|
Snooker's governing body is not doing enough to encourage ethnic minorities to take up the sport, the game's only black professional player has claimed. World No.52 Rory McLeod hit out at the lack of diversity at an amateur level and accused World Snooker of being more interested in the glamour of major events than growing the sport's reach. "What World Snooker are bothered about is the prize money and sponsors. That is it," McLeod told the BBC. "You need black people in the snooker clubs for starters] "Parents are pushing their children towards an education rather than telling them to be a professional snooker player. "There is a lot of moving around in snooker, too. You have to travel and stay over at places. If you don't have money for that then you can't do it. "There could be a lot more [black players] but the opportunities are not there. Most snooker players have money and support behind them, to have that in the snooker business for black people is not something that exists." McLeod, 45, spent a decade on a secondary tour on which another black player, John Clouden, also appeared in 1994 and 1995, but snooker is yet to see any other black professionals. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Jason Ferguson defended his organisation's record of promoting the sport and insisted snooker was working hard to improve participation levels outside snooker's heartland. "We have equal opportunities in the sport and there are no boundaries for participation," he said. "If you are good enough, you can make it on the tour. "We need to reach out to those areas in the world that we are not yet there. Africa is one of those we are working on right now."
|
