Snooker star says 90% of tour players are skint as chiefs hit back at claim

14 February 2023 , 15:48

991     0

Ali Carter thinks 90% of snooker players aren't earning enough money (Image: VCG via Getty Images)

Ali Carter insists the majority of players have "got no money" and has told snooker bosses to cut the size of the professional tour.

Snooker chiefs have introduced their first ever 'safety net', designed to offer financial security to the world's top 130 players in the 2022/2023 season. The World Snooker Tour (WST) and WPBSA governing body announced in September that players would receive a guaranteed £20,000 to help fund their careers and cover expenses.

And WST rankings show that players inside the world's top 50 have made at least £85,000 in prize money at ranking events in the last two years.

But world No.15 Carter, who won £80,000 for his German Masters title this month, believes pro snooker is still a brutal business and the number of players on tour should be sliced so that the elite players can enjoy a good standard of living.

"It's been really tough. Maybe 90% of players on the tour have got no money," Carter, 43, told the BBC's Framed Podcast. "I think the tour should probably be cut, to give a prize that if you do get your tour card, you are guaranteed a living, a good living.

Ali Carter admits Whitney Houston inspiration as he wins German Masters

"They're earning nothing, 20 grand a year, 30 grand a year after expenses, maybe less than that. You could go and get a job stacking a shelf in a supermarket [for that], no disrespect to anyone who does that.

"But these boys have put their life into playing snooker from a very young age, so it just seems a little bit unfair to me, that's all."

Carter won the German Masters earlier this month (VCG via Getty Images)

Stephen Maguire, who recently launched an impassioned rant at snooker's failing bosses, is another high-profile player who believes the pro tour should be cut in numbers.

And world No.1 Ronnie O'Sullivan has previously expressed his frustrations with the perceived lack of financial incentive in a career on the green baize.

But World Snooker organisers have hit back, claiming the lucrative events still gives a host of players ample opportunity to earn big prize money during the course of a season.

Ronnie O'Sullivan lobbied for first-round losers to get expenses paid before the new "safety net" scheme (VCG via Getty Images)

A WST statement read: "Our tour is about meritocracy. We have an abundance of talent from many different countries around the globe, the strength in depth on our tour is incredible. There are opportunities for all of them and there are huge rewards for those that succeed.

"This season we brought in an initiative to provide a prize money guarantee to all tour players, ensuring that they have at least £20,000 over the season. This has given them the security of knowing that they have an income and they can budget their season around this."

Ben Parsons