How much bigger and better will it get?
The darts revolution shows no sign of slowing down and if I was a better man (which I am!) I reckon the Barry Hearn bandwagon will just keep on rolling.
The standard set by the eight players in the Premier League in Aberdeen was simply sensational and if my information is correct, the PDC is set to keep on growing and growing, as darts continues to reach new heights.
In 2007, there will be 50 days of ‘live’ darts on Sky Sports……it seems the Grand Slam of Darts in November will be screened on terrestrial television and the PDC expansion around the darting world continues to flourish with every passing year.
I know a lot of critics are saying that some sort of saturation point is close to being reached…..utter nonsense! 40,000 tickets sold for the 2007 Holsten Premier League tells its own story….the darts fans can’t get enough.
The World Championship has outgrown the Circus Tavern (if truth be known, it probably did a few years back) and the word is that the world famous Alexandra Palace will be the new home of the biggest and richest darts tournament in the world come December.
It seems that targets are being set and hit far in advance of all expectations and the players are reaping the rewards for their efforts. For those who didn’t make the ‘Elite Eight’ in the Premier League, the motivation is surely there to make it in 2008.
Which top darts star wouldn’t relish the prospect of playing in front of massive crowds on a weekly basis? The incentive is there and the money certainly is as well.
Darts is now a high profile sport……even Prince Charles has thrown his weight behind the ‘Save Darts in Pubs’ campaign and Phil Taylor spent a whole day promoting the campaign and the sport on national radio.
Darts really has hit the BIG TIME………….
In Aberdeen, the overall average of the eight players was an incredible 98.5 and four players ( Taylor, Barney, Lloyd and Jenkins ) averaged over 100. They are certainly bringing the best out of each other.
I also reckon that it will make it extremely difficult for the rest of the World’s top players to hit the heights when it comes to the big tournaments in the summer………let me explain.
We have got the UK Open in Bolton, the Las Vegas Desert Classic and the Stan James World Matchplay and the eight players from the Premier League will go into those tournaments with a distinct advantage.
They will have all played 14 consecutive weeks….competitive darts in a cauldron of noise in the unique Premier League atmosphere…..and there’s nothing like match practice to get in tune!
The rest will be coming into the special environment of a TV tournament ‘cold’……it will be their first television tournament for nearly six months since the Circus Tavern and it is bound to have an effect on performance – especially in the early stages.
Anyway, back to the original discussion point about the exposure of darts…….These are indeed heady days for the sport, so don’t knock it.
I remember the dark old days, when darts was ridiculed and was axed by TV companies and nobody seemed to be interested. Now it is big news, big business and big rewards for the players.
There is speculation of a big PDC tournament being discussed for Holland in the not too distant future…..maybe a European Open. This has been talked about before but there is room on the calendar and if the darts public crave more, then why not give them what they want.
The global plans of the PDC are in place and we should embrace what is planned for the future, because the rise and rise shows no sign of slowing up and that can only be good news.
Taylor against Barney? FA Cup Football? Give me the darts any time!
Too much darts? Rubbish! Let’s have more!