Insider Sport speaks to Matchroom MultiSport’s MD Emily Frazer about the growth of the nineball pool and what goes into elevating a niche sport to an international franchise.
While nineball pool can still be considered a niche sport, Matchroom MultiSport’s production of the Mosconi Cup has elevated the sport’s status to the mainstream masses.
Emily Frazer, Managing Director of Matchroom MultiSport, has been at the heart of this growth. Since 1994, the Mosconi Cup is pool’s answer to golf’s Ryder Cup, five players from Europe and the US competing against each other to crown pool’s best pool region.
On December 3, this annual competition once again takes place, this time at Alexandra Palace in London.
Frazer spoke to Insider Sport about how she first discovered the potential for mass growth in nineball pool and the fervent fanfare which comes with the sport, as well as what goes into building the commercial and international franchise.
How has your role at Matchroom evolved over the last several years since starting as a floor manager to your current role today?
It really is a pinch-me moment sometimes. Going from making teas and coffees to becoming CEO of a company and a Director within one of the world’s leading sports promotional organisations. But it’s taken a huge amount of grit and determination to get here.
The last 15 years have been an incredible journey of learning and life experience, opportunities I simply wouldn’t have had anywhere else. I’ve been lucky to have leaders around me who valued work ethic, drive, and common sense over degrees.
I honestly didn’t think I had any chance of being successful through the traditional academic route, so I knew I had to take a different path. Katie Hearn was one of my biggest advocates in those early years at Matchroom. I learned so much from her tenacity and drive—her confidence and knowledge of television were inspiring. She pushed me, helped shape me into the woman I am today, and I’ll forever be grateful for the foundation she gave me. Without those first four or five years, I wouldn’t have risen through the ranks.
Of course, I’m impatient and always want to be five years ahead of myself, but you mature and realise that everything happens for a reason. It’s all part of the journey. I know I’ll always be successful because of the drive within me—and yes, my own ego—not to fail in anything I put my mind to.
Being a floor manager at the World Cup of Pool in the Philippines, what drew your interest in the sport initially?
Funnily enough, it wasn’t the pool itself that grabbed me but the event. The Philippines is a true hub for nineball, and back in 2014 the crowds around Efren Reyes and Django Bustamante were unbelievable. As a young woman stepping into a completely new world of live sports, it was eye-opening. I was mesmerised by the passion, the demand, the atmosphere.
In those early days in Matchroom’s TV department, I worked across golf, poker, and pool. Golf felt flat to me (sorry, but it did!). Poker will always hold a sentimental place in my heart because my dad winning a tournament is what led me to Matchroom in the first place;I find that sport fascinating. Then there was pool: I worked on two events a year, and the atmosphere was brilliant. I just loved live events.
I remember telling Katie that all I wanted was to run my own events. Without her trust and Barry Hearn’s, I’d never have been given that chance. And today, I’ve fallen in love not only with the sport, but with my job and my mission: to make nineball a truly global, professional sport.
What can we expect to see differently from this year’s Mosconi Cup?
Every event is different and we have to improve every single day in this job. Events are a strange but exciting business: without the players you don’t have a sport; without the fans you don’t have an atmosphere; without an atmosphere you don’t have a broadcaster; and without a broadcaster you don’t have sponsors. We thrive on that challenge.
What I can guarantee is that no matter your age, who you attend with, or whether you even follow the pool, you leave the Mosconi Cup buzzing,usually with a huge smile and a husky voice. It’s an event for everyone. My mum isn’t a sports fan at all, but she loves the Mosconi because of the atmosphere;she picks a favourite player and gets right behind them. She wants my dad to go with her, but he’d rather go with the lads!
When I’m standing in the arena seconds before we go live, listening to the chants, feeling the floor vibrate, seeing the players with that mix of fire and fear in their eyes… It’s special. The cameras start rolling and suddenly it’s all or nothing. Every shot matters. It’s a sleeping giant that’s well and truly awoken.
Often pool’s answer to the Ryder Cup, did you watch this year’s Ryder Cup and what did you take away that you could apply to the Mosconi Cup?
Emily Frazer: It’s less about what I took away and more about what Team USA took away! They haven’t lifted the Mosconi Cup since 2019, so maybe they should be taking some notes. They need to get that trophy back and be ready to defend it in Florida in 2026.
How important a role has Sky Sports played in expanding the audience for the Mosconi Cup since the first event in 1994?
Sky Sports is a prestigious broadcaster with huge expertise across so many sports. Their coverage makes the Mosconi Cup feel mainstream. Seeing the players appear on Sky Sports News before the event is always great;they feel like major stars, and rightly so.
This is still considered a niche sport, but Sky helps push it toward a global stage. The players are seriously underrated – talented, humble, and incredibly likeable. You can’t help but root for them. Back in 1994, Sky broadcast three pool events a year. Fast forward to 2025 and they’re covering more than ten. They’ve truly backed the growth of this sport.
With this year’s Mosconi Cup held at Alexandra Palace in London, what goes into host city selection and what qualities do you look for to maximise interest?
Fans. The fans are absolutely the heart and soul of the Mosconi Cup. And the vibe in the US is very different to the UK -both brilliant, both unique. It gives each host city its own identity.
Alexandra Palace is iconic. It feels prestigious. We sit just before the World Darts Championship and just ahead of the Masters Snooker -what more could we want? Walking from the practice rooms in the Palace Suites, you can hear the roar from the arena above. My words don’t do it justice;you have to experience it for yourself.
Nineball is often described as a niche sport. What aspects do you look for in a sport that allow it to scale?
Passion. Matchroom succeeds because we’re passionate about the sports we promote—and that includes the players. Everyone within the company and within pool wants to see it succeed. We’ve got a dedicated fanbase who watched the sport stay stagnant for years before Barry and when there were only three Matchroom events on the calendar.
Since expanding the tour, we’ve opened the doors to fans all around the world: in Vietnam, the Philippines, new states in the US like Florida. Many people knew nineball only as a fun, recreational activity; now, bit by bit, we’re pushing it to a truly professional level.
Is there currently one niche sport you believe is ripe for growth over the next several years?
Let me conquer the pool first, then I’ll come back to you in two years.
Lastly, can you give us some early insight into Matchroom’s future plans to scale the company further than ever before?
Emily Frazer: Simple: we’re never complacent. We strive to be the best we can be every single day. We’re excited to get up and go to work, we want to deliver. It’s about pushing the boundaries, thinking differently, and being ready to hit the button at any moment, because that moment could lead to a new direction entirely.
Whatever sport we focus on, the players come first—and the show must always be a great one.
