While the world’s top nine-ball stars battle it out at the UK Open Pool Championship at the Telford International Centre, Matchroom Multisport CEO Emily Frazer and commentator Jeremy Jones took time on Thursday afternoon to visit the Children’s Ward at Princess Royal Hospital, just 15 minutes from the venue.
Armed with t-shirts and gifts, the Matchroom Pool team brought smiles to young patients and their families, spending time chatting and sharing stories about the sport of nine-ball pool and the exciting event taking place in town. The visit offered a moment of joy and a meaningful distraction to children being treated on the ward, which caters to patients from just a few days old up to 18 years.
The Princess Royal Hospital has been at the heart of children’s care in Shropshire since opening in 2014. With a strong emphasis on creating a positive environment during hospital stays, the Play Team is dedicated to finding engaging, uplifting experiences for young patients. The ward even includes a school room with a half-scale pool table, where Jeremy Jones treated staff to a few friendly games and a demonstration of Nineball—sparking what could become a new favourite activity on the ward.
©Matchroom Pool
As part of its ongoing commitment to community engagement, Matchroom Pool has invited several young people from the hospital living with long-term conditions—such as cystic fibrosis and type 1 diabetes—and their families to attend the final day of the UK Open Pool Championship on Sunday, 11 May. The group will experience the buzz of the arena firsthand as the 2025 UK Open Champion is crowned.
This visit is just one of many initiatives Matchroom Pool has implemented to build lasting relationships with local communities across the World Nineball Tour calendar. Earlier in the week, the event hosted its inaugural ‘Race to 5K’—a community run with over 30 participants taking to a local park. In addition, Matchroom Pool partnered with a local Telford pool hall to distribute complimentary tickets for the UK Open, ensuring more local fans can enjoy top-tier nine-ball action.
Speaking on the visit, Matchroom Multisport CEO Emily Frazer said: “It warmed my heart to see how our visit to Ward 19 at Princess Royal Hospital impacted both the staff and patients there this afternoon. Just a small gesture can have such a significant impact at really tough times in people’s lives. It was particularly great to spend time with the staff, who do a great job caring for the kids on the ward. We feel that Telford is the home of the UK Open Pool Championship, and we are keen to deepen our relationship with the community here.”
©Matchroom Pool
Kerry Davies, Youth Worker on the ward, added: “A huge thanks to Emily, JJ, and the team for visiting the Children’s Ward at PRH this afternoon. Visits to the ward make a real difference to the patients and their families — they provide a great distraction to those children and young people receiving treatment. Having chatted to patients and staff, we might have a few more Nineball fans!”
With every event it delivers, Matchroom Pool remains committed to leaving a positive impact not only on the table, but off it too—building meaningful connections with the people and places that welcome the world of nine-ball.
©Matchroom Pool
Matchroom Pool 與皇家公主醫院攜手，為特爾福德兒童帶來歡笑
當世界頂級九球明星在特爾福德國際中心舉行的英國公開賽上展開激烈角逐時，Matchroom Multisport 首席執行官 Emily Frazer 和評論員 Jeremy Jones 於週四下午抽出時間參觀了距離比賽場地僅 15 分鐘路程的皇家公主醫院兒童病房。
Matchroom 團隊帶著 T-shirts 和禮物，為小患者和他們的家人帶來了歡笑，並與他們聊天，分享有關美式九球和鎮上正在舉行的激動人心的活動的故事。這次的探訪為病房裡接受治療的孩子們帶來了歡樂和放鬆，該病房接收的病人從出生幾天到 18 歲不等。
自 2014 年開業以來，皇家公主醫院一直是 Shropshire 郡兒童護理的核心。團隊非常重視在住院期間營造積極正向的環境，致力於為小患者尋找有趣、令人振奮的體驗。該病房甚至設有一間配備半尺寸撞球台的教室，Jeremy Jones 在那裡為員工們組織了幾場友誼賽並演示了九球，這項活動可能成為病房裡一項新的熱門活動。
作為其持續致力於社區參與的一部分，Matchroom Pool 邀請了幾位來自醫院的患有囊性纖維化和 1 型糖尿病等長期疾病的年輕人及其家人參加 5/11 星期日舉行的英國公開賽最後一日的活動。當 2025年英國公開賽冠軍加冕時，該團體將親身體驗賽場的熱鬧氣氛。
©Matchroom Pool
這次訪問只是 Matchroom Pool 為在世界九球巡迴賽期間與當地社區建立持久關係而實施的眾多舉措之一。本週早些時候，該活動舉辦了首屆「5K 賽跑」— 一場有30多名參與者在當地公園進行的社區跑步活動。此外，Matchroom Pool 還與 Telford 當地一家撞球場合作，發放英國公開賽的免費門票，確保更多當地球迷能夠享受頂級九球比賽。
Matchroom Multisport 執行長 Emily Frazer 在談到此次訪問時表示：“今天下午，我們探訪了皇家公主醫院19號病房，看到那裡的醫護人員和病人都深受感動，我感到無比溫暖。在人們人生的艱難時刻，即使只是一個小小的舉動，也能帶來如此巨大的影響。能與病房裡的醫護人員共度時光尤其令人欣慰，他們把病房裡的孩子照顧得無微不至。我們認為 Telford 是英國公開賽的舉辦地，我們渴望加深與這裡社區的聯繫。”
該病房的青年工作者 Kerry Davies 補充說：非常感謝 Emily、JJ 和團隊今天下午探訪PRH的兒童病房。病房探訪對病人和他們的家人來說意義非凡 — 他們為正在接受治療的兒童和青少年提供了很好的消遣。和病人和工作人員聊過之後，我們可能會多一些九球球迷！ 」
Matchroom Pool 舉辦的每場活動都致力於在台上和台下留下正面影響，與九球世界的人們和地方建立有意義的聯繫。