The series will feature 12 events with 6 held at the Academy in Sheffield and a further six at International venues, including 4 in Germany which has seen a massive growth in snooker over the last couple of years.

The series will contain two elements, a new order of merit which stands alone from the main World Rankings and is based solely on prize money, plus players from the main tour can also gain world ranking points if they reach the latter stages of the events. On conclusion of the 12 tournaments the top 24 players from the order of merit will reach the televised stages due for March 2011.

Each of the twelve PTC’s will have a prize fund of £50,000 with £10,000 to the winner of each event. In the finals in March there will be a share of £200,000 up for grabs with £60,000 for the eventual winner. This new series with increased prize money, regular match practice and the added bonus of World Ranking points will no doubt attract the big name players that were lacking with the failed Pro Challenge series. Playing in these events will benefit everyone involved in the game.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “The Player Tour Championship forms the backbone of our brave new world for snooker. It plugs the gaps between the main ranking events, providing plenty of opportunities for the professionals, which is what they have been crying out for.

“I’m particularly excited about the new Order of Merit!  This will create extra interest among fans and media as players battle to get one of those 24 spots in the final stages. It will be like the race to get into the Ryder Cup team in golf, with players sweating over every pound. It gives talented young players the chance to come from nowhere and surge up the list, while the top boys will have to be on their mettle.

“I hope that all of the leading stars will enter these events, and with a lot of money and ranking points available, there is every incentive. They will have to play in at least six of the PTCs to be eligible for the televised finals. I’ve used a similar model in darts and it’s worked fantastically well.

“I’ll also be fascinated to see how the events go in Europe. The new series provides World Snooker with a strong structure through which to enter new international markets.”

Each event will cost £100 to enter. Details on how to enter will follow soon on worldsnooker.com

The deadlines for entries are:
PTC1 – MONDAY 14 JUNE 2010
PTC2 – MONDAY 28 JUNE 2010
PTC3 – MONDAY 12 JULY 2010
PTC4 – MONDAY 19 JULY 2010