Don’t move it to Saudi Arabia, they have enough influence in this country.

It's the TV audience that matters, not another couple of hundred or so at the venue itself. Plenty of big tournaments throughout the season in anonymous venues don't get the traction that the World Champs in the Crucible, Sheffield do.

Those saying the Crucible should be extended need to remember it's a theatre for 11 months a year and is perfect as it is. The fact it hosts snooker is a strange twist that shouldn't get in the way of its core business.

If it was made bigger, the next complaint would be about the city, or the traffic, or the weather. As we know bigger isn't always better, living in a mansion with lots of empty rooms, I'd rather live in a mid terrace with amazing atmosphere. The Crucible is the goose that laid the golden egg for these players, now they want to Cut it's throat, shame on them.

It should stay for the sake of history and traditions. Money comes and goes, legacy is eternal.

If you’ve got a crowd of say 3000 or more? spectators the people at the back are gonna see a very small snooker table that’s the way it is its not like football with a massive pitch so everyone can see. Please keep it at the crucible. Its our jewel in the crown 👑 👍

Sadly after seeing Barry Hearn on tv today it seems the crucibles days are numbered.

Just don't send it to Saudi Arabia. I'm tired of them trying to greenwash their reputation. Unfortunately, just like a lot of pro golfers, there are plenty of snooker players ready to overlook their sins for the the sake of a big payday.

How many will turn up at 10 am on a Tuesday morning in Saudi Arabia?

Move it to London temporarily and work on renovating the crucible to make it bigger for a crowd of 2000 or so people

If its moved to Saudi Arabia then you are taking it away from the fans/spectators and you will lose the atmosphere purely for the greed of money, we see it with Boxing, fans cannot see the big fight live, it's become a local and celebrity event, so find an alternative venue in Britain and give Sheffield a chance to extend, rebuild/build a new venue.

Did Wilson say 9 thousand fans in hong kong really did that happen ? Cant imagine seeing much unless you gad binoculars 😂

Worldwide television money coming in ..a few more seats is a weak excuse to move it ..if it moves from the crucible then in my opinion not long after they will realise what a huge mistake ..the theatre as it stands is what makes the world championships what it is and has been for nearly 50 years ..the fact that something so very special is shown such little respect today by a few very greedy individuals is sad to see ..I hope many snooker players and snooker fans who love the venue stand tall and fight to keep it where it belongs

I don’t think watching a snooker match in a 9000/10000 seat arena sounds like a lot of fun. How would you see binoculars maybe 🤷‍♀️

Never in a million years, yes there should be renovations and theatre expansion, but NO WAY it's leaving Sheffield. That's like moving tennis out of Wimbledon. Pathetic.

Snooker is not darts, stay at this theatre it is a masterpiece

There's still tickets available for most matches including the semi-final, so they're being very optimistic if they think they can sell a bigger capacity. There's certainly no chance outside of the UK and China, in the modern world people don't have the patience to watch a match over several days and several sessions, the Saudi tournaments are best of 7's. It's probably a marketing ploy to attract attention and let people know the tournament is taking place.

I've been to many big sporting events. I have sampled atmosphere in many types and sizes of arena. I've been to the Crucible. Beyond a doubt, the atmosphere in the Crucible theatre is like none other that I have experienced elsewhere. How them fellas can hold cue there, not to mind play how they do, is beyond me. I have been watching snooker there since the early '80s and it is without doubt the ultimate test of a professional snooker player. Whoever is the last man standing at the end of those gruelling 17 days in that arena is a worthy winner and deserves to be crowned champion of the world.

I think the crucible is the home of snooker and is a unique atmosphere which would be very difficult to replicate. But for the sport and the economics of it. The premium event on the calendar needs to have a bigger stage and i say that with great sadness.

If they move it just loses all the history that’s happened in that little theatre but it Woodnt surprise me if it went abroad because the east are getting the money into all of our sports !

