EPSB To Stage National League Snooker Championship in 2024

The English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards (EPSB) is today excited to announce the launch of its all-new English League Snooker Championship, in association with the Landywood Snooker Club.

To be organised by snooker’s national governing body in England the EPSB, the Championship will be aimed at all snooker leagues across the country, with the first staging to carry a guaranteed prize fund of £4,500, from which the winning team to receive a bumper £1,500 prize.

EPSB Registered leagues will be invited to enter as many five-player teams as possible, who will compete across a minimum of two qualifying weekends set to be held during April/May 2024.

With a minimum of 32 teams required for the event to run, at least eight will qualify for a Grand Finals Weekend which will take place in May/June 2024, at which the inaugural champions will be crowned.

All events during the first staging of the Championship will be held at the Landywood Snooker Club, who will also be title sponsors during this season.

“Huge Potential”

Nigel Mawer QPM, EPSB Chairman said: “Snooker leagues and their players represent a key element of snooker competition at grassroots level in our country and for some time it has been our aim to engage with these community in an innovative meaningful way.

“We believe that there continues to be huge demand for league snooker in England and that through the launch of this fantastic new Championship, we will be able to establish stronger links with the leagues than ever before.”

Paul Lloyd, Landywood Snooker Club said: “I am delighted to be able to work with the EPSB on this fantastic new initiative that represents a major step forward for league snooker in this country.

“Through my own experience and understanding of what league players are looking for, combined with the backing from our national governing body, I firmly believe that this tournament has huge potential for 2024 and beyond. I cannot wait to get started.”

League Registration

To be eligible to enter teams to the English League Snooker Championship, all leagues must first register with the EPSB. The cost of registration will be £30 for two years, for which the registered league will receive:

• League Championship Entry: The option to register an unlimited number of teams to compete at the English League Snooker Championship (£100 entry fee per team).
• News and Guidance: Advice and access to initiatives and training courses from English snooker’s national governing body.
• Profile and Exposure: League promotion through EPSB social media channels and a dedicated section on its website. Leagues will also be invited to send in news stories to be featured.
• Further benefits to be confirmed.

To register your league, please click HERE and complete the requested information. You will receive an email with instructions on how to make your payment.

Please note that all Leagues who previously registered and paid for our previous Registration Scheme in 2021 will be granted two-year membership from 1 January 2024 at no additional cost.

How To Enter

Team entries must be made by registered leagues, with full entry instructions and tournament rules to be published in January 2024.

Each team must have a minimum of five named players, with a maximum of two reserve players.

Event Format

The provisional format for the event will be as follows:

• A minimum of 32 teams will compete in group stages to qualify for the Grand Finals weekend.
• Each match will be played over five frames, with a point scored for each frame won.
• Each team will be made up of five players, with a maximum of one professional player who will give an 18-points start when competing against an amateur. Each team will be permitted to name two reserve players
• Where possible, teams from the same league will be drawn apart during the qualification stage.

All events will be subject to the EPSB’s 2023/24 Standard Terms and Conditions of Entry available at our website.

The dress code for the qualifying events shall be a polo shirt, trousers and formal shoes.

Entry Fees / Prize Money

The entry fee for each team will be £100, with a guaranteed minimum prize fund of:

• Winners: £1,500
• Runners-up: £750
• Semi-finalists: £500
• Quarter-finalists: £250

All prize money totals are per team. Should entry numbers exceed demand, necessitating a Last 16 stage at the Grand Finals, losing last 16s will receive £100.

Each player from the winning team will also receive free entry to the 2025 English Amateur Snooker Championship.

For more information about the tournament, visit the official tournament page HERE.