PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS will be bigger than ever in 2014 with the introduction of an additional league night as the ten-player tournament, which will open in Liverpool and end in London, visits Leeds for the first time.
Darts' biggest roadshow event will celebrate its tenth staging next year, with reigning champion Michael van Gerwen set to defend his title against the likes of six-time winner Phil Taylor across 16 weeks of action around the UK and Ireland, live on Sky Sports.
The season will kick off on Thursday February 6 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, as the ten players begin the first phase of the campaign, which sees them play each other once over the opening nine weeks.
Following the opening night in Liverpool, Premier League Darts will visit the BIC in Bournemouth, the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, the SECC in Glasgow, Exeter's Westpoint Arena and the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham.
The tournament will make its debut in Leeds on Thursday March 20 at the new First Direct Arena, before visiting The O2 in Dublin and the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff for Judgement Night, as the bottom two players in the league table are eliminated.
Six further league nights will then be held, with each featuring either four or five matches as the remaining eight players meet each other once more at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, the GE Oil & Gas Arena Aberdeen, Manchester's Phones 4u Arena, the NIA in Birmingham, the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle and at The Brighton Centre.
The top four players following the completion of the 15-night league season will then progress to compete in the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on May 22, with the Semi-Finals and Final to be accompanied by the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship Final.
"Premier League Darts has developed into a must-see sporting event for fans across the UK and Ireland in recent years and there's already huge anticipation ahead of the 2014 competition," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"This year's tournament provided so many memorable matches from start to finish, and the introduction of relegation for the bottom two players after nine weeks added even more drama on Judgement Night, and the race for Play-Off places was equally exciting.
"For Michael van Gerwen to win the Premier League Darts title in his debut season made it especially memorable for him following his brilliant final with Phil Taylor, and the competition for players to join them in the event next year is fierce.
"We're already looking forward to kicking off the 2014 Premier League Darts season at a sell-out Echo Arena in Liverpool in February, and it's equally exciting to be taking the event to another great sporting city, Leeds, which has seen the launch of the First Direct Arena recently."
The competitors for the 2014 Premier League Darts will be announced in January 2014 following the completion of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, with the top four players from the PDC Order of Merit to be joined by six Wildcards.
2014 Premier League Darts - Dates & Venues
| Night One | February 6 | Echo Arena, Liverpool |
| Night Two | February 13 | BIC, Bournemouth |
| Night Three | February 20 | Odyssey Arena, Belfast |
| Night Four | February 27 | SECC, Glasgow |
| Night Five | March 6 | Westpoint Arena, Exeter |
| Night Six | March 13 | Capital FM Arena, Nottingham |
| Night Seven | March 20 | First Direct Arena, Leeds |
| Night Eight | March 27 | The O2, Dublin |
| Night Nine | April 3 | Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff |
| Night Ten | April 10 | Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield |
| Night 11 | April 17 | GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen |
| Night 12 | April 24 | Phones 4u Arena, Manchester |
| Night 13 | May 1 | NIA, Birmingham |
| Night 14 | May 8 | Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle |
| Night 15 | May 15 | The Brighton Centre |
| Play-Offs | May 22 | The O2, London |
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