Ladies Snooker Will it Get it's Day

It was back in the mid-nineties when World Snooker decided to pull the plug on funding the women’s snooker tour.
Since that time player numbers have fallen and earning any money from the game is a non-starter even for the top ladies. Many of the multiple World Champions of the 80’s and 90’s have upped sticks and moved to the USA to play on the lucrative pool circuit. Those players, like Alison Fisher, Kelly Fisher and Karen Corr now earn very good money playing pool and the snooker background has given them a firm foundation over their US and Asian rivals.
There is still a lot of potential in the womens game with the likes of Reanne Evans, Maria Catalano and Katie Henrick sharing the major tournaments between them. However, it is unlikely that they will ever reach their full potential as there is not enough money in the game to warrant playing it full-time.
How good could these players be with a decent tour?
That comment is not flippant either as Mandy Fisher, who has run the ladies game since the 1980’s, does an amazing job with limited funds and time (she works for a living!)
My opinion is that the game for women needs a revamp, I have never understood the need for women to be dressed in waistcoats and trousers (like men) to play snooker. If we use the Pool circuit in the USA as an example, the players are smartly dressed but also in very modern clothing. Surely snooker should opt for this route? Another big issue is being able to sell the game to sponsors, when an event is held in a snooker club it is less-likely to receive any funding. I am however, massively aware of the cost implications of moving out of clubs but it is food for thought.
This weekend I am off to Derby to provide live Internet coverage of the Wytech Ladies Masters event. It will be the first time theWLBSA tour has received live internet coverage. But I think with the right plan going forward there may be an opportunity away from the Internet for the womens game.