A golden period for snooker - but are UK clubs returning from doldrums?

Snooker is booming.

The appetite for the game across the globe is at record levels and prize money looks to only be heading in one direction, despite the recent loss of the lucrative Saudi Arabia Masters.

The World Championship has showcased a new wave of exciting talent, with Wu Yize reaching the semi-finals and the likes of Stan Moody, Liam Pullen and Antoni Kowalski all displaying their rich promise on their debuts.

John Higgins' march to the last four also suggests that the sport's fabled Class of 92 remain a force in the top echelons of the game.

Yet, against that positive backdrop, the condition of the sport's grassroots comes into view after years of decline for local snooker clubs.

BBC Sport looks at what went wrong and the efforts being made to deliver a resurgence.

The Rileys chain, once also synonymous with providing equipment for the highest level of the sport, was perhaps the most recognisable face of snooker clubs across the UK at one time.

However it now operates just 15 clubs, an alarming drop-off from the 165 during its peak years.

Yet that downturn has been far from unusual across the UK's major cities and towns.

Simply trying to organise a few frames with friends has become challenging for those that play recreationally, while searching phrases like 'snooker club closed down' online highlights the depth of club closures impacting communities.

Famed establishments like the Willie Thorne Snooker Centre in Leicester, who took in and helped develop the skills of a young Mark Selby, are among those to have fallen by the wayside in the past 15 years.

High rent and operating costs, reduced junior engagement, the coronavirus pandemic and the long-term impact of things like the smoking ban - and government legislation on the size of jackpots from gambling machines - all took their toll.

That was backed up by Sport England figures that showed the number of over-16s playing at least once a week dropped from 112,600 to just 47,700 between 2005 and 2014.

Speaking to BBC Sport Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), said: "If you turn the clock back to the 1980s, it was boom time in snooker in the UK and there was a club on every street corner.

"But actually it reached a huge saturation point where it had to contract. There was no question of it. You need large buildings, you need huge amounts of space to get around tables and there's a limited amount of money you can charge for use of a snooker table.

"So we're getting pushed out of the towns and city centre prime locations and we're pushed into industrial units and that type of thing. We've also lost clubs to planning applications. The thing for snooker clubs is, if you've got a city centre location and it's prime, what happens?

"Well, a planning application goes in for flats, apartments, whatever else, and the snooker clubs' leases get terminated, those clubs don't get replaced and that is a real challenge."

The days when snooker clubs could rely solely on their table takings are long gone and there is also incredible competition, particularly for the attention of the younger generation.

"Snooker's just too hard. Everyone wants to be a social media Instagram vlogger," said world number 25, David Gilbert, who co-owns Potters Snooker & Pool Club in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.

"Kids want to play pool, it's quicker, easy and fast, have a beer and get out of there.

"I would love a young player to be local, to try to nurture and sponsor him - in the end we sponsor pool players. It's a shame."

John Crowley, who managed a club for more than 20 years in Prestwich, just to the north of Manchester, told BBC Sport: "It's become so expensive to play. You are talking £10 an hour now in some cases.

"Lots of clubs have either gone or had to move towards things like pool and darts. Even a lot of the local leagues have gone. I used to have 12 pool teams running, and ran other events to generate the income to keep the club going.

"If I had all the money in the world I'm not sure I'd use it to open a snooker club. There was a massive decline in numbers, albeit - at the moment - things are improving with a younger clientele."

But, after years in the doldrums, there are signs the tide is turning.

New independents, like Club 200 in Manchester - and those that have diversified by utilising more pool tables and areas for darts - are delivering a revival in their fortunes.

The game's governing body is also taking an active role in keeping clubs going in locations it views as crucial for accessibility to the sport.

"We're lobbying government all the time over this," added Ferguson. "And we are keeping our clubs open because they are buildings of community interest.

"I can tell you there are now more snooker clubs in the UK than there were in the previous two years. Gone are the days of smokey hut. That's just not what snooker is any more. It's now a modern, clean, family-friendly environment and there are some fantastic clubs in the UK.

"If you take the Northern Snooker Centre (NSC) in Leeds, it is a city centre club, it's booming, it's packed, the tables are full in the daytime, it's amazing."

Formerly the practice venue for World Championship debutant Pullen, the NSC was founded in 1974 and has adapted and thrived.

It boasts 23 pool tables to complement its 28 snooker tables, serving food as well as providing a number of big screens so that those visiting can also watch major sporting events.

General manager, Thomas Gedney-Higham said: "Over the past few years, we've invested over £300,000 on refurbishing the club.

"Modernising has kept people interested and we try to be as accessible as possible to a wide audience of people.

"We've introduced darts in the last four months which has taken off, we regularly host inter-club open days, support disability competitions, and have staged disability snooker championships.

"Striking that balance between tradition and progress is why the club works in 2026 and why we're confident it will continue to grow well into the future."

However, Ferguson feels that more can still be done - particularly to help develop players - with snooker failing to benefit from the levels of government investment most other major sports in Britain enjoy.

"When we look at the tens of millions that generally go into other sports, we don't think it's a level playing field. We need a national academy, we need these juniors in England, there needs to be these elite performance pathways," he said.

"The demand and talent is still there but it is the facilities we are fighting for."

Snooker unsuccessfully bid to join the Olympics in 2020 and 2024 but there are plans to try again, albeit not in time for the next Games in Los Angeles.

"If this sport gets on the Olympic programme, it will be a game-changer. We think there's a really strong opportunity to take snooker to the Olympic Games in 2032.

"An expression of interest has been lodged. Likewise with the Paralympic Games."