Ronnie O'Sullivan has declared that Snooker 900 is a more accessible alternative to traditional snooker, which he describes as 'too hard', and says he would actively encourage children to take up the shorter format. The seven-time world champion made the comments after winning the Snooker 900 Global Championship in May 2026, where he defeated Luca Brecel in the final in Reading to claim the £25,000 top prize.
What is Snooker 900?
Snooker 900 is played over 15-minute (900-second) frames, with a shot clock and modified rules, including ball-in-hand for a foul. Originally featuring only amateur players, the format has grown to attract top professionals, with O'Sullivan becoming a prominent advocate and described as a 'partner in the project' by creator Jason Francis.
O'Sullivan's Endorsement
After lifting the trophy, O'Sullivan called for a Snooker 900 tour to be established, praising Francis for creating what he called an 'amazing format'. 'Jason's come up with an amazing format and I just think he's hit the sweet spot with snooker, really,' O'Sullivan said. 'If Jason gets some sort of tour going, some backing or whatever, I'm sure this will be here forever.'
In an interview shown on Pluto TV, O'Sullivan explained why he believes the short format is more appealing. 'What I love about it is it hasn't interfered with the actual game itself, but it's kind of sped it up. It's put a start and an end time to it. So everyone knows where they are: players, fans, TV, whoever's involved. So it just makes it much more systematic, but there's still lots of good snooker.'
Encouraging Juniors to Choose Snooker 900
O'Sullivan, who has previously said he would not encourage his son to play traditional snooker, said he would actively promote Snooker 900 to young players. 'I just think it's a great format. Snooker's a hard game. If you play traditional snooker, it's a tough game. I always said, and I stand by, I'd never say to my son, "play snooker." I try and take him away from it. If you say, I want to play 900, I go, "yeah, fine."
He drew a comparison between the two formats, likening the World Snooker Tour (WST) to Formula 1 and Snooker 900 to touring car racing. 'I believe in 900. I believe it's enjoyable snooker. If you want painful snooker, go and play the WST tour, that's the F1. That's hard, you're going to have to really grind out. But if you want to be a touring car racing driver and you love driving, you want to make a living and have fun and just have a good life, go play 900. You can be the best in the world at 900.'
Plans for a Snooker 900 Tour
Francis has ambitious plans for Snooker 900, but the format cannot yet offer a financially sustainable career like traditional snooker. O'Sullivan hopes a tour can be created to showcase the sport in a different way that attracts younger generations. 'For me, my legacy would be providing a tour, hopefully,' he said. 'We want to have summer camps for juniors where they play snooker, but it's just 900. That's what I believe in, that's what I'm happy to get behind.'
He emphasised the need to give young people an accessible entry point. 'We want to catch them young and just take them all the way through. They've got a choice for tennis, golf, we need to give them the snooker option, and I want to give them a healthy snooker option. I feel like the 15-minute frames just keeps it modern day. This is something I'm really pleased to be getting behind.'
