The big snooker debate that will not go away: Prize money distribution in a sport that rewards excellence

It is half-past midnight in The Plough, a pub in the Lincolnshire village of Skellingthorpe, and at the end of his evening shift, Steven Hallworth is cleaning the toilets. Hallworth is ranked 77th on a professional snooker tour worth £14m. This season he has earned just £11,000 from the eleven tournaments he has entered.

Players do not receive prize money if they lose in the first round of an event. Hallworth has done so seven times. Ad/> His is a familiar story of a lower-ranked player trapped in a vicious circle.

He does not earn enough from snooker to live so needs a second job. But because he has a second job, he has less time to devote himself to snooker. World ChampionshipRocket Ronnie's 30 years at Crucible – O'Sullivan set to pass another Hendry record18/03/2022 AT 10:46 If he is at a tournament, he isn’t earning at the pub.

And every time he starts out in an event the pressure of needing to win a match to earn any money hangs heavy. Hallworth practises from 9am to 4pm and typically works behind the bar from 5pm to midnight, six days a week, leaving little time for anything else. He isn’t looking for charity.

“From a playing perspective and as a sportsperson, I don’t expect to earn a penny if I lose in the first round,” he says. “Losers shouldn’t be rewarded but as a professional, you’re in an elite group, so why should we be out of pocket at the end of the season? They could look at covering your expenses. Where is the incentive to be a professional player? It can be demoralising.” Prize money distribution is a subject of much discussion among players, many of whom are unhappy with the present arrangements, however, there are arguments on both sides of this debate.