The newly formed Snooker Players' Association (SPA) has sent letters to players throughout the ranks inviting them to become members.
The SPA would effectively be a players' union in the same way the PFA is in English football.
A copy of the letter and further details can be found here.
8 comments:
Will we get to find out who has joined and who hasn't?
Reading this it seems that it is open to any player, not just main tour pros - is that correct?
The membership is open to all players across the world, we have already had registrations from Poland Russia and Belgium,
There will be a meeting shortly in Decemeber to confirm the mandate and the outline constitution along the lines of the letter but this must be ratified by the players.
I like this bit:
To review the system of determining the criteria of what constitutes a ranking event therefore increasing the number of organisations that can offer such events across the world. The criteria of such events to be determined by the members of The Association.
Sounds a bit fishy to me. Is this the real thing, typos and all?
Also, this paragraph makes me cringe: "Ensuring that only members of the Association may qualify to play in Association approved events."
So, once an event has been "approved" of, non-members are out? WTF?
This bit is interesting too:
Ensuring that only members of the Association may qualify to play in Association approved events.
No doubt the SPA will be aiming to make as many events as possible SPA Approved, including ranking events. The SPA should be attractive enough without "strong arming" players into joining the SPA with these kind of clauses. It could be deemed as coercion, certainly misconstrued as coercion, something I thought the SPA would like to stay well away from. If I was a player, I would be baulking at that clause (no pun intended)!
It's nice to see the benevolent fund in there, a bit late for Chris Small I fear.
Is SPA membership open to ex-players or people heavily involved/interested in the sport? The form doesn't seem to be a registration form, merely a form for people that are interested in receiving information on the SPA. Is that so?
Andy
"Ensuring that only members of the Association may qualify to play in Association approved events"
Effectively, that line is a restraint of trade.
I think if Mr Mooney knew anything about the history of snooker, then he might realise that a similar line was used by world snooker a few years ago, which was why Hendry and Williams won their High Court case in 2001.
You know, the landmark decision that means people like Mr Mooney and John Higgins can run their Tour.
I'm still can't get my head around a players organisation needing a union to challenge the decisions made by those they elect.
Or maybe it's a long way round for John Higgins never having to admit he was wrong in putting this and past regimes in place.
Now that is funny ...
If the SPA is open to all players I would hope that the new association ensures that there are more ways for foreign amatuers to turn Professional. The system in place now is dreadful and series like the PIOS just bolster the main tour with more British players that fall off the main tour within a season. I would hope the far eastern players would join and get themselves more opportunities to become Pro.
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