With so much bad news seeming inescapable in recent weeks and months, it feels as if darts is living in a world of its own.
The recent announcement by new PDC chairman Eddie Hearn that the prize money will increase by £2 million – taking it past the £15 million mark – in the next two years has been well received by fans, and it creates excitement and momentum going into the new year.
For over two decades now, darts fans have had to watch either Phil Taylor or Michael van Gerwen win every major televised event on the circuit. While their success is thoroughly deserved, they are by far the best two players in the sport, and people don’t want to see the same hymn sheet being sung every week.
Enter 2020…
Behind closed doors sport is not fun to watch. It does, however, create unpredictable moments that can leave you on the edge of your seat.
We got exactly that when, on debut, Dimitri van den Bergh won the World Matchplay. Then, four months later, Portuguese’s Jose De Sousa was victorious in the Grand Slam, only gaining entry to the tournament as a qualifier. With these wins, the two became only the 10th and sixth different winner of the respective events.
And Jonny Clayton, who has been on the PDC circuit for a number of years, finally got his breakthrough by winning the Masters, Premier League, Grand Prix and World Series of Darts Finals all in 2021.
Now, with the World Championship on the horizon, we are left with complete uncertainty as to who will become the next star in world darts – and we absolutely love it.
Certainly in the case of De Sousa, he’s left the crowd with some golden moments already, something the sport can only benefit from.
The standard has increased dramatically. People feared the retirement of Taylor and the drop in form of van Gerwen would lead to less viewers and interest altogether. But, with a fully developed youth system, resulting in a clear path to the PDC and online leagues created due to the extensive travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, it’s never been so easy for players, both amateur and professional, to pick up a dart and throw their way to stardom.
In his statement announcing the prize money increase, Hearn spoke about the “continued global expansion” of the game. At the Worlds, which starts in six days’ time, there will be a record 31 nationalities represented. The winner will receive £500,000. Not bad for a sport you can play down the local pub every night.
The increased prize fund is a reward for the hard work that players and organisers have done to create the best product possible. It’s one that’s only going to get better as time goes on.
