SNOOKER WEBSITE OF THE WEEK#4

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s official website - http://www.ronnieosullivan.biz/ - is not far off being the perfect template for what a player site should be.

It is well constructed, regularly updated and geared towards people too often ignored in snooker – the fans.

It’s hard not to like Ronnie. He’s had a lot of problems in his life and has also let himself and his sport down at times, but he’s a fascinating character and, of course, a brilliant snooker player.

He has brought many, many people to the sport that would ordinarily not have given it a second look.

His website rewards them with a plethora of Ronnie-based material.

There is a shop where merchandise can be purchased, including T-shirts, mugs, his book and DVD and exclusive photographs.

The picture section features Ronnie at the table, in exhibitions and in his personal life.

There is a biography with stats (although some of these are out of date) and a fixtures list of when and where the ‘Rocket’ will be lifting off this season.

A perusal of the forum reveals that there are a lot of women who like Ronnie and that many of them live around Europe.

This shows how Eurosport’s extensive snooker coverage of the last few years has helped create legions of new fans, with Ronnie in particular widening the game’s appeal to countries where the game has no real history.

The forum is vehemently pro-Ronnie, with even the slightest sceptical opinion dismissed out of hand, but this is hardly a surprise on a site dedicated to him and I don’t mention it as a criticism.

Ronnie has a lot of supporters. I don’t know how this makes him feel: he’s always struck me as a rather shy man who doesn’t seek the bright lights of fame.

Regardless, those supporters have been rewarded with a site that seems geared towards what they want, which is surely the way it should be.