It should never,definitely make it better for the fans but that venue is THE HOLY GRAIL for snooker!Snooker is not much without it!🤷🤷👁👁👁👌👊🤝

Its an iconic sporting venue

Surely The Crucible can be transformed into a much bigger venue, with a capacity of 3000-5000 people! It would enhance the atmosphere, upgrade and improve the facilities for everyone, increase the revenue, and create a whole new experience for the players and fans! Sometimes things have to change, look at how Wimbledon has changed!

Moving the snooker world championship away from the Crucible would be as ludicrous as moving the Grand National away from Aintree or the Gold Cup away from Cheltenham..Has to be a non starter.

Its going its as simple as that fast barry cemented it yesterday MONEY TALKS and thats that

If it goes anywhere other than England, supporters of England will probably not be traveling. Just leave it alone where it is.

Ok, shall we now have a debate on moving Wimbledon? I’m a Sheffield lad, and I have strong feelings why it should stay. However, the Sheffield council would rather spend money on either crap, or themselves rather than modernise the Crucible, add a few hundred seats (not loads as that would make it just like any other venue) but that won’t happen. A shortsighted council that will sit on it’s arse and watch it get taken away

For the winners to be able to lift that same trophy in the same place as Steve Davis did in the 80s, Alex Higgins in '82, Dennis Taylor in '85, Hendry in the 90s etc. It's special, and it's historic. The same venue, the same trophy, the same doors, the same seats, the same stairs. It should stay there forever. Barry Hearn can make the money from other tournaments. The Masters, Tour Championship, World Open, Players Championship, World Grand Prix, Champion of Champions, International Championship: 5 out of 7 of them are held in the UK. Nobody is precious about them being held in the UK, so why not turn some of them into bigger events and have them somewhere like Saudi Arabia? Why does it have to be the World Champs that moves? If the money is elsewhere then why were 16 of the 23 WST competitions held the UK this season? 66% of all the prize money (not including the World Champs) comes from UK-based events.

Why? Because Ronnie said so?

Never. But it will, because of the greedy hearns.

bigger audiences bigger hospitality..thats what snooker is about now? havent they made enough money of it at some time

Move it to Saudi and I expect a lot of TV viewers will stop watching. Typical Hearns always looking for any way of making a few extra quid no matter the damage it does to the sport.

I live in Sheffield so I'd love for it to stay, but I'm always worried money will talk. Maybe the World Champs could move around but come back to Sheffield every five years like the Open does with St. Andrews? I'd have no problem with the odd final going to China or the far east, or anywhere else they want to grow the sport.

Amazingly, the guy who is vocal about doing things for the money, is the guy who wants it to stay there for the history - fair play to Mark Williams. Carter and Murphy talk about loving the game, but really they just see the dollar signs. But hey, money talks. Have it in Saudi, give a £1M prize - but I hope when the oil runs out, and their plans of tourist diversification fail (look at NEOM), when they come running to try and save the history then Sheffield tell them to suck it.

Absolutely not

I agree with Mark Williams, KEEP IT HERE FOREVER :-)

For all the nostalgia in the world, it will be moving elsewhere regardless. Money talks, BS Walks, tragically us humans are just programmed that way, there is no stopping it.

I agree it's difficult. Certainly you would loose the atmosphere at bigger venues but it is very crowded and not as spectator comfortable as other venues with less intimate atmosphere. For 'cost of living crisis reasons I an staying away for a few years, but I have been a regular their 16 years ...next time I will probably just attend the cheaper qualifyers.

Personally, they need a bigger venue. If they turned the crucible into a massive snooker hall people would travel from all over. It absolutely has to stay in the UK and tbh in Sheffield. If they chose to sell out to Saudi the sport in UK dies.

I've been to the Crucible both watching snooker and when it is quiet and no events on. It is a dive. That hideous carpet says it all and it's been like that for years. There are no nice places to sit and drink or eat. Yes, there are tables and nice big window views, but inside it is extremely dated and doesn't feel luxurious. Knock it down and build a state of the art historic character building in the square there and link it to directly to the Winter Gardens. That would be epic.

