The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and the Asia-Pacific Snooker and Billiards Federation (APSBF) are today delighted to announce the launch of the new Q Tour Asia-Pacific Series as part of the WPBSA Q Tour Global during the 2023/24 season.
The Asia-Pacific region becomes the first to join the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will culminate in a 24-player playoff, with three places on the professional World Snooker Tour to be won from the start of the 2024/25 season.
As in previous seasons, the playoff will feature a minimum of 16 players from the UK/Europe rankings, who will now be joined by up to eight international qualifiers – including one from the Asia-Pacific region – from across the globe.
ASIA-PACIFIC SERIES
To encompass three recognised tournaments across the region, the Asia-Pacific Series will operate its own ranking list with the top ranked player following the third event to qualify for this season’s Q Tour Global Playoff next spring.
The qualifying events will be:
Bob Hawke AC Open Snooker (12-15 October 2023)
New Zealand Open Snooker
Dr Clem Jones AC Open Snooker
Events will be open to players born in, or resident in the Asia-Pacific region for a minimum of six months.
“PROVEN TRACK RECORD”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I am excited to welcome the APSBF to the WPBSA Q Tour Global and to provide this additional opportunity for players in the Asia-Pacific region to qualify for the World Snooker Tour.
“Frank Dewens and his team have a proven track record of hosting high-quality tournaments, none more so than this year’s WSF Championships in Sydney which were well-supported by players from the region and beyond.
“I look forward to welcoming the successful player to our new Global Playoff, where they will compete among the best amateur snooker players in the world to join our professional circuit.”
Frank Dewens, APSBF President said: “We are extremely excited and honoured to be included in the WPBSA Q Tour Global. This will provide opportunities for the players within the APSBF to qualify for the World Snooker Tour.”
Entry for the Bob Hawke AC Open is open now via the ABSC website with a closing date of 29 September 2023.
WPBSA To Host Landmark New Player Support Programme
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and WPBSA Players have today announced the launch of the WPBSA Player Support Programme, to be held on September 15 and 16 at the prestigious Lilleshall National Sports Centre.
The groundbreaking new event promises to be a transformative experience for over 40 professional snooker players and will be hosted by the renowned sports broadcaster, Rob Walker, and is proudly presented in association with Taom Billiards.
Over 40 current professionals from all around the world are set to take part in the weekend, including rising stars Julien Leclercq and Ben Mertens from Belgium, China’s WSF world champion Ma Hailong as well as England’s Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, who both joined the Tour this summer.
They will also be joined by the four current women professionals on the circuit including reigning world champion Baipat Siripaporn and 12-time queen Reanne Evans and a host of players making a return to the tour including WPBSA Q Tour number one Martin O’Donnell and Q School graduates Alexander Ursenbacher, Andrew Pagett and Stuart Carrington.
During the two-day event, the next generation of snooker stars will receive comprehensive support and guidance from WPBSA Players on a wide range of critical subjects, including integrity, match-fixing prevention, mental health and wellbeing, media training, financial management and career transition.
Guest speakers will include well known figures from across sport and experts from the world of business who will take the stage to share their experiences and insights, offering invaluable advice to aspiring and established players alike.
“Best preparation possible”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman, said: “I am hugely excited by the launch of the WPBSA Player Support Programme as we aim to provide our next generation with meaningful and practical support at the start of their professional careers in our sport.
“I know from my own experience just how big a step up it is coming from the amateur game. Not only on the baize, but equally so off the table, where there is so much to learn. It is our vision that this new programme will provide players new to the tour with the best preparation possible for their respective journeys.
“And for players who might be returning to the tour, or have re-qualified via Q School, the message is the same and I am confident that everyone taking part will be able to take something valuable from the two days.
“I would like to thank our teams at the WPBSA and WPBSA Players, as well as recognise the support to be provided by Taom Billiards and the Professional Players Federation, which demonstrates the commitment of key stakeholders to the future of our sport.”
Brendan Batson, Chairman of the Professional Players Federation (PPF), expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, saying: “It is vitally important that players know their sport’s rules on betting. Integrity education is essential for all professional players and will help protect them from the devastation that match-fixing scandals bring to reputations and careers. The PPF is delighted to support the first WPBSA Players Support Programme.”
Ken Doherty, Chairman of WPBSA Players, said: “Professional sport can be tough. Our commitment to supporting snooker professionals on issues such as personal and professional development, and welfare is unwavering. We believe that a healthy and well-supported player community is the cornerstone of a thriving sport. Together, we are cueing up a brighter future for our players, ensuring they have the support and resources needed to excel both on and off the baize.”
This event started yesterday and the first reactions from participant were very positive, going by what I was able to read on social media.
Here are some images, shared on social media by WPBSA:
One thought on “Tour and Q-Tour News – 16 September 2023”
These announcements leave a lot of questions, mainly about how sustainable, and how fair are the new Q Tour structures. One issue with using a series of tournaments (in different locations) as effectively main tour qualifiers is the huge expense for players hoping to qualify. But even so, are we going to get players taking out loans to persue a dream where only a few can succeed? Nick Metcalfe is fond of saying ‘snooker is a working-class game’ – an old-fashioned and vacuous statement in the 21st century – but the fact is that apart from in the UK and possibly China, any aspiring player needs money, usually from their family. Ultimately, if we are going to have ‘tour cards’, some kind of Q School event is the fairest way, although I would argue that the formats that have always been used until now aren’t fair enough or cost-effective.
As for the ‘New Player Support’ event, it’s quite baffling what exactly they are going to talk about. OK, they can talk about the dangers of gambling addiction, rules regarding match-fixing approaches, mental heath issues, etc. but really those things need continual involvement. A 2-day induction seems a lot for anyone to bear, and some of the players involved are hardly new. Then there’s a question whether the likes of Ma Hailong or Wu Yize understand a word of it. At least they have Rob Walker to entertain them. It looks like trying to appear to respond to the match-fixing scandal by holding a version of a ‘corporate-bonding’ conference (I’ve been to several) for want of any other ideas.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
These announcements leave a lot of questions, mainly about how sustainable, and how fair are the new Q Tour structures. One issue with using a series of tournaments (in different locations) as effectively main tour qualifiers is the huge expense for players hoping to qualify. But even so, are we going to get players taking out loans to persue a dream where only a few can succeed? Nick Metcalfe is fond of saying ‘snooker is a working-class game’ – an old-fashioned and vacuous statement in the 21st century – but the fact is that apart from in the UK and possibly China, any aspiring player needs money, usually from their family. Ultimately, if we are going to have ‘tour cards’, some kind of Q School event is the fairest way, although I would argue that the formats that have always been used until now aren’t fair enough or cost-effective.
As for the ‘New Player Support’ event, it’s quite baffling what exactly they are going to talk about. OK, they can talk about the dangers of gambling addiction, rules regarding match-fixing approaches, mental heath issues, etc. but really those things need continual involvement. A 2-day induction seems a lot for anyone to bear, and some of the players involved are hardly new. Then there’s a question whether the likes of Ma Hailong or Wu Yize understand a word of it. At least they have Rob Walker to entertain them. It looks like trying to appear to respond to the match-fixing scandal by holding a version of a ‘corporate-bonding’ conference (I’ve been to several) for want of any other ideas.