PDC Chairman's £7 Million Vision

PDC CHAIRMAN Barry Hearn has outlined his vision for the sport's continued growth after his annual Players Meeting in Dublin on Sunday.

Over 100 PDC stars and representatives of the PDPA met with Hearn ahead of Sunday's Players Championship at Dublin's Citywest Hotel, where Hearn confirmed that prize money will continue to rise in 2014, as he expects £7 million to be on offer across the PDC circuit.

With the introduction of a separate PDC Unicorn Youth Tour, for players aged 16-21, and Challenge Tour for players who compete at Qualifying School but do not win a full PDC Tour Card, a route through to the full PDC ProTour has been established for players looking to break through.

Having secured new broadcast contracts with Sky Sports and ITV Sport during 2013, Hearn also confirmed a number of developments for major televised tournaments, including:

• The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship winner will receive £250,000 in 2014, with prize money for the whole event to be reviewed next year.
• Prize money to be increased for the following 2014 major televised events; World Matchplay (£400,000 to £450,000), World Grand Prix (£350,000 to £400,000), Grand Slam of Darts (£400,000 to £450,000) European Championship (£200,000 to £250,000), Players Championship Finals (£250,000 to £300,000), UK Open TV Finals (£200,000 to £250,000) and World Cup of Darts (£150,000 to £200,000).
• The Masters, which has been introduced for November 1-3 2013 to feature the top 16 players in the PDC Order of Merit following the Killarney ProTour weekend, will have a £160,000 prize fund.
• Plans for the Grand Slam of Darts to become a ranked event from 2015 onwards, with new qualification criteria to be announced following the conclusion of the 2013 event.
• European Tour events in 2014 to feature 48 players, with play only on one main stage. Full details of formats and qualification will be announced in the coming weeks.
• The 2014 Premier League Darts to again feature ten players, with the top four players in the PDC Order of Merit following the World Championship joined by six Wildcards to be selected by the PDC and Sky Sports.
• The 2014 World Series of Darts events to feature the top six players from the PDC Order of Merit following the World Championship, along with two Wildcard selections.
• The PDC's intention to expand live online streaming of European Tour events next year, following the success of two events which were streamed through www.LIVEPDC.TV earlier in 2013.

"In the last ten years, darts has enjoyed a growth that I've never experienced in any other sport throughout my career," said Hearn.

"Prize money ten years ago was somewhere around £500,000 per year. In 2012 it was £5.1 million, in 2013 it's £6.4 million and in 2014 it will be something in excess of £7 million - and we're well on our way to my main target, which is to have £10 million prize money, and we will achieve that.

"We're now building a structure, from the Youth Tour to Qualifying School, and if you get your Tour Card you've got every opportunity to change your life. If you don't, you go back on the Challenge Tour.

"I'm very proud of the structure we've created, and it is a business built on opportunity. We are creating an opportunity for players to change their lives through the success they achieve.

"Because of the entertainment that our players provide, which is so well captured on TV, we're opening new markets worldwide. As soon as people see darts on television, the want to go and see it live, and we've already sold over 40,000 tickets for the World Championship and will sell 100,000 tickets for the 2014 Premier League Darts.

"This is a phenomenon and I want the players to enjoy the moment and appreciate the memories. It's not easy because the rewards are fantastic, and the potential is amazing - we have no limit to where we can go.

"We are a major international, global sport and we should be proud of what we've achieved. I couldn't be prouder to be the PDC Chairman and I look forward to being around for as long as I can enjoying the amazing entertainment our players are delivering."

Full details of 2014 prize funds and the format and qualification criteria for the European Tour events will be announced in due course.