Judd Trump vows snooker players will quit tournaments as angry complaint made

Former World Snooker Champion Judd Trump has warned the World Snooker Tour (WST) and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) that more and more players will drop out of tournaments if conditions are not improved.

Trump is one of the players on the player board of the newly formed Professional Snooker Players Association (PSPA) alongside Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire, Gary Wilson, Joe Perry, Ryan Day, Barry Hawkins and Jack Lisowski.

Having pulled out of both the Scottish and Welsh opens last season, Trump has a clear warning for snooker's governing bodies.

"I think there's not been enough change over the last few years. I think most of the players kind of feel like it's on the same path, nothing really gets changed," he told the Metro.

"We're just all trying to fight for the same thing and that's the best for the players. I think sometimes it's falling on deaf ears. I think you're now seeing a lot more players skip events than they used to, just because certain events probably aren't fit for snooker.

"Hopefully there'll be something good that comes of it. If not, I think there's just going to be a period where there's going to be more and more players pulling out of events that they probably don't see fit."

Fellow former World champion Mark Selby said that the PSPA are looking to work with the organisations to find a solution. He praised tournament table fitters but outlined his disappointment in some venue choices.

"Like Brentwood [the English Open], I got to the semi-finals, but the conditions were as bad as I've ever played in," he said. "Then just going to leisure centres as well.

"We've got more money in the pot now than we've ever had and going to venues like that, I think the game's a lot bigger than those kind of places."

In a statement on the choice of venues and the playing conditions, the WST said: "Our biggest events like the Triple Crown Series and Tour Championship have grown massively in recent years so the top players have got used to playing in huge events at outstanding venues.

"We have over 20 tournaments on the global circuit plus qualifying events so inevitably we need a range of venues which have suitable size and facilities, given most events start with 128 players.

"Our ticket sales are stronger than ever and fans vote with their feet. The recent English Open and British Open both had packed arenas throughout the week and the majority of players appreciate the opportunity to play in that kind of atmosphere.

"We are glad that the players share our view that our dedicated team of table fitters are doing a great job. They work tirelessly in delivering the best possible conditions in very difficult circumstances.

"Players' personal practice conditions, in smaller rooms with very little change in climatic conditions and tables that have had a long time to settle in, will always be very difficult to replicate in the huge arenas that the sport is played in. Those vast spaces can cause atmospheric conditions that are challenging to manage, but we aren't afraid of those challenges.

"We have been pushing players for feedback during events for the past two years and the more feedback we get the better. We have seen feedback lead to changes in conditions in events in China and we've made changes to the event in Germany that come straight from player feedback."