The pilot event of the professional snooker competition organized in Valkeakoski is to be increased fourfold for 2024.
VALKEAKOSKI. The Finns got to witness top snooker at the weekend, when the world champions Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham performed in Valkeakoski.
The four-player invitational tournament held at the Waltikka Hotel served as a pilot for the plan, the goal of which is to make Finland part of the snooker world tour.
– World Snooker Tour competition. That’s our big goal. Finland is starting to be ready for it, as spectators are eager to attend this type of event, Valkeakoski, who was the promoter of the race Jussi Tyrkkö told Urheilu.
The 270-seat arena was sold out in each of the four periods played over two days.
In the semifinals, the Welshman Williams defeated the only professional player in Finnish snooker history By Robin Hull batch 6–4. Bingham, on the other hand, beat the aspiring professional Heikki Nivan 6–3.
Williams beat Bingham 9–6 in the two-set final. The Finnish audience was offered snooker at a high level, as the three matches saw a total of eight streaks of more than a hundred points. Bingham’s 140-point break in the final remained the biggest.
Due to the strong demand for tickets, Williams and Bingham will stay in Valkeakoski for another week to play exhibition matches. The 1,500 tickets sold did not surprise Tyrkkö, who says that organizing a professional competition in Finland is a reality in the next few years.
– We live according to the five-year plan, Tyrkkö said.
Narrow world tour
For international snooker bosses, the Finnish professional competition would be a significant step forward.
Although the sport reached more spectators than ever at the World Championships held in April-May, after the corona pandemic, the world tour has focused almost entirely on the British Isles.
Next season, 12 of the 16 races that determine the world statistics will be held in Great Britain. In addition, China and Germany each have two races.
– The sport needs more competitions in Europe. We have to go to new countries and return to the ones we have already played. If the big prize money is a problem, even half is enough. In any case, new countries are the only chance to grow the game and get young people excited, Williams said.
How big is the event?
According to Tyrkö, organizing a ranking tournament in Finland would cost at least half a million euros. In the majority of ranking tournaments, the amount in question is spent only on prize money. The size of the final tournament gives flexibility to the organizer who is thinking about expenses.
It is established practice on the World Tour that players qualify for the limelight at qualifiers held in England. For example, out of 128 professionals, only 32 find their way to the German Masters, which competes annually in Berlin.
This year’s race arena in Valkeakoski is not big enough for the requirements of the professional tour, but according to Tyrkö, the factory town will continue as a race host on the way to the professional race goal.
– Next year, the event will be increased to 16 players, Tyrkkö said.