Judd calls for Worlds to switch
SNOOKER
SHANE MACDERMOTT JUDD TRUMP wants to be snooker’s champion for change — and he would start by moving the World Championship away from the iconic Crucible
Theatre.
The 2019 Crucible king feels the sport is “miles behind” where it needs to be in terms of growing the green-baize game.
And Trump believes snooker’s marquee event needs more grandeur in order to be associated with the likes of Wimbledon.
“Snooker definitely needs to move,” stressed the former world No.1.
“Whether that’s the World Championship, who knows?
“We’re still miles behind where we’re trying to grow the game.
“Snooker needs to change as a whole. A lot of the tournaments are living in the past, the venues are a bit dated.
“But nowadays you have to have hospitality. You have it at Wimbledon, in golf or in Formula One.
“You just wouldn’t expect someone like David Beckham to come and sit in the crowd at any other event would you? And the same applies for snooker.
“Every sport has hospitality and every football ground.
“Every person wants something different. Some people want to sit in with the crowd, whereas some people want to be in their own private box.
“But there’s no hospitality and you’re narrowing it down to just one type of person at the Crucible.”
Scottish Crucible hopeful Stephen Maguire agrees with Trump.
He said: “I’m not slagging the Crucible, but I don’t like it.
“I think Ally Pally has made itself our best venue by some distance.
“Why is the Masters the second biggest event when it feels like the biggest?
“The Crucible only holds 900-1,000, so if you could get 3,000 somewhere why not make it happen?”