Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation ( PDC ) is next to the World Darts Federation one of the world darts associations , whereby the much younger PDC is considered to be the more prestigious of the two.
The PDC was founded on January 16, 1992 in competition with the British Darts Organization, initially under the name World Darts Council (WDC) . The television broadcaster Sky Sports , which wanted to include darts in its program, but the previous competitions were shown on the BBC, played a decisive role in the establishment .
Since 1994, at the turn of the year, the PDC has hosted its World Professional Darts Championship, called the World Professional Darts Championship , which is followed by around 2 million television viewers in Great Britain . Since the 2005 World Cup, it has also been broadcast on German television by Sport1 .
Since 2006 there has also been an offshoot of the PDC in Germany, the German Darts Corporation (GDC), from which PDC Europe emerged in 2009 .
The European Darts Championship has existed since 2008 , where the best European dart players compete against the best players in the Order of Merit . It is always played after the end of the European Darts Tour of the respective year. Record winners Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have been European champions four times so far. Simon Whitlock is the only non-European who can call himself European champion.
The official supplier of the PDC is the company Unicorn Darts .
founding
After more and more sponsors withdrew from the BDO at the beginning of the 90s and with the World Cup only one tournament a year could be seen on television, the top players could only earn a living with part-time jobs. Since the BDO and especially its chairman Olly Croft did not react to the demands and wishes of the players, 16 top players founded their own darts association, the World Darts Council (WDC), in 1992. The 16 "renegade" players were Phil Taylor , Dennis Priestley , Rod Harrington , Alan Warriner , Peter Evison , Richie Gardner , Jocky Wilson , Eric Bristow , Keith Deller , John Lowe , Bob Anderson , Cliff Lazarenko , Kevin Spiolek , Jamie Harvey , Mike Gregory and Chris Johns . They wanted to improve the pub image of their sport and with the help of PR consultants Dick Allix, Tommy Cox and John Markovic they organized their first TV tournament, the Lada UK Masters , which was broadcast on Anglia Television that same year . The 1993 BDO World Championship was the last tournament in which all players took part. The WDC players all wore a patch from their new association, but had to remove it when requested. Because of this, they decided never to take part in BDO tournaments again. At the turn of 1994 the first PDC World Championship was held under the name WDC World Darts Championship 1994 .
development
With the 1994 World Cup , won by Dennis Priestley , the ongoing cooperation with Sky Sports began , which at that time had already secured the rights for the English Premier League and used darts as a cheap gap filler for free airtime and thus expanded their range at the same time wanted to. In 1994 and 1998 two further tournaments were added to the program with the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix . In 1997 the World Darts Council was renamed the Professional Darts Corporation, which is still in existence today. In July 2001, the founding board resigned to make room for specialists in sports marketing. Matchroom Sport , founded by Barry Hearn in 1982, took over 37.74% of PDC. Barry Hearn has already gained experience in the field of sports, including a. as manager of snooker legend Steve Davis and marketer of boxing matches, poker events and golf events. In the meantime he was also the manager of record world champion Phil Taylor .
With the takeover of PDC by Matchroom Sport, the first darts events outside Great Britain and Ireland were held in 2002, such as the major tournament Las Vegas Desert Classic in North America. Events are now being held on five continents. The European Darts Tour established itself in Central Europe and currently hosts 13 tournaments in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Gibraltar. Furthermore, as part of the World Series of Darts, tournaments are held around the world against the best players in the host country.
In late 2009, Hearn made a takeover bid of £ 1 million to the British Darts Organization . This offer was rejected by the then chairman of the BDO, Olly Croft, as the BDO cannot be sold to him.
At the PDC World Darts Championship 2010 , 1 million British pounds were distributed for the first time in a tournament.
During the entire 2017 season, a total of around 11.5 million British pounds were paid out in the major tournaments, Pro Tour and the World Series.
The PDC Development Tour 2019 is currently running , the ninth edition of the PDC's youth department. The prize money has increased fivefold since the rookie series was founded.
Tournaments
The PDC categorizes its tournaments and tournament series as follows:
Major tournaments
- Premier Ranked Events:
- Premier Invitational Events:
Pro Tour Events
Secondary tour events
Other events
- PDC World Youth Championship
- World Series of Darts
- Non-UK Affiliate Tours
overview
Major tournaments
The Professional Darts Corporation will host 12 major tournaments in 2020. The current major tournaments are named as follows:
- The PDC World Professional Darts Championship has been held at the turn of the year since 1994 and is the most important darts tournament. The venue has been the Alexandra Palace in London since 2008 . The first world champion was Dennis Priestley . Record winner of the PDC World Championship is Phil Taylor with 14 wins . Reigning world champion is Peter Wright .
- The The Masters since 2015 , the second major tournament of darts season. The venue for The Masters is the Arena MK in Milton Keynes . The top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit after the world championship are qualified. The premiere tournament was won by Phil Taylor in 2013 . Record winner with five titles is Michael van Gerwen . The current title holder is Peter Wright .
