Matt Porter: Last News

European Song Contest. The full schedule for the next annual darting roadshow was unveiled recently, with the season kicking off in Belfast on February 2 and concluding with the play-offs at London’s O2 on May 25.

darts for at least one more year after the 2022 tournament, which kicks off tonight.Between 2001 and 2019 the unique double-start event was held at Dublin’s Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre. Due to the Covid pandemic, the Grand Prix was played at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in 2020 before being moved to Leicester’s Morningside Arena.The East Midlands venue is hosting this year’s event and the 2023 tournament with the PDC weighing up the long-term future of the tournament, with the Citywest still unavailable as it is hosting Ukrainian refugees. READ MORE: James Wade took on WWE star while raising thousands during charity rally “The CityWest has been used as a Covid centre in Ireland for the last two years and it’s now being used to house Ukrainians for at least this year and next year,” PDC chief executive Matt Porter told Daily Star Sport.“We know we can stage events well in Leicester.

Darts will break new ground this weekend when the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool provides the stage for the top players in the women’s game.Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock will be part of the eight-play field for the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay, which will take place on Sunday afternoon ahead of the main final in the evening. While trailblazers Ashton and Sherrock will be the most familiar names in the field, it will also give other lesser-known players the chance on one of the sport’s most famous stages.That, in essence, is why the event has been created, to showcase female players and provide experience of playing in front of a big audience, both in the venue and on TV as the tournament will be screened live by Sky Sports.

darts has attracted mixed reviews.The field has been capped at eight players, who take part in a mini tournament each week, with points awarded depending on how far they get. The winner on the night picks up five, plus a tidy £10,000 bonus, while the quarter-final losers go home with nothing.

darts fans.The darting roadshow has undergone a major revamp this year. A mini tournament now takes place each night with quarter-finals, with the winner on each night picking up five points, the runner-up three and each losing semi-finalist two.PDC chief executive Matt Porter is happy with how the changes have been received and the format looks set to stay in place for a few years at least. However, he has stressed it will change again at some point in the future as the governing body looks to keep the tournament fresh.

darts.The PDC will stage its first-ever televised women’s tournament, the Women’s World Matchplay, at the Winter Gardens, which will take place ahead of the men’s final at the iconic Blackpool venue. The tournament will comprise of the top eight female players from the 2022 PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit following 12 events.The Women’s Matchplay will be screened live on Sky Sports, giving additional exposure to the female game, which is in rude health thanks to the exploits of Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Ashton and rising start Beau Greaves.The winner of the new tournament will receive an automatic place in the Grand Slam of Darts later this year and go up against the best male players in the game.

Gerwyn Price’s maiden World Championship victory.Price beat Gary Anderson at Alexandra Palace to become the first Welshman to lift the trophy.Both finalists will be in the Premier League, though the 'Challengers' format will not return for a third consecutive campaign.PDC chief executive Matt Porter admitted: "It's not something we're looking at at the moment, no."We will certainly announce the players [Premier League] after the final, but the idea at the moment is to keep options open, because if things have to change, then we don't want to be committed to something we can't uphold."Only nine players were confirmed on Sunday evening with Porter leaving one spot open for now.The Premier League will not begin in the traditional February slot