Shaun Murphy hails ‘truly unifying’ Crucible news and suggests venue for refurb year

Shaun Murphy was shocked and delighted by the news of the World Snooker Championship staying at the Crucible until at least 2045.

The contract for the sport’s biggest event to be played at the Sheffield theatre has been extended to 2045, with the option to stay for a further five years on top of that.

There will be £45m of investment into the venue, which will see a significant refurbishment and the capacity boosted by 500 seats, from its current total of just under 1,000.

The refurb will take around 18 months and begin in the summer of 2028, so the 2029 and possibly 2030 editions will be played elsewhere, with that venue yet to be confirmed, before a return to the revamped Crucible in ’30.

The 2005 world champion was taken aback by Tuesday’s news, but thrilled by it, telling Metro: ‘Total surprise, I knew nothing about it and I’m just absolutely delighted.

‘I think there’s been a lot of anxiety around the tour over this. I don’t think anyone with snooker in their blood wanted it to leave the Crucible. I think we all breathe a huge sigh of relief and It sounds like it’s going to be absolutely epic when it’s finished. It sounds like it’s going to be spectacular. I’m so excited.

‘Credit where credit’s due, well done all round. It’s one of the best pieces of news I’ve ever heard in snooker. I have to say, I was genuinely, genuinely happy.

‘It’s very rare you get anything almost unanimously applauded and welcomed. It’s one of the few truly unifying announcements that I can remember in my entire career.’

The new set-up will create an ‘in the round’ environment, whereas the current configuration only has seats on three sides of the table.

£35m of the investment into the Crucible is coming from local and central government, with£10m provided by the public sector, and Murphy sees political involvement, especially from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as a very positive sign for the sport.

‘The cash injection and support from the government, the fact the Prime Minister was involved, I think that speaks to snooker’s place in the UK mindset,’ said the Magician.

‘Maybe it’ll whet the appetite for the government to get more involved in helping one of the country’s truly great sports and exports. This is the first time that government have stepped in and actually got their hands in their pockets with snooker.

‘We’ve seen what government support does to snooker in other countries around the world. We’ve seen the growth in the Far East, maybe the UK government will have such a good experience with their first dip in the water with snooker that they’ll go: “This is a sport that’s carried the British flag for 50 years. It’s one of our greatest exports around the world.” Maybe they’ll enjoy their investment and invest more.’

The famously intimate experience of the two-table set-up at the Crucible is not expected to change, with the playing area unlikely to increase much, if at all.

The extremely tight nature of the venue has drawn complaints from some players in the past, but Murphy does not want it altered.

‘I personally think that’s one of the things that makes the Crucible special,’ he said. ‘I think in terms of space around the tables, it’s lovely. I think it’s perfect.

‘I love the intimacy of the first three rounds and then you get to that one-table set-up. It is perfect and it’s been perfect forever. The fact that it’s now going to be in the round, I think that will be phenomenal.

‘There’ll be an adjustment period, of course, for players not used to crowds at that end of the table. There’ll probably be a bit of movement and whatnot. There’ll be new things for players to get to grips with. But I think the atmosphere and the positives of it will outweigh any potential negatives.

‘I just hope that by the time that happens I’m still at the cutting edge of the game and I get to experience it.’

A decision on where the tournament will be played in 2029 has not yet been made, although staying in the UK seems most likely, given the contract with the BBC runs until 2032.

Murphy has touted the possibility of using the Albert Hall, but not for the World Championship, instead moving the Masters to the iconic London venue and playing the flagship event at Alexandra Palace.

‘I think there’s an argument for to use those years to maybe take it abroad. Give the Tempodrom [Berlin] a go,’ said the 43-year-old. ‘I don’t know how that would work with a national broadcaster like the BBC, it probably wouldn’t work.

‘So if we had to stay in the UK somewhere, there’s some phenomenal venues. We went to the Albert Hall for the first time during the Masters this year, had an amazing experience there. Maybe move the Masters to the Albert Hall for two years and put the World Championship in Ally Pally?

‘That might work. Or, you know, there’s always the Brentwood Leisure Centre.’

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