Watching 15 year old Ukrainian Iulian Boiko this morning, whose ranked 126th having struggled to win many games, and I'm wondering if there could be some kind of change that, if you manage to get yourself on the main tour as a teenager, you're guaranteed a place for the years while you're still in your teens?
Their ranking place would still be on a 2 year cycle obviously, so losing and gaining points during those years based on results like everyone else, just not dropping off the circuit if they haven't made it into the top 64 in 2 years?
Boiko is a bit of an extreme case - most don't get on it as young as him and guaranteeing a youngster all those years on the circuit seems extreme I admit. Mostly they're 16+, but it must still be huge pressure for teenagers to cope with, especially those from abroad, knowing they may drop off the tour and might not have the money to dedicate to playing amateur and paying for Q-School, etc (the sport almost lost a young Neil Robertson that way).
I know a big argument against it is that it's the fear of dropping off the tour that drives you on to learn and improve, and dropping off and getting back on hardens you for the battle and so on. And Neil Robertson is a great example of that. And that older players wouldn't be happy missing out on some places.
But with Snooker struggling to produce the next generation of youth apart from the Chinese players, it might help the sport not lose some of the up and coming youngsters if they have an extra year or two to improve on tour while still in their teens?
Just a thought.
It might not be feasible.