Higgins Wouldn't Oppose Crucible Change

John Higgins has said that he wouldn't be opposed to moving the World Snooker Championship to China and believes it is time for snooker to proactively tap into new markets.

The sport's blue riband event has been hosted at Sheffield's Crucible theatre since 1977 but World Snooker's contract with Sheffield City Council runs out in 2010 and the group's chairman, Sir Rodney Walker, admitted that the sport will "evaluate all options" when their current deal expires.

Asked if he was in favour of moving the event to China if the contract with the Crucible was not renewed Higgins told Eurosport: "Absolutely, I've just come back from playing at the Shanghai Masters and the way that the event was run was first class so why not?

"If the Chinese want to come in and make the prize pool bigger and put on a high quality tournament then we should give them the chance.

"As a sport, we have to realise that we are not big enough to stand still. Other sports can do that, they have sponsors coming to them, but we need to go out and look for it ourselves.

"The world doesn't owe us a living; when the tobacco companies were forced to pull out that was a massive blow but I think the effects of that are finally starting to sink in.

Higgins, who has won the World Championship on two occasions, was speaking from Warsaw where he is helping to promote the latest round of his World Series of Snooker which takes place in the Polish capital at the end of the month.

The series has already held events in Jersey and Germany, and will host its Grand Final in Russia before the end of the year.

Higgins said that organising events has helped open his eyes up to the different areas in the world where snooker's popularity has been criminally overlooked.

"Why is there no ranking event in a country like Germany? Your guess it as good as mine," he said after revealing that the recent World Series event in Berlin was played out before sell-out crowds.

"Since I've been getting into the organising of events I can see that the interest is there, so I just can't understand why World Snooker does not want to go into these markets.

"Instead we have to go to Newport in Wales (for the Welsh Open), which, and I don't think I'm been too harsh in saying this, has to be one of the most depressing towns I've ever been too. And the crowds there are always terrible too."

Higgins was also scathing of the policy that sees all qualifying events for ranking events held in Prestatyn, a town in North Wales with a population of less than 20,000.

"Everybody talks about Sheffield being the home of snooker and the Crucible being the most important venue but it is actually Prestatyn," he said.

"Why not have the qualifiers at least in other countries, or bring them in through the World Series?

"People in China and Europe have never even heard of Prestatyn and yet we expect them to travel to this little place in North Wales if they want to make it as a snooker player, it is absolute nonsense."

Higgins admitted that he was inspired to get involved in the promotional side of the sport due to the laissez-faire attitude of those in charge and says that he is not the only player determined to do everything in his power to help the sport grow globally.

"Basically it has been my fault as much as anyone's", he admitted.

"I was happy just being a professional snooker player, but enough is enough, and I think others players feel the same, which is why we are getting a players' association together.

"Some of the people in charge of snooker have no right to be making all the big decision on their own, and the players are waking up to that fact.

"From now own, everything that we do might not necessarily work, but at least it won't be from a lack of trying."

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