Snooker is to polish up its image to attract new sponsors to the
sport.
The World Snooker Association is offering new sponsorship opportunities,
such as players’ waist-coats, the on-screen scoreboard and perimeter
boards to make the sport more attractive to non-tobacco backers.
The group, which has just changed its name from the Professional
Billiards and Snooker Association, is launching a direct mail drive for
new sponsors under the slogan ’Look again at snooker’.
It is also negotiating with licensing companies to create branded
computer games, snooker cues and children’s toys as well as setting up
its first internet site.
The WSA’s tournaments are currently dominated by tobacco brand sponsors,
with Imperial Tobacco’s Embassy brand supporting the World
Championship.
The sport will lose these deals when tobacco sponsorship is banned in
three years’ time.
Ex-Sheffield United player Mike Trusson has been appointed WSA
sponsorship manager.
’People think that snooker is a boring game that only old men watch,’
said Trusson, ’but 73% of the UK population watch it, and 47% of them
are women.’
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