World Women's Snooker

World Women's Snooker, founded as the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA) in 1981, and known as World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS) from 2015 to 2018, is a subsidiary company of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association concerned with governing and promoting snooker and billiards for women.

World Women's Snooker
SportSnooker and English billiards
JurisdictionInternational
AbbreviationWWS
Founded1981 (as World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association)
AffiliationWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
Affiliation date2015
HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
PresidentMandy Fisher
ChairmanNigel Mawer QPM
ReplacedWomen's Billiards & Snooker Association
Official website
www.womenssnooker.com

Precursors

Women's Snooker and Billiards had been governed by the Women's Billiards Association (WBA), formed in 1931.[1][2] However, the last professional billiards and snooker championships organised by the WBA were those held in 1950, and by the early 1970s the organisation had "fallen on hard times" according to leading snooker journalist and author Clive Everton.[3]

A Women's Billiards & Snooker Association (WBSA) was formed in 1976,[4] and in 1978 appointed Wally West, snooker club owner, and holder of the world record break of 151, as Secretary.[4][3] The Association organised the 1976 Women's World Open snooker championship and further championships in 1980 and 1981.

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA), 1981–2015

Mandy Fisher, a leading woman player, founded the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA) in 1981.[4][5] The WLBSA held its first open snooker competition in Leeds in March 1982,[5] and within a couple of years, the WBSA lost control of snooker to the WLBSA.[3]

In 1997, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBS) started providing support and prize money for WLBSA tournaments,[6] but the WPBSA's support for the women's circuit stopped in 2002 following the loss of income due to the UK government's restrictions on tobacco sponsorship of sport.[7]

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS), 2015–2018

The WLBSA was restructured as a subsidiary of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in 2015, and became a full member of the World Snooker Federation in 2017.[8] It was known as World Ladies Billiards and Snooker from July 2015 to November 2018.[9]

Women's World Snooker, 2018–present

In November 2018 the WLBSA was renamed as World Women's Snooker,[10] and is responsible for women's snooker and billiards and the women's ranking list.[11]

References
  1. "Women's Billiards. Association Formed to Control the Championships". Lancashire Evening Post. p.10. 1 October 1931 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2019.CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. "No interference". Gloucestershire Echo. p.5. 30 November 1933 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2019.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. Everton, Clive (1985). Guinness Snooker – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 154–156. ISBN 0851124488.
  4. Jennifer Hargreaves (11 September 2002). Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women's Sport. Routledge. p. 427. ISBN 1-134-91276-5.
  5. Cummings, Ann (11 June 1982). "Mandy's Magic". Liverpool Echo. p. 23 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  6. Yates, Phil (24 October 1997). "Women's game lifted – Snooker". The Times. p. 45 – via NewsBank. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  7. Shuttleworth, Peter (12 July 2003). "Defiant Dickson ready for action". Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, and Carmarthenshire Counties Publications (Wales). p. 45 – via NewsBank. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  8. "About Us". World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  9. "World Women's Snooker Ltd". Companies House (UK). Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  10. Huart, Matt (28 November 2018). "World Ladies Billiards and Snooker now known as World Women's Snooker". World Women's Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  11. "Women's Snooker". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
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