The Ultimate Pool Group is delighted to officially announce details about the £144,000 UPG Professional Series that will take place later this year.
Forming the premier division of Ultimate Pool’s structured floor circuit, the inaugural Professional Series will feature 34 of the world’s top players competing across four weekends in eight events with extensive live television coverage throughout on FreeSports TV.
The UPG Professional Series will set the standard for English 8-ball pool with consistent prize money and exposure not seen before in the sport. Following last week’s announcement regarding the second-tier UPG Challenger Series, all aspiring amateur players will have the opportunity to achieve their professional ambitions with Ultimate Pool’s transparent promotion and relegation system at the end of each season.
INFORMATION AND DETAILS
Professional Series events will be played on the same dates and held alongside the Challenger Series at the Players Pool and Snooker Lounge in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The dates for the 2021 UPG Professional Series are:
- 6th-8th August
- 17th-19th September
- 22nd-24th October
- 3rd-5th December
At each Professional Series weekend there will be two single elimination events that all 34 professional players will compete in.
All matches in the first Professional Event of each weekend will be the first to 7 frames. All matches in the second Professional Event of each weekend will be the first to 6 frames.
The ‘first’ professional event of each weekend will receive extensive live television coverage (and the final of the second pro event from each weekend) from FreeSports, with all other professional matches livestreamed via a platform on ultimatepool.tv or the upcoming Ultimate Pool App. This means all professional players on the Ultimate Pool circuit will be seen live.
PRIZE MONEY
The total prize fund across all eight professional events in 2021 is £144,000.
The prize money payouts for each event are:
Professional Events 1, 3, 5 and 7
- Winner: £10,000
- Runner-up: £4,000
- Semi-finalists: £2,000 (each)
- Quarter-finalists: £1,000 (each)
- Last 16: £500 (each)
Professional Events 2, 4, 6 and 8
- Winner: £4,000
- Runner-up: £2,000
- Semi-finalists: £1,000 (each)
- Quarter-finalists: £500 (each)
All professional events will be played to International 8-Ball Pool Rules.
Should a professional player not be able to attend a Professional Series weekend, the Ultimate Pool Group will endeavor to replace them in the draw.
2021 CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SHOOTOUT
In addition to the above, the winners of each of the eight professional events will qualify for the end-of-year Champion of Champions Shootout along with the eight event winners from this season’s Challenger Series.
The 16-player Champion of Champions Shootout – which will be free to enter for those who qualify – holds a prize fund of £10,000.
Should a professional player qualify more than once for the event, invites will be awarded to losing finalists or the highest ranked players from the ranking list.
RANKING SYSTEM
There will be a Professional Ranking List formed by the results from the Professional Series. Further details on this can be read here.
No player will be relegated from the Pro Series in 2021, and all will have cards for the 2022 Pro Series season.
The top 8 ranked players from the end-of-season 2021 Ultimate Pool Challenger Series will earn automatic promotion onto the 2022 Pro Series.
THE PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS INVOLVED
Over the coming weeks, the Ultimate Pool Group will announce the 34 players that will make history and contest the first UPG Professional Series season.
Keep posted via Ultimate Pool’s official social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for these reveals.
Ultimate Pool Group CEO Lee Kendall said: “This heralds a new professional era for our sport and we are very excited about the future.
The UPG Professional Series is exactly what is says. It will be an exceptionally tough circuit but those on it will have the chance to make a living out of the sport whilst gaining extensive media and television exposure. They can truly feel ‘professional’ – deserving of their hard work and talents.
Becoming a UPG Professional will be the aspiration of amateur players across the globe, with the opportunity to potentially turn their passion into their livelihood.
We look forward to announcing the 34 players that will make up the first ever line-up.“
