Top snooker stars including Ronnie O'Sullivan give backing to new breakaway players association

As initially announced by BBC Sport, the Professional Snooker Players Association (PSPA) claims that Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen and Ryan Day have all joined its players board.

Fellow professional player Matthew Selt will be a director, while lawyers Ben Rees and Mark Kenkre will also bulk up the fledgling PSPA ranks.

It has been reported that Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui - two of snooker's most influential and commercial players of all-time - have agreed to be members of the breakaway faction.

Current world number four Higgins said to BBC Sport: "We feel as though we've not been listened to as we should have been in recent years".

"The game has not moved forward with the times compared to other top sports.

"Snooker deserves a strong, independent players' association that stands for fairness, transparency, and progress."

The PSPA says it intends to "champion the sport" and that the existing authorities "should factor in more of the views of the players."

The sport's governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) already has a Players' Board with former world champions Ken Doherty and Neil Robertson currently sitting on it.

This body - which was formed in 2020 - states that it has "a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game."

It is important to note that the WPBSA has a duty to administer and look after the whole sport - including the grassroots and amateur divisions - as well as 120-plus professionals on the World Snooker Tour.

The new PSPA intends to form a "collaborative relationship" with both the WPBSA and the World Snooker Tour - the latter is essentially a promotions arm that puts on professional snooker events - "to enhance the sport's future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests".

There have been rumblings of discontent away from the baize in recent seasons with rumours of a breakaway snooker tour, and threats of players being punished if they compete in independent events whilst a World Snooker Tour professional competition is on at the same time.

Cueists who earn a professional tour card must sign a Players Contract in order to feature in WST events. Some players - all of whom are technically freelance sportspeople who have to organise and pay their own tax and other financial arrangements - feel that some of the rules in the Contract are too stringent, and a restriction of trade.

The timing of this announcement is interesting, with the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters starting on Friday - a £2.3 million world ranking event that authorities brand as the sport's 'fourth major'.

Prize money on the professional snooker circuit has never been higher, with over £18.2 million paid out last season (2024/25) - this was nearly four million pound more than the previous campaign (2023/24).

World number one Trump was the biggest earner from tournaments last term, racking up nearly £1.7 million in winnings.