Stephen Maguire calls for World Snooker Championship move to Alexandra Palace

Stephen Maguire believes the World Snooker Championship should leave the Crucible for Alexandra Palace, saying the home of the Masters has become ‘our best venue by probably a good distance.’

The World Championship has been held at the Crucible in Sheffield since 1977 and there is a deal in place for it to stay there until 2027, but there are seemingly more and more voices in the game calling for a change.

Neil Robertson has suggested playing the early rounds elsewhere because he believes it is too small for two tables, Judd Trump thinks a venue that can hold more spectators would be better and Shaun Murphy has added that the hospitality on offer at the Crucible is not up to scratch.

There are plenty of people in the game who would never want to see the World Championship leave Sheffield, with many fans dreading the idea of a move. Kyren Wilson described talk of leaving the Crucible as ‘utter nonsense’, while Joe Perry is ‘totally against’ leaving Sheffield.

Maguire, though, has added to the voices calling for a switch. The Scot believes that the South Yorkshire venue is too cramped during the two-table set-up and with a capacity of around 1,000, many more fans could attend elsewhere.

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Maguire feels the history and unique atmosphere of the Crucible, but believes that snooker has already found a better venue with the Masters proving a great success at Alexandra Palace. The former world number two now reckons it is time for the World Championship to jump ship to north London.

‘I’m