World Snooker Tour was delighted to host a group of students from Loughborough University London at the recent English Open.

Held at the Brentwood Centre, this initiative was part of WST’s broader strategy to engage younger generations, build new audiences, and offer future sports professionals a deeper understanding of the game, not just as fans, but as potential stewards of its future.

The visiting students, who are currently studying at the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough in programmes such as Sport Analytics and Technologies, experienced live snooker for the first time. For them, this was more than just a sporting event, it was an immersive educational experience, blending elite performance with behind-the-scenes insight into live sports event operations and business.

They had the opportunity to witness the exciting opening match between China’s snooker icon Ding Junhui and England’s Liam Pullen, followed by an intimate post-match Q&A with Ding himself.

“It is a great opportunity for our students to witness behind-the-scenes at live sports events,” said Dan Robinson, Future Space Projects Manager at Loughborough University London. “Meeting Ding Junhui, asking him questions, the experience like this, talking to the WST staff as well, are all valuable to them from a sports business perspective.”

“Today’s experience was absolutely thrilling,” said Jeff Xiao, a masters student in Sport Analytics and Technologies from China. “Watching Ding Junhui’s match live and then speaking with him was a huge moment for me. Being able to also see how the event is run behind the scenes has deepened my understanding of sports operations and business. It’s something that will benefit my studies.”

Faisal Labban, a student from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was recently hosted, shared his first-ever snooker experience. “Being able to sit front and watch Ding play, get a century, I’m definitely a fan, once he made that century, I immediately went to my Instagram, searched for his name and then followed him. The experience that I am going to take forward is just go out, even if it’s your first time, even if you have never heard of snooker before, go out, check it out, because there is no doubt you are going to have a good time like I had today.”

Neil Mortimer, who just completed his PhD, called the day a perfect mix of relaxation and inspiration. “The cherry on the top was to meet Ding, it was great to see he always has calm mentality when he’s around the table, potting the balls, and he has the exact personality as a person, so really nice and really welcoming to have that conversation with him. I have had a fantastic day, I appreciate the invite.”

Loughborough Students Enjoy First Snooker Experience – And Meeting With Icon Ding