New look Crucible arena to feature extra seats for next World Snooker Championship

The main venue, televised stages of snooker’s blue riband event will take place across 17 days between Saturday 18th April to Monday 4th May in Sheffield, although the qualifying rounds will be held elsewhere in the ‘Steel City’ just before this.

There are several tournaments still to come on this season’s professional circuit before we get to the Crucible, but one thing we are sure of is that reigning champion Zhao Xintong will be scheduled to play and complete his first round match on the opening day.

Held at the iconic venue every year since 1977, this will be the 50th edition of the World Championship being staged there, but the future home of the event is still to be decided, and under extreme scrutiny amongst many hardcore fans.

Under its current contract in conjunction with Sheffield City Council, this is the penultimate year of the Crucible hosting the competition, although it is understood talks have been ongoing in the background.

With time ticking on, fans were left frustrated at a lack of no update from the snooker authorities at the end of last year, having been told there would hopefully be movement on the situation by then.

Sports promotions supremo and Matchroom founder Barry Hearn has been open and vocal about the topic, admitting that should there be a move away from the Crucible, organisers would “need two years to get it planned properly”. By that logic, we should know within the coming months what is going to happen.

“Most intimate, immersive and electrifying way to experience the World Championship!”

The layout of the Crucible arena has barely changed for the snooker ever since the two began their romantic relationship in the 70s.

An intense, cauldron-like atmosphere, around 980 fans flock in for each session to watch the drama unfold. But its limited capacity, not its intimacy, has led to debate on whether snooker’s biggest event has outgrown the venue, and commercial opportunities elsewhere are potentially being missed, in turn supplying the players with additional prize money.

That hot topic will rumble on until an official announcement has been made, although there was an aesthetic change last year with the advertising boards between the seats and the tables getting a refresh with LED screening as seen at other Triple Crown events.

And this year there will be another notable difference with a very select band of new premium seats being added towards the black ball end of the table(s) next to the players’ introduction walkway.

As published on the World Snooker Tour website, this new vantage point for fans accommodates the ‘Legends Walk Premium’ seats which are available throughout the tournament, and go on sale this week.

WST explained the new viewing area: “For decades, this section of the intimate arena was reserved exclusively for television commentators and officials. But WST has created the opportunity for fans from around the globe to experience this vantage point, hosting a select number of guests in premium chair seating, all the way from the opening morning until the last session of the final”

“Sit where snooker history has been written, on the very path walked by all-time greats of the sport. With only a handful of seats available per session, this is the most intimate, immersive and electrifying way to experience the World Championship! You’ll be just a few feet away from the table as the drama unfolds”.

Looking at the artwork impression of the new seating arrangement, it looks to be able to house around 25 seats. It doesn’t sound much, but at £160 a ticket, if all seats are taken for all sessions, the organisers would be pushing towards £200,000 in revenue.