Neil Robertson lands new job with immediate effect alongside snooker rival

Neil Robertson has landed a new job alongside one of his snooker rivals, three months after being dumped out of the World Championship in the opening round. The 43-year-old, a former Crucible winner, was narrowly beaten by Chris Wakelin in his first match. He has failed to make it through to the second round in each of the last four years.

Robertson is the most successful player to come from Australia, having won a total of 25 ranking titles. He is also one of just 11 players in history to complete snooker's famed Triple Crown. His impressive standing in the sport has been recognised in his new role with the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

The governing body have announced that Robertson has been added to the players' board with immediate effect. As part of his new role, he will help to ensure that players from outside of the UK are represented and supported on the World Snooker Tour.

In a statement issued by the WPBSA, Robertson said: "It is an honour to have the opportunity to represent the views and feelings of my fellow professionals and to be able to use my own personal experiences to help the next generation of players."

Robertson will be able to call upon his experience of leaving Australia and moving to the UK in order to further his career. He initially relocated to Leicester but struggled to settle in and now lives in Cambridge with his wife and two children.

Earlier this year, the former world champion took up residency in Hong Kong after passing through a 'quality migration scheme'. He is not the only top player to have done so, having followed in the footsteps of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump.

Robertson's new role comes a month after Ben Woollaston was appointed to the WPBSA governance board as a non-executive director. The governance board is primarily responsible for the overall direction and management of the body.

Woollaston is the WPBSA's second player-director alongside Mark Davis, who was appointed in January. The pair will work alongside Ferguson, vice-chairman and director Nigel Mawer and governance director Nigel Oldfield.

At the time, Woollaston said: "I am pleased to join the board of WPBSA Governance and be able to provide representation for player issues at the highest level of our sport.

"As a professional snooker player for over 20 years, I have been privileged to see first-hand the development of our sport during that time and to live the highs and lows of competing on the World Snooker Tour.

"I look forward to sharing my experience with the team at the WPBSA and to helping shape the future development of our sport, from grassroots level to the professional circuit."

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