Players have ‘long’ list of possible changes – Murphy

Professional snooker players have “a list as long as your arm,” according to Shaun Murphy, of potential changes that they would like to see implemented following the formation of a new body to represent their interests.

The independent Professional Snooker Players’ Association (PSPA) was established in August with the intention of giving players “a stronger voice” to “champion the sport.”

The players’ board includes world number one Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Murphy, Mark Allen, and Mark Selby, and four-time world champion John Higgins, who is chairman of PSPA.

The association claims that players’ opinions should be taken into account when governing snooker.

It vowed to work with the sport’s authorities, including the WPBSA, the current WPBSA Players’ Board, and the World Snooker Tour (WST), “to enhance the sport’s future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests.”

The WPBSA’s own players’ body was established in 2020, and the governing body claims 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.”

In February, the former world champion, Murphy, resigned as the chairman of the WPBSA Players to concentrate on his playing career and other non-traditional interests.

The 43-year-old now believes that the PSPA will allow players to have their say in sport decisions.

After defeating David Lilley 4-0 in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open at Belfast, Murphy told BBC Sport, “The new body has a long way to go, but one of the big things it has is that it’s completely independent.”

It can never truly be independent of the people it is trying to negotiate with and make the game better for the players because of how the game is funded, how the WPBSA earns its money, and how the money is funneled into WPBSA Players.

Murphy was elected to the WPBSA Players Board in December 2023, becoming chairman in May 2024, and previously served on the main WPBSA Board, the governing body that coordinates the commercial WST, from 2017 to 2018.

Murphy thinks that transparency is crucial for the interaction between players and governance.

The players in [the PSPA] have a list as long as your arm of things to see changed, done differently, looked at, and taken into account, but the WST guard their secrets very closely, and there is frequently a lack of information as to why some decisions are made.

I believe that once players understand that information, such as the calendar of events, they will understand why some things are done the way they are.

The fact that [the PSPA] is independent makes it able to pose questions that WPBSA staff members don’t want to ask, and there are very good arguments for both of those things.

The current Masters champion thinks that players are showing a lot of concern about the potential impact of the PSPA.

“In my time as a professional snooker player, there has been a lot of political drama, and it hasn’t been without its problems, but I believe the players are very close to [being] united, probably as close as they have ever been in terms of seeing what this new association is about.

They seem to be certain that something is being done, I believe.

Everyone should take it seriously, according to John Higgins, and if it’s serious enough for John to throw his hat in the ring.

Murphy is a member of a highly selective group of players who have won the World Championship, the Masters, and the UK Championship, three of snooker’s “Triple Crown” competitions.

He wants to see a return to the points-based ranking system, as opposed to the current standings, which are calculated based on prize money won in ranking events.

Murphy moved up to ninth place in the world rankings and third place on the one-year list, which reflects more recent form, after winning the recent British Open and finishing second overall in the Xi’an Grand Prix.

After winning the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, Neil Robertson now enjoys a significant lead in the one-year list.

The Saudi Masters is not, in my opinion, five times as difficult to win as the British Open, but it offers five times as many points and prizes. According to Murphy, the system is “skewed,” “.”