Northern Ireland Open: World Snooker Tour officials hail 'world-class' Waterfront Hall venue
The World Snooker Tour (WST) has given plaudits to the Waterfront Hall after a record-breaking Northern Ireland Open at the venue.
Large crowds descended on the location throughout the week of tournament play as Jack Lisowski got his hands on his first-ever ranking title by beating his good friend Judd Trump in an absorbing final.
The Northern Ireland crowd was also treated to a clash between home favourites Mark Allen and Jordan Brown in the quarter-final as the former overcame the latter.
A crowd of 1435 watched Sunday’s final which the WST has claimed is one of the biggest crowds for a UK event – outside of the Masters which is held in London’s Alexandra Palace.
Tickets are on sale for next year’s action and the WST say sales have already proven to be popular.
“As always it was a fantastic event at the Waterfront Hall and most of the players are now talking about this as one of the best venues on our global circuit,” a spokesperson for the tour read.
"The number of fans we had through the door broke previous records and we have already sold a lot of tickets for next year’s event in Belfast.
"The atmosphere for the final in particular with a crowd 1,435 was sensational and Jack Lisowski was quick to thank them after the match.
"We look forward to coming back to the Waterfront next October.”
Lisowski – who was considered one of the best players to not have won a title until last Sunday’s success – was thankful to the crowd in Belfast for their support.
He said after getting his hands on the Alex Higgins Trophy: "I want to thank the fans for supporting me, they carried me through the final. Hopefully this is a new start for me."
Kyren Wilson, who won the NI Open back in 2024, says he loves coming over to the province to hear the stories of the legendary Alex Higgins, who was known as the ‘Hurricane’ for his rapid play on the table.
Speaking prior to this year’s edition, former Crucible king Wilson said: "The Waterfront is a fantastic venue, last year was the first time I got far enough to experience it with just one table.
"When you get that far the arena becomes extraordinary, with the balconies and tiers going into the distance, it's a spectacular sight and that really inspired me.
"There is so much history to snooker in Northern Ireland - when I get picked up from the airport I love listening to the taxi drivers and their stories about Alex Higgins! Before event starts, that gets you excited about it. And you can see how much fans there love snooker."
Several others of the sport’s big names have also given the Waterfront Hall the seal of approval.
World number one Trump, winner of the NI Open four times said: “Just the people here are so friendly and I get a lot of support.
"I’ve played some unbelievable finals against Ronnie O’Sullivan and it’s one of my favourite venues on the tour.
"I think we go to so many places...here in Belfast is one of the best and I think everyone is excited to play in this event.”