Are there too few events in the snooker calendar?

This debate is now closed.

As the new snooker season gets underway Davis and Hendry have joined forces to demand the removal of those in charge of professional snooker.

This season's calendar shows just six ranking tournaments, the smallest number since the 1986-87 season.

And the former world champions are calling for an extraordinary general meeting next month to replace the board of directors of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

Is snooker in need of a major shake-up?

Snooker should be televised all over the world so that its popularity is recognised by those that have never taken much interest in the game. If there were tournaments played in Australia I'm sure others would take notice and start to play.
John Irvine, Australia

Snooker is the most popular sport next to football but by the amount of TV time given you would think it was the most unpopular! If snooker is to progress forward then snooker needs to be shown LIVE - yes the whole tournament. After all there are enough channels now!
Jennifer Goldsmith, UK

Snooker needs a shake up and there are not enough tournaments shown on television. There are too many players chasing too few prizes, and they can turn professional all too easily. They should bring back the old standards when players had to prove themselves by winning on a regular basis on the amateur circuit.
Joan Richards, UK

There will be little incentive for major sponsors until the number of ranking tournaments is significantly increased. Overseas players will be more interested in moving to the UK to play when the ranking opportunities increase. The current administrators should go.
Flynn Wilson, New Zealand

The more snooker on TV the better; this will bring younger people into the game. Steve Davis and Hendry are the only two people that want to do something about it, if all the pros did this then something would have to happen.
Marcus Foster, England

I am amazed that it could be suggested that a player should be penalised for being slow. Snooker is a game for the individual and needs total focus. If time became an issue it would lose its appeal. We don't need speed merchants in this game, I see shots fairly quickly and sometimes get frustrated but that's the game, leave well alone please.
Trevor Hambly, UK

I have to agree with the grand master Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. The talent with which snooker has today is phenomenal and the exposure the sport had during the Nineties has not done it any justice. The sport has failed to move with the times.

I strongly believe that those responsible for the marketing are to blame for this. Snooker has taken a backward step globally in my opinion since Steve Davis was world champion, when snooker was at its best.

The solution is to possibly take a look at sports that are getting the exposure, the prize money with which the winner gets may be a mark, players now should be earning at least �500,000 as first prize.
Rohan Ramkissoon, England

There should definitely be more tournaments!! With only six ranking events, how can that be a true reflection of the top players?? A player could be the world number one by playing in just the six tournaments and doing well and you may have someone out there play every single tournament and not be as high!!
Will Willatt, England

There are too few tournaments available at present. There are thousands of aspiring players in the world right now; these players are finding it hard to make a living when it seems to be a very short season. Also the TV coverage in the Southern hemisphere is absolutely abysmal.

If they put cue sports in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games the growth in cue sports will shy rocket thus leading to more tournaments, more players and more fun equalling more great viewing.
John Holloway, Australia

There are only four tournaments shown over the whole season - LG Cup, UK Championship, B&H Masters and the Embassy World Championship. Snooker is ever growing in popularity, so why don't they televise some of the other tournaments?
Rob, England

Snooker remains one of the most thrilling of televised sports. It is absurd that it should face this sort of cash crisis when money-drainers like Formula One are descending into a pit of boredom.

I have one message for potential sponsors out there: snooker is one of the few games on TV that keeps me glued to the screen. I don't play snooker, I'm no expert, but I can recognise knife-edge entertainment when I see it, and that's what snooker gives.
Charles King, UK

There are too few tournaments this season and of the few that there are, the majority are in the north. What ever happened to using venues such as Plymouth Pavilions and Bournemouth International Centre, not to mention the more recent usage of the Brighton Centre? WSA need to get their act together, find sponsors and stop wasting money. If other sports can do, why can't they??!!
Deana Emment, England

I agree there should be more snooker tournaments, and I also feel there should be more TV coverage of the snooker. With all the technology available, why can't we have complete ball by ball, frame by frame coverage of each and every game in a tournament?

Watching all the matches improves the whole tournament and really makes it exciting to follow. I hope this will encourage you to have more tournaments and to improve coverage.
Shelley Williamson, England

I live in Plymouth and I always watched the snooker when it came down here, without fail. I miss it very much. Sadly, it all seems to come down to television contracts and money!

I am very disappointed with the number of tournaments now as I feel snooker had just started to become a lot more popular with younger people than ever before!
Felicity, England

Well done to Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis for finally starting to sort out this problem. The current board has no consideration whatsoever for the players and I am happy that these top quality players are going to step in.
Mohammed Bin Shehri, USA

Yes, I can see the point that Davis and Hendry are making. It must be a pain trying to scrape by on a couple of million quid a year. All that chalk to buy and so forth. What a nightmare. Can't these poor guys get income support, meals on wheels, free flu-jabs and Red Cross food parcels?

How on earth do they cope, sitting around for months on end, waiting for the next tournament to start? What a terrible way to choose to spend your life...
Chris B, England

Snooker is a pub sport, which is fun to play but normally tedious to watch. These players should get real jobs and stop whining.
Mike, UK

I think an EGM is necessary to remove the current board. The current board have acted like spoilt little children and they are on the verge of making the professional game bankrupt.

Three years ago 110 Sport offered to sponsor three or four tournaments in a deal worth �3.3 million. How any governing body can refuse this is completely beyond me. Now world snooker refuses another �2.5 million initial funding from WSG for this season. I think enough is enough it's time for a change. Snooker should be on the level of golf and tennis.
Andrew Cherry, England