WWS Update | Return to Competition 2021
As we continue to work towards a return to competition for the World Women’s Snooker Tour in 2021, we can today provide a further update as to our current position.
Following our previous update at the end of January there has – in the UK at least – been some positive news as the successful Covid-19 vaccinations continue and the government has announced a roadmap out of lockdown through to June 2021.
It has been confirmed by the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards that snooker clubs in England will be able to open from 17 May (subject to restrictions), with the goal of relaxing restrictions by 21 June. This is welcome news and hopefully means that we start to consider future events once again by the summer.
However, we also recognise that there are over 100 ranked players (almost 3/4 of our tour) who are based outside of England. We have made a major commitment to helping the tour to become more international in recent years and the need to resume ranking event competitions must be balanced against any unfairness that may be suffered by players currently unable to travel internationally.
For now, therefore, we will continue to monitor the situation globally before confirming the return of ranking events. We have some exciting plans for our return and are in regular contact with our loyal venues and partners which have supported the tour in recent years – with all remaining on board as we emerge from this pandemic.
In the meantime, we are currently making outline plans for the staging of a non-ranking event in England later this year, in cooperation with our partners at the EPSB. We are also consulting with our English-based players to ensure that any concerns or requirements – for what will for many be their first competitive tournament since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic – are met.
We hope that all of our players are staying safe and that we will be able to see you all at a tournament soon. Although the past year has been a frustrating one for us all, we are confident that the World Women’s Snooker Tour will return bigger than ever and that the future of our sport remains bright.
