The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) was founded in 1968 and is based in Bristol, UK. This organization is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards and sets the rules and regulations of snooker and English, including disciplinary matters. Jason Ferguson is Chairman of WPBSA Chairman.
The WPBSA operates not only as the professional governing body of the two cue sports, alongside its amateur counterpart in the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), but also as a trade association promoting snooker and billiards more broadly.
The World Snooker Association is responsible for conducting and managing snooker's main ranking circuit events. This series consists of the World Open, UK Championship, Welsh Open, China Open and the World Snooker Championship. The latter is the most famous and popular event in the snooker season. Held at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield since 1977, the tournament is the richest, most prestigious, and most important tournament in snooker. The subsidiary is often referred to simply as World Snooker.