It's akin to England playing at Loftus road.Sheffield has had it's day.

I wish they’d make an effort to recreate the ethos of crucible in its heyday with the red carpets etc. but it just looks like any other venue on tv now

Yes and no Because of the history it should stay but as its the biggest tournament there should be a bigger crowd aswell

The crucible is where the world championships should stay its the home of snooker with the best atmosphere .( next best is goffs in Ireland)don't sell out for money and greed.

Williams underestimating demand, every match would be sold out

Tradition means something!!!

stupid. why do people not realise that at the end of the day a snooker table is very small? it's not football where you can get 100000 people in and they can all see and enjoy the game. even in most snooker venues, most of the audience can't really see shit. they are seated way too far from the table. the alexandra palace is horrible too. it is ONLY at the Crucible that you get a decent view of the table. come on

Seem to be mixing up two different points: 1. Having a bigger venue somewhere else in UK and 2. Moving to another country. Calling it the 'World Championship' doesn't make it necessarily the 'biggest', most prestigious event. There's nothing to stop an additional bigger event - more money, bigger crowds - happening somewhere else and calling it something else; e.g; "The World Super Crown". China already has the 'World Open' and the 'International Championship'. What's in a name?! If such an event became bigger then it would be bigger - obviously!

It’s is now a true world played sport and I think it should travel the world like the football World Cup but take a vote players and supporters

Snooker deserves a better venue for the World Championships if crucible decides not to improve it's current venue.

What a stupid question It’s like saying move The Masters from Augusta.

I like how close the crowds are to the players in the first few rounds, you can feel the tension. Dont like these big buildings with wide open spaces.

I just watched Higgins v Allen tonight, decider frame, the crowd were involved, big time.

Would you move cricket from Lords because it's a small capacity ground?

It should stay in Sheffield, in the Crucible Theatre.

Mr Carter is right move to a bigger venue.

All the arguments for it are rooted in tradition. From a spectator point of view having a cramped two table situation in the earlier rounds does not look good.

The fact that it's even being considered means the crucible is out...I'm sure they will just move it to Saudi Arabia 😢

It must go.....if u get a ticket its like winning a lottory.....as a fan it cant stay the way it is and I debut Sheffield council will extend the area. Even if it did its still not addressing other issues. Its a small event and snooker is a business and if the sport needs growth it needs the Chinese and UAE market. This will increase prize money....better hospitality for the players and the fans have a lot more chance in getting a ticket to see their players live in action. Players only get money when they start winning big matches which excludes most qualifiers.....so this model will die out the sport......it need to change.

I think World Snooker Championship should leave Crucible to grow bigger, but Crucible itself shouldn't be abandoned. There should be an extra event after World Championship, let's call it "Snooker Crucible Classic" where last 4 people who won Snooker Championship play round robin and then 2 best players play best of 35 in the final.

money will win in the end. Big arena snooker not so good for spectators.

Yes pls use the existing london stadium for this - you can hold all the tourneys there . Whats this about history and all that. sounds so dated. it shd be new. Make crucible a museum for snooker. Its what its worth. But pls keep snooker in britain as you need the fans and the right atmosphere.

Sell it to sky and they can have cheerleaders and crowd chants , ruin it like they did the darts.

No london no any where else but Sheffield

They struggle to control a crowd of 900 a lot of the time, plus being intimate works for a sport like snooker, atleast the crowd can all see what's going on.

move the worlds, but keep it as the 'snooker classic' - creates the Dosh elsewhere, yet burns the heart of every snooker player to win it. sweet ass compromise i think 👍

There's a feeling and a smell about the crucible that's second to none.

