Andrew Highfield passes on the tips of his trade

Highfield, from Penn, spends much of his full-time coaching days at the Golden Cue Pool & Snooker Club in Bilston. A former professional, he still turns out in the Staffs and West Midlands Snooker League where he plays for Sedgley alongside Dudley's former ladies world champion Reanne Evans.

But the coach's main passion is churning out future stars and he believes there is plenty of breeding ground for youngsters wanting to make it big in the game.

He said: "I think the game's at a very good place at the moment. I'd say to any young lad or girl who's playing in the amateur ranks and trying to come through as a professional, that the opportunities are definitely there.

"There are 26 or 27 tournaments now and amateurs can play in some of them, which are called PTCs and are a very good learning curve.

"We've recently taken a new schools project on board. We've been to 36 schools across the UK where we have put foldaway six foot tables in. We've introduced something called functional snooker, which involves mathematics where we put numbers on balls. It has been recognised by BTEC and a lot of the schools can get that on board and link it with maths lessons.

"There has also recently been the national schools championships, where we went up to Sheffield with 16 schools. I coached along with Steve Davis and coach Chris Lovell and we also taught teachers to be coaches.

"On the day before the World Championships we had a big event in Sheffield Park Academy with proper pro tables for a big school championships that the BBC filmed."

Highfield works with a number of local players and some who travel from abroad to be taught his expert ways around a snooker table.

He added: "You saw in the recent World Cup that there are players from all over the place.

"Igor Figueiredo, from Brazil, is now back on the tour and I've worked with him, he's struggled with sponsorship but is back. It's big in Germany and I've done a lot of work with Germans and even people from Spain are now coming over, it is definitely growing without a doubt.

"Finance is a big part of it. You need a proper table, a star table because it's very difficult to go to pro events and adjust to that. Sponsorships help if they can pay you because the cost of travelling around and entry fees are a lot.

"But you also need to put a lot of practice in – it's difficult to mix a job in there.

"I've got Hamim Hussain, who has recently won the England Under-14's championship twice, regaining it this year. He's based in Sutton Coldfield.

"I've got Jodie Allen from Wednesbury, who is talented female player. She reached the last 16 of the ladies' world championships. I am working with quite a few top amateurs and professionals that are playing in Q school, which is a new system for qualifying onto the professional tour."

After a few years at turning his own hand to the sport he loves, why did Highfield take the plunge into coaching – and does he miss the pro tour?

He said: "I had a go at being a pro for seven years when I was younger, before starting to do a bit of coaching 17 years ago.

"I had a few good results. Some of my young lads won a couple of local championships and it's gradually built up from there.

"In all honesty, the standard is much better now than it was when I was living as a pro. It was probably a bit of a dream for me, but it was nice to have a go. Unless you're reaching the latter stages of tournaments and you have a good sponsor to make a proper living out of it, it is not easy.

"I got through a few matches but never reached the televised stages. I did a bit better over the latter years, at the beginning you're a bit like lambs to the slaughter but as you gain experience you start to harden your match play a little bit.

"I'm very lucky to be involved with the game and making a living out of something that I enjoy."

Highfield is also involved in a lot of charity work and supports the Paul Hunter Foundation, after the former snooker star and friend of the 38-year-old coach passed away in 2006.

"I was lucky enough to know Paul well," added Highfield. "We practised together quite often. He was an absolutely fantastic player. I'm sure he would have been world champion, he was very good with the fans and the public," he said.

"They set this Foundation up and it's going from strength to strength. A lot of money is being raised and a lot of chances are being created for Under-16 players, as well as disability snooker – which is fantastic."

Anyone interested in snooker coaching should contact Andrew on 07831 310651 or email andrew@snookercoach.co.uk