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We're launching an Australian Senior Snooker Championship to grow 50+, 60+, and 70+ events nationwide�starting with a major comp in Brisbane.

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Budget for Australian Seniors Snooker Championship Concept While the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council (ABSC) and its state affiliates promote snooker championships as a path to the professional circuits in the UK. However they cater for juniors from 12 years old to the Masters (Over 40s). But while they consider their “Masters” as “Senior Snooker”, at 40 snooker players are at the peak of their performance and are not considered to be “senior age” by any standard. The Australian Senior Snooker Association Inc. (ASSA) was founded to fill that void by organising senior state championships where senior aged players can compete on level playing fields, and by continuing to practice and play snooker, continue to exercise both mind and body. One only has to compare the 80 year olds still playing and competing in our events to the others that need walkers to appreciate the benefits of snooker activity. The Australian Senior Snooker Association Inc. (ASSA) is the Australian representative for the World Senior Snooker Organisation (WSSO) whose members are working towards promoting senior age snooker championships in their country. The WSSO members believe that events for senior age players should not be run by existing national bodies that are catering from juniors as young as 12 years old, because for senior events to survive they need to be run by seniors. Aim The aim of an Australian Senior Snooker Championship is to encourage and promote senior age snooker events in all states of Australia. The Australian Senior Snooker Association Inc. (ASSA) has run Over 50s, Over 60s and Over 70s championships for Queensland in 2023, 2024 and for 2025 the Over 50s has been run with the Over 60s and Over 70s to be played by the end of June. By running an Australian Senior Snooker Championship here in Brisbane where we already have the support of the best snooker venue in Queensland and enough members to manage the event (and populate the draw on their own), we anticipate success as a newsworthy event and encouragement for senior age snooker interstate. It only takes one person in any state to organise a state championship, and the Australian Senior Snooker Association Inc. (ASSA) provides positions as director on its board for State Delegates, and by using the ASSA umbrella, they can benefit from our reputation, guidance and public risk insurance. Format For the Australian Seniors Snooker Championship we propose a minimum age requirement of 60. Instead of an elimination draw that can see players going home after losing their first match, we propose a round robin where the field gets divided into groups and the top two players in each group go to an elimination draw for best of 5 frames through to a best of 7 frames final. Round robins are more difficult to manage than elimination draws, but they do offer a lot more from the strongest to the weakest... the opportunity to play a variety of players under strict tournament conditions, and everyone has a chance to warm up and get used to the tables. Having played the sport for many years, most will know everyone and get a chance to catch up.For a round robin we will require the venue for 4 days. Prize Money For a national event the general consensus is that there be a minimum of $8,000 in total prize money to attract entries from interstate. The prize money paid usually depends on the number of entries received, and in this case applied to those making the elimination draw, whether that be the final 8 or 16. ·        Winner                           1 x $3400      $3400·        Runner-up                      1 x $1700      $1700·        Losing semi-finalists      2 x $650        $1300·        Losing quarter finalists  4 x $350        $1400·        High break                     1 x $200          $200·        TOTAL                                                     $8,000 Event Hire The Kedron Wavell Snooker Club, our usual venue, is by far the best venue for a snooker championship in Queensland. It has the best tables with ample space between them for both players and referees. As part of the Chermside Bowls Club the players can enjoy the adjoining bar, restaurant and dining area. The air-conditioning is much better and more reliable than other snooker venues and there is ample parking. A “senior age” event running over four (4) days will deprive members of table time, and although the Kedron Wavell Snooker Club is behind our events 100%, most of their members will not be eligible to play. In fact closing the tables at any snooker club for 4 days would be disastrous. However we have negotiated a hire rate that is acceptable by their board and members which is $500/day, a total of $2,000 for the 4 day event. Referee Fees For an Australian Seniors Snooker Championship we will provide certified referees for all matches throughout the tournament. Referees volunteer their services but organisers try to compensate them for travelling and accommodation expenses by paying $5/frame. Given that a frame can take between 0.5 to 1.5 hours, what they earn may not even be petrol money.A field of 32 players will mean at least 82 frames for the round robin and at least 37 frames for the finals. At $5/frame the total cost for referee fees will be $745. Directors Fee Tournament Directors for state ranked events in Queensland are usually paid $500 event or $250/day. However the director for this event will be volunteering his services. Trophies As with the other ASSA events for Over 50s, Over 60s and Over 70s, trophies are awarded for the winner and runner-up. The cost of those trophies will be covered by the entry fees received. Entry Fees The entry fee payable to enter this tournament will be minimal as most players will be senior age pensioners. Entry fees are not considered as part of the prize pool, but will help to cover for the cost of trophies, miscellaneous event costs and offset the losses from our other events. Management The ASSA Treasurer, Bill Horner is a certified referee, snooker coach and also sits on the board of the ABSC as Players Delegate. The QLD Delegate for ASSA, William Kent, is also a certified snooker coach and referee with 24 years experience in managing state and nationally ranked snooker events. William also holds a First Aid Certificate accredited by the QLD Ambulance Service and is the most likely candidate for tournament director for this event.All of our referees are certified by the ABSC with Blue Cards and Dept of Sport accreditation. Audience Snooker rooms are generally not designed for audiences and while the Kedron Wavell Snooker Club is the most spacious of all rooms in Queensland, current seating can only cater for 40-50 people which is more that one ever sees at these events. However the bigger audience and coverage is by way of online streaming. ASSA usually live streams and records state final matches that are accessibly by the public for free via YouTube. Each Queensland final has had 350-450 viewers, but for a national event which is not only Australia wide, but also world news via our association with the World Senior Snooker Organisation, we can expect 1,000’s of viewers.Our YouTube coverage is a permanent archive and the best message to encourage seniors worldwide to remain active by playing and practicing snooker! Equipment While each table at Kedron Wavell is equipped with both digital and the old style scrolling scoreboards, for this event we need to use a specific style of digital scoreboard (pictured) that is readable from across the room and operable remotely by the referee. We need four (4) of these scoreboards. They can then be used for all of our events. ASSA uses a video camera to send live stream to a computer running OBS Studio software that enables a live scoreboard overlay provided by BallStream. The resultant composition is then streamed to YouTube for live viewing by the public and also recorded in high quality on the computer drive. The higher quality video is then edited and uploaded to YouTube to serve as a permanent archive. The video camera (camcorder) currently used for ASSA events is about 14 years old and while it does cater for low light conditions, the picture quality can be dramatically improved by using a pro standard video camera (pictured). The camera in mind is a Panasonic XA65 which retails for $4400 with accessories. The new digital scoreboards and video equipment (capital equipment) will be used for all future events. Total Cost Trophies and prize money               $8,000Venue Hire                                           2,000Referee fees                                           745Digital scoreboards                             1,200Video Camera                                      4,400Insurance                                                515                                                           --------------Total                                            $16,845.00 Event Dates Considering that our grant submission may not be considered in time to allow enough time to properly announce and promote this event, we have tentatively agreed to hire the Kedron Wavel Snooker Club venue for 4 days around the weekend of November 15-16, 2024.