on the table, can get through more frames and enjoy playing on a slate bed.

On the coaching side, I’ve joined two clubs now with my 10 year old son and neither have officered, recommended, or referred us to any form of basic coaching – WHY? WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY for the club, for the bringing on of any talent and for my son and countless others!!! Again, what other successful sport would fail so spectacularly? Surely the clubs should be a first base for providing basic coaching at a reasonable cost which might then facilitate the development of up and coming talent?

Can’t comment on the quality of the tables as I’m not really good enough to tell the difference but there is definitely a dichotomy when it comes to social playing and getting youngsters/ talent into the system – whilst many social players hark back to the days of booze and fags, my son just see’s noisy players getting sweary as the drink goes down and I think that’s just incompatible with us trying to take this forward with the young ‘uns who need to feel comfortable and build their confidence.

Sorry, not the most positive of post but maybe some food for thought?


PP

[Catch 22]

I was in a club yesterday that has young kids from the local school come 2 nights per week accompanied by a teacher/social worker . The owner doesn't charge for tables but only charges for soft drinks and food .

It's a nice thing to do and hopefully the kids go onto play regular

[Chappy5]

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.

EXACTLY.

This forum is even guilty of it as Snooker discussion even becomes an appendage measuring exercise sometimes where you can be looked down upon because you are not as good as someone else and/or do not have a Parris ultimate therefore in their own mind they hold the moral high ground over you.

It happens all the time and will turn away new players and enthusiasts as the hero attitude comes out and i am better than you etc etc........ Sigh...Just read the Snooker coaching board for proof as posters on here even have a go at others because they have an opinion different to their own and everyone is a so called expert and happy to tell others about it. While others are called out to produce videos of themselves playing cause they shoot off from the mouth behind the keyboard.

It would only be worse in real life i would imagine in Snooker Halls in the U.K. and any new player will see this and say " Stuff that " they are all head strong idiots etc etc while at the end of the day the heroes wind up playing by themselves and halls shut down cause they cannot attract new players/novices to have a go.


The friendly/gentleman ship which this whole game was formed on is slowly dying in the amatuer ranks and i see it here in Australia sadly as well so leave your ego at home IMO and enjoy the game.

[philip in china]

We have this discussion every so often. I suggested that members commit to taking at least 1 non player to their club. I even offered a small prize for a draw if we got enough takers. The suggestion was met with predictable apathy.

[wake_up_bomb]

The reason snooker is struggling is that it doesn't fit into the pattern and pace of modern life. I follow chess a bit - not very much, but trust me, some people are obsessively interested in chess - and there is always a debate about how to make the game bigger, how to get in on TV, etc. Back in the 80s and even 90s, chess coverage was regularly on television; can you imagine that now? Snooker is quite a slow and extremely difficult sport, kids growing up nowadays want things fast, exciting and instantly accessible. This is why test cricket is dying on its arse while T20 has been relatively successful, because people haven't got five days to invest in something which ends in a draw any more, and which takes place at daft times of day when they should be at work.

I'm sure the game of snooker will survive, but there is consequently a noticeable dearth of young talent.

[jonny66]

No roll ups is a good idea, like in pool where one ball has to touch a cushion after first contact, makes the safety battles much more interesting IMO and a good player should still be able to pull off a good safety.

[Byrom]

I was thinking maybe bring back junior pot black on TV - get the next generation of players on TV - or bring back this show or something like it -