- The Premier League Darts has been played since 2005. The first four of the PDC Order of Merit after the World Championship are automatically qualified for the Premier League. Six further starting places will be awarded by wild cards . Up to and including 2015 , the Premier League was only played in Great Britain and Ireland . In 2016 , a game day was played in the Netherlands for the first time . The first matchday followed in Germany in 2018 . First winner and record winner is Phil Taylor with six wins. The defending champion is Michael van Gerwen .
- The UK Open has been held since 2003. The tournament is also known as the "FA Cup of Darts" because there is no seeding list and amateurs can play against professionals at any time. First winner and record winner is Phil Taylor . The venue is currently the Butlin's Resort in Minehead . The current winner is Michael van Gerwen .
- The World Cup of Darts is the World Cup of Nations in darts . It has been held annually since 2010 , with an interruption in 2011. The venue is currently the Barclaycard Arena Hamburg . The Netherlands won the premiere tournament . Record winners are England and the Netherlands with four wins each. The current title holder is Scotland .
- The World Match Play is in the 1994 Winter Gardens from Blackpool discharged. The top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit and the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit, who are not yet qualified via the PDC Order of Merit, qualify for the World Matchplay. The defending champion is Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh . Record winner with 16 wins is Phil Taylor .
- The Champions League of Darts is the youngest major tournament in darts and is played in the Morningside Arena in Leicester . The top 8 of the PDC Order of Merit after the World Matchplay qualify for the Champions League. The first winner in 2016 was Phil Taylor . So far, no player has won the tournament more than once. The current title holder is Michael van Gerwen .
- The World Grand Prix has been held since 1998. The tournament is currently taking place in Dublin . Besides the World Championship, the World Grand Prix is the only tournament that is played in sets. It is also the only tournament that is played in the "Double-In / Double-Out" mode. The record winner is Phil Taylor with 11 titles . The current winner is Michael van Gerwen .
- The European Darts Championship is considered to be the European championship of darts and has been held since 2008. In 2018 , the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund hosted the European Darts Championship. The 32 best players of the European Tour Order of Merit qualify for the European Darts Championship. The first winner in 2008 was Phil Taylor , who, together with Michael van Gerwen, is a record winner with four titles. The defending champion is Rob Cross .
- The World Series of Darts Finals have been held since 2015 . The tournament took place at Braehead Arena in Glasgow until 2017 . In 2018 the tournament took place in Vienna and in 2019 in Amsterdam . Michael van Gerwen has won four titles so far and is therefore a record winner. In 2018 , with James Wade, another player was able to win the tournament for the first time.
- The Grand Slam of Darts has been held in Wolverhampton since 2007 . The special thing about the tournament is that eight players from the British Darts Organization take part. The finalists of the major tournaments qualify for the "Grand Slam". The record winner is Phil Taylor with six titles . The defending champion is Gerwyn Price .
- The Players Championship Finals find as the UK Open since 2009 in the Butlin's Resort in Minehead instead. The best 64 players in the Players Championship Order of Merit qualify for the tournament. The first winner was Phil Taylor . Defending champion and record winner is Michael van Gerwen .
In the past 4 other major tournaments were held. They were called as follows:
- The World Darts Trophy was held in Utrecht from 2002 to 2007 . Both PDC and BDO players took part. The first winner was Raymond van Barneveld , who is also the record winner. The last edition won in 2007 by Gary Anderson .
- The International Darts League was held in Nijmegen from 2003 to 2007 . As with the World Darts Trophy , players from PDC and BDO also took part. The record winner Raymond van Barneveld won the first two editions . The last winner was Gary Anderson from Scotland .
- The Champions League Darts was played in Essex from 2008 to 2013 . The top 8 of the PDC Order of Merit after the World Matchplay qualified for the tournament. The tournament was funded by betting and only broadcast on the Internet and without viewers. First winner, record winner and last winner is Phil Taylor . The Champions League Darts should not be confused with the Champions League of Darts, which has been held since 2016 .
- The Las Vegas Desert Classic was held in Las Vegas from 2002 to 2009 . The aim was to "conquer" a new continent for darts . Here too, Phil Taylor is first, record and last winner at the same time.
Pro Tour Events
In 2019, a total of 43 Pro Tour events were held, which are divided into two different tournament series:
- The Players Championships are the most important floor events of the PDC. The 128 Tour Card Holders take part in it. Currently (as of 2020) 30 Players Championships are being held in the cities of Barnsley , Dublin , Hildesheim , Leeuwarden and Wigan .
- The European Darts Tour was held for the first time in 2012 . It currently (as of 2020) consists of 13 different tournaments across Europe, which are played in front of an audience.
From 2002 to 2018 the UK Open Qualifiers were also held as part of the Pro Tour. They were used to determine the participants in the UK Open.
Other PDC tours
- The Challenge Tour is another PDC tournament series. It currently consists of (as of 2020) 24 tournaments in Milton Keynes and Wigan . All participants of the Q-School who could not obtain a Tour Card can take part.
