beerpos-postgres-db-pgweb.dokhix.easypanel.host –

Barry Hearn concedes he has let his heart rule his head for the first time in his career after striking a remarkable new long-term deal to keep snooker’s world championship at the Crucible Theatre – before hinting son Eddie was among those who were against the decision.

The tournament has been played at the 980-seat venue in Sheffield since 1977, and it will remain there until at least 2045 with an option to extend to 2050 after World Snooker Tour and Sheffield city council agreed a contract to ensure snooker’s most prestigious event will stay at its spiritual home.

As part of the agreement, the Crucible will undergo a renovation after the 2028 tournament, with the venue securing £45m of government investment that Hearn admitted was decisive in keeping snooker in Sheffield. That will see an extra 500 seats installed at the theatre, taking its capacity to 1500.

It is a striking and notable agreement for the sport, not least because Hearn himself had made loud noises in recent years about the need for a completely rebuilt Crucible with at least 3,000 seats if the world championship was to remain in Sheffield amid interest from places like Saudi Arabia and China.

But the president of Matchroom Sport admitted in the end, he would not have been able to live with himself had he orchestrated a move away from a venue that holds personal memories for him. When asked if he had allowed sentiment to play a part in a business deal before, he said: “Never. But my life changed in 1981 when Steve Davis won the title here.

“Matchroom was a £100 company formed off the back of a Crucible win. That is now the biggest sports promotion company in the world and that’s where sentiment plays a part. There are certain things where you’d hate yourself if you did them. Nothing I’ve done will ever surpass the Crucible; I owe it more than it owes me.”

Hearn admitted that had the local council been unable to secure the government funding to trigger a renovation of the Crucible, it was eminently possible they would move at the end of the previous deal, which was due to expire next year.

He said: “I never say anything nice about politicians but they’ve put their money where their mouth is and they’ve made this place fit for purpose. The Crucible wasn’t fit for purpose but now, we know we’ll get a venue that will be.

“There was a stage when if Sheffield didn’t get the money, they probably couldn’t rebuild: and if they couldn’t rebuild we would have had to leave. Fortunately we had a choice and I must give big credit to Sheffield city council: I don’t know how they can get that type of money out of a government.

“They were so enthusiastic and they were desperate to keep it. In today’s world there are issues with money and talent and making sure everyone is happy; that’s an ongoing beast. But fortunately we didn’t get to that stage because I would have been mortified to lose it - but I couldn’t say that early doors because it has a negative effect on where you end up.

Hearn accepts the deal will not be universally popular, not least close to home. Matchroom has a long-standing business partnership with Riyadh Season and the explosion of the sport in China following Zhao Xintong’s world title win last year meant there were more financially lucrative venues on offer for the tournament long-term.

And when asked if agreement over the deal was absolute, Hearn smiled: “Well I wouldn’t say it was unanimous. Eddie is not a snooker fan, he likes the business of sport so therefore he likes snooker. He doesn’t have the same passion because he wasn’t there ... that’s why he’s so passionate about boxing, because his big memories came through that.

“Whether it’s AJ [Anthony Joshua] against [Wladimir] Klitschko ... that changed his life. Eddie likes snooker but with the time he’s got available, he’s from a generation that moves at more speed than snooker does. He doesn’t appreciate the Agatha Christie side where you don’t find out who’s done it until the final chapter.

“We would have felt like we’d lost an arm had we not stayed here … without the Crucible, snooker just isn’t the same.”