The best snooker players in the world will finish their year in Barnsley for the third successive Christmas next week.

The Metrodome is set to host the qualifying events for the German Masters and European Masters from Tuesday until Sunday, December 22. The likes of John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Jimmy White are set to compete while the events are free for spectators, with sessions every day at 10am, 2.30pm and 7pm. Barnsley is a regular host of World Snooker events, and staged the 2017 English Championships which was won by Ronnie O’Sullivan. 

The Metrodome’s Richard Bailey said: “We enjoy being the last event of the year for World Snooker and welcoming such great sportspeople to our venue. This time there are two events so they will be here for nearly a week.  There will be people having their Christmas parties in some rooms then, below, the best snooker players in the world will be playing so it shows we can organise a lot at the same time as a venue. The Metrodome will be a hive of activity all week. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the people of Barnsley to see world class sport for free and hopefully there is a good turn-out.” 

World Snooker is due to return to the Metrodome three times in the first half of 2020 for qualifying events. The venue is also set to host boxer Josh Wale’s televised title defence in February as well as a show the following month on which three other Barnsley boxers are set to fight. The PDC darts tour, including the likes of Michael van Gerwen as well as Darfield man Carl Wilkinson, also visits the Metrodome for behind-closed-doors events about 12 times per year. 

Bailey said: “We are always looking to expand the types of event we stage and we have recently agreed to host MMA (mixed martial arts) events three times next year. It’s great to have so much professional sport on at the Metrodome, and such varied events as well.”