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Snooker's ruling body, the WPBSA has finally acknowledged that snooker needs to
brighten up its act, by this I mean the dress code. For too long players have
been made to look like penguins. As far as I know snooker is the only sport where
the players have to wear evening dress, this is just no good in the 21st
century. It now seems that the board have finally accepted that change is
needed, players are young and their clothes should represent this. In surveys
taken on behalf of the WPBSA nearly all young people under the age of 20 said
that whilst they liked snooker they thought it was uncool to tell their friends.
They also said that the arenas and the players dress was always the same. It
seems change will be slow coming though because the board want to try one
tournament first to see the reaction of the public, so an ideal situation would
be to find a clothing manufacturer who would be prepared to sponsor a
ranking tournanment. Maybe you could help. Perhaps you have a connection in such
a company, or if any of you have any suggestions of a company who would be
interested in this lucrative marketing package,
e-mail me and let me know.
For me the the dress code would be only a part of the changes needed,
all the way down the line of the promotion of the sport we need new fresh ideas.
Snooker has shed the system of the closed shop open only to a few, so now we
must embrace all the young talent we have. The British Broadcasting Company has
shown faith in the game by giving one of the best TV deals ever. Let's hope that
both the WPBSA and the BBC do not waste the next five years and bring snooker up
to date.
I recently went to a managers meeting and there is growing concern that
the internal squabbles of all the interested parties is beginning to have an a
detremental effect. The two heavy weight contenders in the managerial stables
whilst good at throwing out lots of critisism seem unable to agree on a clear
path forward. The premature resignation of John Spencer also puts pressure on
the already growing rift. Vice chairman Jeff Foulds has taken over the hot seat
and looks set for a bumpy ride over the coming months. For me too may voices
making too much noise making too few decisions is just what snooker does not
need. Let's hope they sort out their differences and do whats right for snooker.
I recently had a chat with Terry Griffiths, some of you may already know
that Terry now is on the board of the WPBSA, this for me is great as Terry has a
genuine enthusiasm for the game we all love. He recently sent out a letter to
all the pro players telling them of his intention to safeguard the future of the
game. Well I for one would love to see Terry installed as the chairman of the
sport at some point. That is not to say that the new chairman Jeff Foulds is
not capable. He has done a very good job as vice chairman over the years, but
Terry would be my first choice as a true ambassador of the sport. You will be
pleased to know that Terry is working toward opening schools of excellence where
youngsters could go to be coached by top players. This is just the type of
foundation which is needed urgently by the sport. As some of you may know if
you have read my earlier articles I believe many clubs around the world should
be registered with the sports ruling body, so the facilities can be improved
thus raising the all round standard of the game.
The current season seems to have carried on where last season left off
with major suprises as the top players struggle with up and coming young
players. Having said this
Stephen Hendry still reigns supreme at
the top. The UK Championship
highlighted just how
good he still is, but the gap between the
top and the bottom is so much smaller now. Young
Mark Williams impresses more
every time I see him and his rise to provisional third is deserved.
Alain Robidoux is making a
determined effort this year, and now at last we may see
what he has been promising to show for so long. Is this anything to do with the
beautiful blonde girlfriend he has been taking around the tournaments? (ed. !) The
rest of the season may see many more shocks, but would you bet against the tartan
army ruling the world championship again next year?, well I have a bet that says
Stephen Hendry will not win it, I just
have a hunch that there may be a
suprise!
Anyhow I have gone on for too long, now its your turn
write to me and
tell me all the news from your neck of the woods.
Regards
Richard Fountain
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