Not to live but get rebuild the venue Sheffield council should give space to build better and more comfortable for players get on with it

I think it should stay but I fear its inevitable that for the sport to grow it must evolve

If it left n moved to china it be a nightmare cause of time difference and i wouldnt watch any of it because of time difference. as for saudi i found their event hard to watch cause most of it had no crowd. so if it moved to a different country i would not watch it

No!

I think they should make it more modern. The number of frames played is just too high in my opinion, seems very outdated... gotta go with less frames, but then they matter more so they are more competitive... Like 4 years ago during the corona crisis i took the time at home to watch really a lot of these frames, but nowadays its not possible anymore... and i believe this is true for most people...

Hong Kong Masters had 11 000 people in the stadium :D

the ausdience isn't who's in the arena ... it's the TV audience. It doesn't matter where it is for those watching on TV and the only argument really is the revenue, mainly for Hearn. Everyone goes on about the Saudi human rights issue, right up until the saudis offer massive financial incentives

The world snooker championship should stay in its spiritual home in sheffield. It is a part of history increasing the size of the arena will not have the same atmosphere as it is now. My point is it should stay there forever.

We need some young blood to move game forward before it dies

No. Home is where the heart is

It’s going anyway, money will talk

Don't get why it has to be at one place. Let venues from all over the world bid for it, and have it played at a different city each and every year.

Move it to New York and get the Americans on to snooker and take the game to the highest potential.

Greed greed and more greed. Nothing more nothing less. Shameful

If they move it to Saudi Arabia it's the end of this tournament for me, It will be devalued so much, it's no longer an english tournament and has now been handed over to criminals who will destroy everything that's good about it. And I don't dig the bs about it being a smaller venue. 18 million people watched the final between Davis and Taylor so there's no excuses as it has to stay in Sheffield. If it moves it will be devalued so much as viewers like me will tune out but the rich globalist audience for sure will take our place. The government need to step in and make sure that this tournament stays in Sheffield where it belongs.

Should expand it really to at least 2k.

Milkins cant go beyond the basics 😂 Amazing guy 🤔 4:16

Trust me, it will move.

ONE SIDE OF THE COIN - Like all other World Championships in sport, it should have more then just the one venue and played in more then one Country. Imagine had we decided for Football & Rugby not to flourish into the games they have become globally. OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN- Are there any other countries other then England ( and probably China ) where a crowd can sit in silence and motionless for hours watching a game that can potentially ( depending on who's playing obviously) drag on for hours and would be more exciting to watch paint dry

The Crucible is just a theatre in Sheffield. Why spend lots of cash to improve the seating capacity for two weeks out of the year? How will the theatre expect to fill those seats for the rest of the year? Untold amounts of cash is being poured into the game in Asia. Move the WC for one year and see what happens. The players will not be complaining as they all get treated like rock stars over there.

I AGREE WITH WHAT KYREN WILSON SAID :-)

Who want to go to snooker and have to watch it on a screen because venue is that big might as well watch it on your sette with a cup of tea,

What about maintain Sheffield venue for Tour Final or Champions of Champions but move WSC final to bigger capacity arena.

Nice to see you did not bother to ask the non-british seeds especially since one of them is the current world champion. Way to go with ensuring this sport does not have a global lens...

Yes

I think some players are grumbling because of the prize money. Just make the prize pot bigger to justify the tournament. The crucible venue is snookers jewel in the crown

The players dont care about the Crucible or the history. All they want is more money to fill their greedy pockets.

Its outgrown the venue. Its like having the FA cup final in a 10,000 seat ground. Many people will never get to see a match at the World Championships as its too small and tickets are too hard to get now. Nostalgia is the only thing keeping it at the Crucible, certainly not common sense. Darts never had this nostalgia problem and has flourished. The WSC should always be in UK though. The UK is the home of snooker, not Sheffield.

Take it to Saudi and take it away from the British fans that Cnt get there that supported the sport for years why don’t ya ..

Wow Ronnie and Ali agreeing on something

No.

NO!!

shaun murphy has got it right imho... develop the crucible & make it a 2-3k spectator capacity...