Eight players have agreed to play in a series of new snooker events, with Ronnie O’Sullivan leading a heavyweight line-up of world champions.
Four two-day events have been arranged for next year, labelled the Snooker 900 Grand Slam, which hope to feature the Rocket, current world champ Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy and Reanne Evans.
The players are believed to have agreed to the new venture, but the independent promoters are in talks with World Snooker Tour as professional players need permission to appear in non-sanctioned TV events.
By the terms of the renegotiated players’ contract, if non-sanctioned events are taking place when WST tournaments are not being played then there is no issue, but any clashes cause a problem.
Players have been given permission to play in two of the four events, but as two clash with WST tournaments then there remains a stumbling block and discussions continue.
It is understood that Channel 4 is the potential broadcaster for the series, which is planned to run into June and July, in what would be a major move into the sport for the station.
The first of the events – the brainchild of promoter Jason Francis – is planned for 12-13 April in London and Murphy hopes to be lining up for it.
Asked about rumours of the new events on his onefourseven podcast, the 2005 world champion said: ‘It is true. I’m delighted to be asked, but I don’t know very much about it. I know that Jason was planning to put on four two-day events. I had no idea until I saw the list on social media myself who else was asked to play in it.
‘Just happy to play and looking forward to these opportunities. As luck would have it, two of those dates do clash with potential events in the 25/26 calendar, so I think only two of them so far have been granted permission.
‘Excited about it. I think competition is good. I think players being allowed to play and ply their trade…I personally think that as a professional snooker player, as a self-employed tradesperson I should be able to play snooker wherever and whenever I want. That’s my own personal view.
‘So I see this as a real positive step that these events are going to be put on and players are going to be able to ply their trade, put balls in pockets, put smiles on faces and entertain people who are wanting to watch us.’
The dates of 12-13 April 2025 would by during World Championship qualifying, and just the week before the main event begins at the Crucible.
World Snooker Tour and Channel 4 both declined to comment.
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