Davison announces bid to rival Hearn

Snooker
12 April 2012

Barry Hearn's bid to take over ownership of snooker in Britain is to face a challenge from former Olympic athlete John Davison who has promised players a guaranteed £16million in prize money.

Davison, who competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and retired from working in the City last year, has officially announced his rival bid to Hearn.

Davison, a 44-year-old millionaire, has emerged as a rival to Hearn who is currently chairman of the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Davison also claims to be prepared to offer players a larger say in their sport and has already received support from former world champions Stephen Hendry and Peter Ebdon who have publicly backed his bid before the official launch.

Hearn has called a meeting of players for Wednesday when he wants them to back his plans but now Davison has talked about his rival proposals.

Davison, who represented Great Britain at clay target shooting from 1989 until 2003, said: "Having been both a successful athlete and a successful businessman I also really understand the balance that all sports need to achieve between commercial success of a sport and the fact that at the heart of each sport you always have a game that people - grown-ups and children alike - love to play.

"But what I see in snooker is a game that has a huge heritage, is loved by many people but is in decline. It has failed to overcome the loss of tobacco sponsorship, has declining broadcast and sponsorship revenues and limited international presence.

"My team has the skills, experience and credibility to work with the players over the next 15 years to provide a stable base for the game from which it can then grow.

"This is not a shoot out - it is about offering the players a choice - one that they did not have until late last week. I would publicly urge all the players to study my offer seriously to see how they would personally benefit in the long term.

"I just cannot accept that an individual has the right to own an entire sport for ever - in my view a sport is the property of the players and its fans - it amazes me that any one individual can think that he or she has the right to own or control a sport. We are offering to work with the players to grow the game, share the profits we make along the way and then hand everything back to players, at which point, aged 59, I will try to retire again."

While Hearn has made a take-it-or-leave-it offer containing a clause insisting he takes a 51% personal stake in World Snooker, Davison's proposal reveals he plans to take a 63% stake but that his tenure would be for an initial 15 years, after which the WPBSA would be able to make the rights available for tender once again.

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