- The Development Tour is the PDC's youth tournament series. All players between 16 and 23 years of age who are not in the top 32 of the PDC Order of Merit can take part. It currently consists of (as of 2020) 20 tournaments in Hildesheim and Wigan .
Other PDC tournaments
- The PDC World Youth Championship is the PDC's youth world championship. The 80 best players of the Development Tour Order of Merit and 16 regional qualifiers take part in it. The record winner is the Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh with 2 titles. The current title holder is Luke Humphries .
- The World Series of Darts is a series of invitation tournaments which are held all over the world. The World Series Order of Merit is formed from it. The best players on this ranking qualify for the World Series of Darts Finals.
Furthermore, other tournament series are held by regional sub-organizations of the PDC. These are the Nordic & Baltic Tour (Northern Europe), the Asian Tour (East and Southeast Asia), the DPA Pro Tour (Australia), the DPNZ Tour (New Zealand), the EADC Pro Tour (Eastern Europe) and the CDC Pro Tour (North America ).
PDC world rankings
The PDC world rankings should determine the best darts players in the world. However, only those players who are under contract with the PDC are listed in the list. The official ranking is done by the PDC Order of Merit .
Relevant tournaments for the Order of Merit
- PDC World Darts Championship
- UK Open
- World Matchplay
- European Darts Championship
- World Grand Prix (Darts)
- Grand Slam of Darts
- Players Championship Finals
- all tournaments of the European Darts Tour
- all Players Championships tournaments
- all UK Open Qualifiers tournaments (until 2018)
Tournaments not relevant for the Order of Merit
- Premier League darts
- Champions League of Darts
- The Masters
- World Cup of Darts
- all tournaments as part of the World Series of Darts
Calculation and tip
Until 2007, the places were allocated based on the points achieved. The points could only be won at the PDC tournaments. Colin Lloyd was number one in the PDC world rankings for a long time ahead of Phil Taylor . This was only due to the fact that Taylor had participated more in darts shows and demonstrations, in which there were no points, but a lot of money to earn.
Since January 2nd, 2007 the PDC has switched to its new world ranking, the so-called “Order of Merit”. The ranking position is no longer determined on the basis of the points gained, as was previously the case, but on the basis of the prize money won over the last two years. This led to a change at the top of the world rankings. The previous No. 1 Colin Lloyd slipped to position 3 and Phil Taylor took over the top position by far. Directly behind Taylor was the 2007 PDC World Champion Raymond van Barneveld , who temporarily took the top position after only eleven months at the PDC 2008. Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands has been leading the Order of Merit since 2014 . He was followed in 2nd and 3rd place by the Scot Peter Wright and the Welshman Gerwyn Price .
Records
The following table shows the highest averages thrown in TV :
| Average | player | opponent | competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 123.50 |
 Peter Wright
|
 Krzysztof Ratajski
|
Players Championships 29 2019 |
| 123.40 |
 Michael van Gerwen
|
 Michael Smith
|
Premier League Darts 2016 |
| 121.97 |
 Kim Huybrechts
|
 Paul Lim
|
World Cup of Darts 2017 |
| 119.50 |
Peter Wright
|
Adrian Lewis
|
Premier League Darts 2017 |
| 118.66 |
Phil Taylor
|
Kevin Painter
|
UK Open 2010 |
| 117.95 |
Michael van Gerwen
|
Robert Thornton
|
Premier League Darts 2016 |
| 117.88 |
Michael van Gerwen & Raymond van Barneveld
|
 Brendan Dolan & Michael Mansell
|
World Cup of Darts 2014 |
| 117.35 |
Phil Taylor
|
 Simon Whitlock
|
Premier League Darts 2012 |
| 116.90 |
Michael van Gerwen
|
James Wade
|
Premier League Darts 2015 |
| 116.10 |
Phil Taylor
|
James Wade
|
Premier League Darts 2012 |
| 116.01 |
Phil Taylor
|
 John Part
|
Premier League Darts 2009 |
| 115.80 |
Phil Taylor
|
Raymond van Barneveld
|
Premier League Darts 2015 |
| 115.62 |
Phil Taylor
|
Mark Lawrence
|
UK Open 2009 |
| 115.62 |
Ronny Huybrechts
|
 John Michael
|
World Cup of Darts 2017 |
| 115.51 |
Phil Taylor
|
Ken Mather
|
UK Open 2009 |
Phil Taylor averaged 118.14 points against Gary Anderson at the European Darts Championship 2009 . This tournament was not televised.
Web links
- Professional Darts Corporation (English)
- PDC - who is who?
- The Darts Split - Information on the separation of BDO and PDC
- Tournament schedule 2014 PDC / PDC Europe
Individual evidence
- ↑ Patrick Exner, dartn.de: Olly Croft on the PDC offer: The BDO is not for sale! Retrieved April 2, 2018 .
- ^ PDC Order of Merit Rules. pdc.tv, March 9, 2020, accessed on March 9, 2020 .
- ^ New Record Average For van Gerwen. (No longer available online.) In: pdc.tv. February 25, 2016, archived from the original on February 28, 2016 ; accessed on February 26, 2016 .