Shaun Murphy has resigned from his position as WPBSA Players Chairman after winning his second Masters title.
Murphy was elected in December 2023 and ascended to chairman by May but opted to step down on Tuesday. The 42-year-old triumphed over Kyren Wilson with a 10-7 scoreline in the Masters final last month and plans to fully concentrate on his snooker career.
Following an underwhelming run of form, Murphy chose to join the WPBSA Players board in 2023. Yet, Murphy has admitted that his Masters victory has caused him to re-evaluate his priorities and move away from his role with the WPBSA.
“There’s no way of me sugarcoating it,” Murphy shared on his OneFourSeven podcast. “The win at the Masters a couple of weeks ago has really shone a torch for me, into my own game and self-belief, that I can actually still do it at the very cutting edge, top end of the sport.
“I had started to think that that had gone. So, I started to look at other areas in the game where I could make a difference. That win has given me a tap on the shoulder to say, ‘you know what? You can still do this.'”
Faced with the demands of playing professionally and managing responsibilities behind the scenes, Murphy realised he could not fully commit to both roles. “In the end, you can’t be all things to all people,” he explained. “You can’t be everywhere all at once, and it’s not a job I’m willing to give half of myself to. It’s not a responsibility – looking after the members, representing them, and fighting on their behalf – that I’m willing to give 75 per cent to it.
“I’m either in or I’m out. At the minute, I’m not able to represent them as well as I want and be as committed as I want to. So I think it’s right that I stand aside and allow somebody else to take the reins.”
The WPBSA announced that Murphy had resigned as Players chairman and also stepped down from his role as non-executive player director. In a statement, Murphy referred to the role as a “great honour” but pointed to a heavy workload as his reason for leaving.
After his Championship League triumph in July 2023, Murphy didn’t make the main draw in seven of his following 14 ranked events, only advancing past the second round on two occasions. However, Murphy’s recent form has served as a reminder that he remains one of the top players in the sport.