Mattioli Arena: snooker in Leicester

Choose your Leicester snooker day

Mattioli Arena has two very different kinds of public snooker day this November. The Champion of Champions puts an invitational knockout tournament on the main stage. The UK Championship qualifiers spread simultaneous matches across eight tables before the last two days reduce to four. Pick the competition first; its admission and seating arrangements follow from that choice.

The arena’s main-arena specification gives a maximum venue capacity of 3,000. [UNVERIFIED: snooker audience capacity by event.] The temporary table and seating configuration determines the spectator allocation. The arena also holds broadcast-only events. The summer ranking Championship League and the September qualifying blocks excluded spectators. The winter Championship League dates are published, while its 2027 spectator arrangements remain [UNVERIFIED: public admission and ticket release]. The event list below separates completed events from future dates.

Getting there

Use 12 Memory Lane, Leicester LE1 3UL. The entrance, reception and box office are on Memory Lane. The arena says there is no pedestrian or vehicle entrance from Charter Street. Set the correct street before leaving the station or ordering a taxi.

Leicester station is about 25 minutes on foot according to the venue. Its general travel guidance allows about 15 minutes by bus, with a three-minute walk from the nearest stop. Check the arena directions for your starting point. Walking times here are planning estimates; the canal-side photograph below is not an entrance route.

The free Hop city-centre bus links the station, Haymarket, Highcross and Jubilee Square every ten minutes, Monday–Saturday, excluding bank holidays, from 8am to 6pm. It is useful for a daytime city-centre transfer followed by a walk. It stops running before evening snooker finishes.

On-site parking is limited and event-dependent. The venue normally uses first-come parking paid through Evology, with ANPR and tariffs displayed on site. Check the event message before driving; adjacent college parking is private and opens to arena visitors only for specified events.

Highcross lists John Lewis parking via Vaughan Way, postcode LE1 4QJ, as a 24-hour alternative. Its operator publishes £2.50 evening parking when you arrive after 5pm and leave before 6am the next morning. The separate £5 subscription product covers up to 12 hours and needs enrolment before arrival. Read Highcross’s current terms for the product you use.

After an evening session, allow the station walk plus boarding time. Train departures depend on your destination and date. Use National Rail for the actual last service; a hotel near the station still needs the return journey from the arena. Transport and parking checked 8 October 2026.

Where to sit: which table?

UK qualifying uses eight tables on 21–24 November and four on 25–26 November. The £12 ticket covers the chosen day’s sessions. The Champion of Champions follows its established single-table format; use the event guide for the round lengths and ticket-label conflict.

Current public sources leave the exact snooker seat allocation, table-area movement and screen positions [UNVERIFIED: reserved or unreserved seating, table sightlines and any dividing partitions]. Ask the original seller which table area your admission covers. The qualifying guide carries the full day-by-day table arrangement, while the Champion guide carries its rounds.

Tickets

Buy through WST’s qualifying announcement or the Champion of Champions official ticket page. The event pages carry the full published tariffs, starts and unresolved seller details. The arena requires every attendee, including children and carers, to hold a ticket.

Public prices differ from the broadcast-only events. An empty tariff for a closed event is not a £0 ticket. For a public event, check fees and the exact day or session before completing the seller’s checkout.

Work out your Leicester trip cost

This hub’s calculator uses the six UK qualifying day prices published by WST. The Champion of Champions guide has a separate calculator for its eleven published Standard price rows. Choose the event before comparing the totals.

For Mattioli Arena’s UK qualifying-day budget, choose a published admission day or session, then its priced category. Enter the actual booking fees from checkout. Travel and food cover your whole party; rooms cost nights × rooms × room price. This is a budget estimate, calculated on your device.

On the day

Payment: the arena is cashless, accepting cards and mobile payments. What to wear: ordinary comfortable clothes suit a Standard snooker visit; check any hospitality-package dress terms when booking. Bags: one bag per person, no larger than A4. The venue bars backpacks, travel cases, laptop and camera bags, and large totes. Bags are searched.

Food and drink: outside refreshments are barred; free water is available where refreshments are served. Discuss essential medical food, drink or bags with the venue before travel. Re-entry: the general venue policy bars returning after you leave. For an all-day qualifying ticket, eat inside until staff confirm any event-specific exception.

Phones and movement: silence all alerts and avoid photography or recording during play. Move under steward direction at breaks between frames; other tables may still be playing in a qualifying hall. Keep conversations outside the playing area. Venue rules checked 8 October 2026 against Before your visit; exact doors come from the event seller.

Families and groups

The venue requires a ticket for every person, including children and carers. The checked public snooker announcements contain no separate child tariff. [UNVERIFIED: event-specific minimum age, accompanying-adult rule and child concessions.] Ask tickets@leicesterarena.co.uk before paying for a child’s first visit.

A morning qualifying start gives a family an earlier arrival than evening-only play. Check how your child will manage quiet frames and a room with several matches. The all-day admission gives a choice of starts within its stated day, while the arena’s general no-re-entry rule affects breaks outside the building.

For a group, request adjacent places or the same table area through the original ticket seller. No group discount is published in the checked Standard tariffs. For companions or wheelchair spaces, use the Mattioli accessibility guide before booking.

Where to stay by area

These approximate walks are editorial estimates from the hotels’ published locations, not timed or step-free route checks. No room prices are quoted. Highcross-side hotels shorten the arena journey; station-side hotels can suit a morning train after late play.

Before, between and after play

Names and addresses checked against The Globe listing, the Old Town restaurant trail and the tourism links in our source standards. Walking ranges are approximate.

Things to do in Leicester

Help on the day

For an immediate emergency, call 999 and give Mattioli Arena, 12 Memory Lane, Leicester LE1 3UL. Inside, alert a steward or security officer so staff can guide emergency help to your position.

Venue reception and box office: 0116 326 9700. General enquiries: mail@leicesterarena.co.uk. Venue ticket enquiries: tickets@leicesterarena.co.uk. For an AXS purchase or WST member ticket, retain the original seller’s confirmation and use that seller for changes or refunds. Official arena contacts checked 8 October 2026.

A little history

1. 2013: the arena project selected its location after considering ten sites.
2. 2016: the £4.5 million development was completed in January, including the site and parking works.
3. Community purpose: Leicester Riders, Leicester College and the city council were project partners; the not-for-profit arena reinvests its surpluses in the venue and community sport.
4. Summer 2026: Mattioli hosted the ranking Championship League, won by Jak Jones.
5. November 2026: the confirmed public programme pairs Champion of Champions with UK qualifying later that month.

Building history: the arena’s own account. Snooker dates and results: WST and the Championship League organiser.

Snooker events here

The arena exterior

More Mattioli guides

Checked on 8 October 2026. This guide is independent of Mattioli Arena, WST and the WPBSA. Booking.com hotel links through CJ may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Our standards explain sources and corrections.

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