Players have 'long' list of possible changes - Murphy

Shaun Murphy says master snooker players person "a database arsenic agelong arsenic your arm" of imaginable changes they would for illustration to spot aft nan constitution of a caller assemblage to correspond their interests.

The statement of nan independent Professional Snooker Players' Association (PSPA) was announced successful August, pinch nan stated volition of giving players "a stronger voice" to "champion nan sport".

Four-time world champion John Higgins is nan PSPA's chairman, pinch a number of starring players - including world number 1 Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Murphy, Mark Allen and Mark Selby - connected nan players' board.

The relation claims nan governance of snooker "should facet successful much of nan views of nan players".

It vowed to foster a "collaborative relationship" pinch nan sport's authorities, including nan World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), nan existing WPBSA Players' Board, and World Snooker Tour (WST) "to heighten nan sport's future, while safeguarding subordinate use and commercialized interests".

The WPBSA's ain players' assemblage was formed successful 2020, and nan governing assemblage says it has "a circumstantial instruction to enactment successful nan corporate champion liking of members successful narration to use and issues affecting nan master game".

Former world champion Murphy resigned from his domiciled arsenic WPBSA Players president successful February to attraction much connected his playing profession and different interests disconnected nan table.

The 43-year-old now believes nan PSPA represents nan champion measurement guardant for players to person input into decisions affecting nan sport.

"The caller assemblage has a agelong measurement to spell but 1 of nan large things it has... is that it's wholly independent," Murphy told BBC Sport aft beating David Lilley 4-0 successful nan first information of nan Northern Ireland Open astatine nan Waterfront Hall successful Belfast.

"The measurement nan crippled is funded - and nan measurement nan WPBSA earns its money and nan measurement that funnels into WPBSA Players - it tin ne'er beryllium genuinely independent of nan group it's trying to discuss pinch and make nan crippled amended for nan players."

Murphy antecedently served connected nan main WPBSA Board - nan governing assemblage which useful successful tandem pinch nan commercialized WST - from 2017-19 and was elected to nan WPBSA Players Board successful December 2023, becoming president successful May 2024.

He besides joined nan WPBSA Board successful February 2024 arsenic a non-executive subordinate director.

Murphy believes transparency is important successful nan narration betwixt governance and players.

"I deliberation if you inquire nan players successful [the PSPA] they've sewage a database arsenic agelong arsenic your limb of things to spot changed, done better, done differently, looked at, considered, but nan WST defender their secrets very intimately and there's often a deficiency of accusation arsenic to why definite decisions are taken.

"I deliberation erstwhile nan players person that accusation they'll understand why definite things are done nan measurement they are - for illustration nan almanac of events.

"There are very bully reasons for those things and nan truth that [the PSPA] is independent allows it to inquire questions that unit members of WPBSA don't want to ask."

The reigning Masters champion believes location is simply a precocious grade of solidarity among players astir nan imaginable effect of nan PSPA.

"In my clip arsenic a master snooker subordinate location has been precocious governmental play successful snooker, it hasn't been without its problems, but astatine nan infinitesimal I deliberation nan players are very adjacent to [being] united, astir apt arsenic adjacent arsenic ever successful position of seeing what this caller relation is about.

"I deliberation they are affirmative that thing is being done.

"John Higgins is starring it and if it's superior capable for John to propulsion his chapeau successful nan ringing past I deliberation everyone should return it seriously."

A connection released by WST successful consequence said: "We person been fresh to speak to nan PSPA since we first heard astir it astatine nan commencement of August and our doorway remains open, beryllium that for nan PSPA aliases for immoderate individual player."

Murphy is portion of an elite group of players who person won each 3 of snooker's 'Triple Crown' events - nan World Championship, nan Masters and nan UK Championship.

Among nan changes he would for illustration to spot is simply a return to a points-based strategy to find ranking, arsenic opposed to nan existent standings which are based connected prize money accumulated successful ranking events.

Murphy won nan caller British Open and vanished runner-up successful nan Xi'an Grand Prix to emergence to ninth successful nan world rankings and 3rd connected nan one-year list, which reflects much caller form.

Neil Robertson enjoys a important lead successful nan one-year database aft picking up a cheque of £500,000 for winning nan Saudi Arabia Masters successful August.

"I don't deliberation nan Saudi Masters is 5 times much difficult to triumph than nan British Open, but it is worthy 5 times nan magnitude of points and prize money. It's a skewed strategy successful my opinion," Murphy said.

"I deliberation it would beryllium bully to person a money database for immoderate nan WST want to usage it for - but successful position of nan rankings I deliberation we request to return to a points-based strategy wherever you tin person that equality a small spot more."