All the eyes of the eightball pool world will be on Rockhampton from this weekend as the Australian Blackball National Championships begin featuring 400 players from all over Australia, with the event to be livestreamed across the world.
Deputy Mayor and Communities, Culture and Heritage Councillor Drew Wickerson said the event receiving an $8,000 grant through Rockhampton Regional Council's Community Assistance Program.
"The eyes of the world will be on the Rockhampton region for this event, and we couldn't be more excited and prouder to be supporting it," Cr Wickerson said.
"The Community Assistance Program supports all kinds of sports in our community from triathlon to horse sports and even cue sports like Blackball, which are important for bringing the community together and supporting our local athletes."
Blackball Australia Pool Association President Mark Cottingham said it was the second year in a row the event had been held in Rockhampton.
"The sport has grown greatly in recent years and from our national championships we get to send some of our winners to the Commonwealth Championships for cue sports and to the world championships each year as well," Mr Cottingham said.
"The funding assistance we get from Council enables us to bring this event to Rockhampton and helps with the transport costs of bringing our equipment, setting up and the overall running of the event."
The 2026 Budget Motel Australian Blackball National Championships will be held between 17 and 25 July at the Rockhampton Showgrounds in the Robert Schwarten Pavilion.
