By James Whaling
Wembley. Lord's. Twickenham. Cheltenham. St Andrew's. Ally Pally.
The Crucible.
Sporting cathedrals at which you can feel the history. It's intangible, but you feel it in every fibre of your being. It courses through your veins and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
You're aware of what's gone before and you're excited by what might come next.
But nowhere is the history of its sport more woven into the tapestry of the venue than the famous theatre slap-bang in the middle of the Steel City which will once again play host to the world's top snooker players for a fortnight this spring.
Sheffield has long self-proclaimed to be the city of sport, with some historical merit. The birth place of football, though the current plight of both its professional clubs is stark, a rich history of boxing and world-class facilities at the English Institute of Sport.
But the World Snooker Championship is the jewel in the crown of this modest northern powerhouse, and one which the city simply cannot afford to lose.
Matchroom supremo Barry Hearn adores snooker and he adores The Crucible. From discovering the prodigious talent of Steve Davis in Essex snooker halls in the 1970s - the sport has been his first love.
But he's also a businessman. A shrewd and ruthless businessman who knows tradition and nostalgia only get you so far.
The Crucible has a capacity of just 980 seats, and despite tentative discussions over a 'new Crucible' able to accommodate 3,000 spectators, no concrete plans are in stage.
Speaking during last year's tournament, Hearn revealed Qatari interest in staging snooker's blue-riband event after the current deal to keep it at The Crucible expires in 2027.
“Take The Crucible," he said. "The debate goes on. Nine hundred and eighty seats. I am getting closer with Saudis on tournaments. Qatar said to me last week ‘what year does that World Snooker contract run out with Sheffield?’
“I said ‘It’s 2027-28.’ They replied ‘Can we be in consideration? Can we have a say in it?’. They don’t have a snooker background. But it’s ‘if you want to do a nice big event, then we will put you in the mix’. Who knows what is going to happen.
“I mean I have told them (Sheffield) what they have got to do. I haven’t seen too much activity in that way. We are part of the Sheffield development plan. But again I need a bit more juice on it.
"I live in a world of people talking about things. In the world I like to operate in, it’s where people do things. They are in that process, I am not criticising them. Let’s hope it comes up.”
In the meantime, those Saudi discussions have born fruit. The recent World Masters of Snooker invitational offered the world's top players obscene prize money for what was essentially a glorified exhibition featuring an extra ball worth £400,000 if potted at the culmination of a maximum 147 break.
Oh, and next year, that will be doubled.
The Middle East, and in particular Saudi Arabia, are playing their cards when it comes to major sporting events. It has become the new home of heavyweight boxing, the state has single-handedly torn golf straight down the middle and have designs on conquering the Premier League through their ownership of Newcastle United.
If you think the World Snooker Championship is safe from their grasp, you're one of two things. Optimistic or delusional.
While Hearn Sr's love for snooker is inarguable, son Eddie, the heir to the Matchroom empire forging strong relationships in Saudi Arabia, is less enthusiastic.
When asked by Stephen Hendry on the Scot's YouTube channel on the prospect of the World Championship moving away from The Crucible last year, Barry said: “The danger you’ve got is Eddie. Eddie is not a snooker fan. As he gets older, perhaps he will learn to love it. He will love it as a business. But he won’t ever have the passion that I have for the sport.”
Without that emotional attachment to the sport's spiritual home, is Hearn Jr more likely to pursue the most lucrative venue? Draw your own conclusions.
One thing is for certain - local leaders in Sheffield need to act to do all they can to retain the World Championship. It's the first time the city has ever faced the realistic prospect of losing the event, and the clock is ticking.
