World Women’s Snooker
We are today pleased to announce that World Ladies Billiards and Snooker will now be known as World Women’s Snooker (WWS) as the organisation continues to develop its strategy.
This new name is instantly recognisable and completes a gradual transition which has seen the introduction of the World Women’s Snooker Tour and a full rebrand of our most prestigious events including the World Women’s Snooker Championship in recent seasons.
Since WWS became a subsidiary organisation of snooker’s world governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in 2015, both organisations have worked closely together to provide increased opportunities for women and girls globally to participate in snooker.
From a tour predominantly based in the UK, to a truly international circuit that has staged events in Singapore, Germany, Malta, Belgium, Australia and next year in the U.A.E. with the 2019 World Women’s Championship in Dubai, the tour has seen significant expansion during the past two years with over 100 women now included on the latest world women’s ranking list. Total prize money will increase to a minimum of £50,000 during the 2018/19 season with the expectation that this will continue to grow for aspiring female cueists across the world.
With the support of important international organisations including the WPBSA and the World Snooker Federation, WWS also provides a clear pathway for the world’s best women players to compete against men in prestigious mixed gender competitions.
England’s Reanne Evans has already proven her ability on a number of occasions, famously defeating Finland’s Robin Hull 10-8 to become the first woman to win a match at the professional World Championship in 2017, having previously become the first woman to qualify for the venue stages of an event at the Wuxi Classic four years previously.
Together with fellow top female players including Nutcharut Wongharuthai of Thailand and Rebecca Kenna, Evans also won matches against male players at the mixed gender World Federation Championship earlier this year and has been joined by current world number one Ng On Yee in competing on the World Snooker Challenge Tour.
Mandy Fisher, WWS President said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for women’s snooker and today’s announcement is another important step in our development. Snooker and in particular providing opportunities for women to compete has been my life for nearly 40 years since we founded the organisation back in 1981 and it is now fantastic to see the progress that is being made.
“I have seen first hand the improvement shown by a number of our players recently and I am looking forward to seeing their continued development over the coming years.”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I firmly believe that snooker is a sport for all and the work that we are undertaking to increase participation in snooker among women is a significant element of our global development plan. The professional World Snooker Tour is open to all players and there is no reason why women cannot compete alongside men at the final stages of our prestigious international tournaments including the World Championship in Sheffield.”
View the calendar for the remainder of the 2018/19 World Women’s Snooker Tour here.
