In May, MatchFit were appointed by Sheffield City Council to invite high profile names across the worlds of sport, entertainment and television to a VIP experience at the World Snooker Championship Final at the iconic Crucible Theatre.
Our mission? To introduce the sport of snooker to a new audience and elevate the profile of South Yorkshire by painting Sheffield as the go-to hotspot for sports fans.
Our team worked to identify high-profile sports fans from across the UK ahead of an exciting weekend of snooker, during which millions tuned in to watch Zhao Xintong defeat Mark Willianms in the all-important final.
Our guests were at the forefront of all the action as it unfolded, front row at the Crucible as Xintong became the first player from China to lift the trophy.
England cricketer Monty Panesar, Olympic champion Christine Ohuorugu and Commonwealth champion boxer Callum Simpson were among the sporting stars in attendance, while The Chase’s Jenny Ryan (also known as The Vixen), TV host Adrian Chiles and BBC 5 Live presenter Rick Edwards took a break from their usual broadcasts to catch the action in Sheffield.
Online content creators Dev Bajwa (Dev FC) and Minaa Simone also soaked in the atmosphere, taking their audience on a journey to snooker’s most prestigious tournament. Smiles were captured across the weekend by our photographer - with content spread far and wide across our guests’ social media accounts.
In a year that saw us take eight VIP guests to the Crucible, the World Snooker Championships simultaneously smashed its streaming record, with 12.6 million people tuning in to enjoy the drama and talent on show.
It’s a sure sign of the sport’s growth, there’ll be serious FOMO for those that miss the action next year, snooker has never been more exciting!
