De Professional Darts Corporation heeft gisteren bekend gemaakt dat live darts weer terug zal keren op woensdag 8 juli. Op deze dag begint de PDC Summer Series.
In de Summer Series kunnen alle 128 PDC Tour Card houders deelnemen in vijf ééndaagse Players Championship toernooien. Deze toernooien worden achter gesloten deuren in de Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes gespeeld. Dit moet door de restricties van de Britse overheid.
Net als met alle Players Championship toernooien in 2020 zal het prijzengeld £75.000 per toernooi zijn en alle prijzen zullen meetellen voor de PDC Order of Merit, de wereldranglijst.
Als het door quarantainemaatregelen voor niet Engelse spelers onpraktisch is om mee te doen aan deze toernooien, zullen er op dezelfde data non-ranking toernooien worden georganiseerd.
De voorzitter van de PDC, Barry Hearn, zei: “Throughout the challenging times of recent weeks we have continuously explored different ways of getting players back on the oche and live darts back on fans’ screens.
I was proud of our players and staff who broadcast 43 nights of live remote darts through the innovative PDC Home Tour, which thrust darts into the limelight in a unique way at a time when almost all other sports were unable to provide any form of competitive action.
Prior to the Home Tour, I outlined the three-stage plan for the return of darts, starting with events played remotely, followed by events played behind closed doors, before events can be played in front of crowds.
I am delighted that we are now able to move on to the second stage of that plan, and hopefully we will be able to safely welcome crowds back to our events in the not-too-distant future.
The PDC Summer Series will provide a welcome return of live darts for both players and fans alike, and I’m sure the event will whet the appetite for the prestigious Betfred World Matchplay.
We appreciate the patience of our players in recent weeks as we worked to secure these events, and further details will be confirmed to them in due course.”
© Afbeelding: Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)