Barry Hearn

Barry Hearn OBE
Snooker German Masters, 2015
Born	(1948-06-19)19 June 1948 Dagenham,England
Occupation	Sports promoter
Years active	1973–present
Organization	Matchroom Sport
Known for	Sports promotion (bo xing,darts,football,snooker,table tennis)
Spouse	Susan Hearn
Children	2, includingEddie

Barry Maurice William HearnOBE(born 19 June 1948) is a Britishsports promoterwho is founder andpresidentofMatchroom Sport.Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports includingbo xing,snooker,darts,pool,tenpin bowling,golf,table tennisandfishing.Until April 2021 Hearn was the chairman of theProfessional Darts Corporationand until July 2010, chairman of theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.Until July 2014, he was the chairman ofLeyton Orient F.C.

Early life

Hearn was born in 1948 on acouncil estateinDagenham,Essex.His family moved to theDebdenestate in Loughton.He was educated atBuckhurst Hill County High School.He worked and then ran a series of small businesses as a teenager, from washing cars to picking fruit and vegetables.

After qualifying as anaccountant,Hearn took over the role of finance director to a design company based inKensal Green,called Deryck Healey Associates (circa 1973). He formed a new firm, Kensal House Investments, and DHA became Deryck Healey International (DHI).

Career

Snooker

In the early 1970s, looking for a property investment, Hearn bought a snooker hall inRomford,Greater London.The same year, theBBCbegan promoting snooker onBBC2incolour television,resulting in queues of people wanting to play snooker.Hearn and business partner Deryck John Healey then bought Lucania Billiard Halls, which formed the basis of his future career, promoting snooker via colour television.

Hearn began promoting sporting events in 1974, working with amateur snooker players Geoff Foulds, father ofNeal Foulds,andVic Harris.In 1976, he became manager ofSteve Davis,who went on to win theWorld Championshipsix times.

Hearn prospered from the snooker boom of the 1980s when he formed Matchroom with players Davis andTony Meo.Later Matchroom snooker players includeTerry Griffiths,Dennis Taylor,Willie Thorne,Neal Foulds,Jimmy White,Cliff ThorburnandRonnie O'Sullivan.Hearn appeared alongside many Matchroom players in the video for "Snooker Loopy",a hit for" rockney "pop rockduoChas & Dave.

In December 2009 Hearn was elected as the newWPBSAChairman afterSir Rodney Walkerfailed to get re-elected and left his post. In June 2010, following a vote by the members, Hearn took over a 51% controlling interest in the organisation's commercial business World Snooker Limited with a view to revitalising the game.The commercial business was separated from the regulatory body, theWPBSA.

Bo xing

Hearn moved intobo xingin 1987, his first promotion being theFrank BrunoversusJoe Bugnerbout atWhite Hart Lanein October 1987. He offered the television rights toGreg Dykeof London Weekend Television for £200,000, who agreed to pay £250,000 because he did not believe Hearn could deliver for the quoted price.

Hearn has since promoted many leading British and Irish boxers, includingChris Eubank,Nigel Benn,Lennox Lewis,Naseem Hamed,Steve CollinsandHerbie Hide.

Hearn withdrew his boxers Herbie Hide and Steve Collins from theHigh Noon in Hong Kongevent at the last minute, scheduled on 22 October 1994, when promoterJohn Dalycould not come up with the purses.Hearn said, "But to be honest I was very pleased with myself in Hong Kong. I stood my ground. How many others would have?"

In April 2008 Hearn introduced thePrizefighter series,a knockout tournament featuring 8 different boxers. His son Eddie now manages the bo xing side of the business.

Hearn is credited as appearing in the filmOne Night in Millstreet.In the trailer for the film Hearn is seen dismissing claims made that boxerSteve Collinswas hypnotised byCult-leaderTony Quinnto not feel pain as "What a load of rubbish".

Darts

Hearn was until April 2021 the chairman of theProfessional Darts Corporation,one of darts' two governing bodies, the sport having beensplitsince the world's leading players left theBritish Darts Organisationin 1992. He made several attempts to buy out the rival body, which would reunify the game, but has been unsuccessful.

Football

Hearn was the chairman of thefootballleague clubLeyton Orientfrom 1995 to 2014. Before Hearn's takeover the club was facing a financial disaster due to the collapse of the then chairman Tony Wood's coffee business inRwandaat the time of theRwandan genocide.Hearn's intervention and financial input assured the club's future. Although Hearn has been successful in stabilising the club financially, his tenure included the club's longest run in the bottom division (the fourth tier) of the Football League since its creation (in 1958). At the culmination of the 2005–06 season, Orient earned promotion to the third tier of English league football (League One), their first automatic promotion since the 1969–70 season.

In April 2017, Hearn resigned as honorary president of Leyton Orient registering his disapproval of the new owner, Francesco Becchetti, who he claimed had "not played by the rules" leaving Leyton Orient players and staff unpaid for March 2017.

Fishing

Hearn is an enthusiastic fisherman. After watching the first recording of Wrestle Mania inOckenden,he pitched the idea of Fish-o-Mania to Greg Dyke at LWT. Turned down, he sold the idea toSky Sports,establishing a successful now 19-year television franchise.

Personal life

Married to Susan, the couple have two children, Katie andEddie Hearn.After nearly going bankrupt in the early 1990s, and suffering aheart attackin 2002, he returned and has become a multi-millionaire.

Hearn was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in the2021 New Year Honoursfor services to sport.That year, Hearn was inducted into theProfessional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame.

External links

• Matchroom Sport
• December 2005 BBC article about Hearn and Leyton Orient
• SportAndTechnology interview
• Career philoshopy interview - podcast