This page provides details of the latest updates in relation to PDC events and the Coronavirus pandemic.
Any further updates will be posted on this page.
If you have any questions relating to how Coronavirus will impact on PDC events please email support@pdc.tv
If you have tickets for a Unibet Premier League night or a European Tour event which has been rescheduled, these tickets will remain valid for the new date (and equivalent session, in the case of the European Tour).
If you are unable to attend the new date, you can apply for a refund from your point of purchase. This is the Box Office where you purchased the tickets, not the PDC Head Office.
Details for Betfred World Matchplay ticket holders can be seen below in the July 1 announcement.
Details for 2020 Unibet Premier League ticket holders can be seen below in the July 15 announcement.
Players can see latest player information through the PDPA via this link.
Players are advised to check that they have appropriate travel insurance, and to check with the PDPA before booking hotel or travel for PDC events.
Click here for details of PDPA Financial Support For Players.
Guests will be limited to one per player for Players Championship events, European Tour Qualifiers, PDC Unicorn Challenge and Development Tour events until further notice.
The first nine nights of the 2021 Unibet Premier League season will be held behind closed doors in Milton Keynes in April as ten players begin the battle to claim the prestigious title.
The Unibet Premier League traditionally visits the biggest arenas in the UK as well as travelling to Dublin, Rotterdam and Berlin during a 17-night tour across a four-month season.
However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, the PDC will stage opening phase of this year's event behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
The first half of the season will see the ten players face each other once across nine nights from April 5-9 and April 19-22, before the bottom two players in the league table are eliminated following Judgement Night.
A further seven league nights will then be held as the remaining eight players bid to claim spots in the Play-Offs, which will see the semi-finals and final held to determine the 2021 champion, with a decision regarding dates and venues to be made in due course.
The PDC are also able to confirm the dates and venues for the 2022 Premier League season, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday February 3 and will retain the 17 venues originally planned for the 2021 season.
The season will begin at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on Thursday February 3, see Judgement Night held at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Thursday March 31 and the Play-Offs held in Newcastle for the first time at the Utilita Arena on Thursday May 26.
Fans who have a ticket booking for any of the previously planned 2020 or 2021 Unibet Premier League nights that are not staged will have this booking automatically transferred to the 2022 event at the same venue (dates below), or they can obtain a refund (or voucher for tickets purchased in Berlin) from the Box Office where they made the purchase.
"With ongoing restrictions in the UK and Europe meaning that starting the 2021 Unibet Premier League season with crowds in April will not be possible, our ten superstars of our sport will begin the tournament behind closed doors," said PDC chairman Barry Hearn.
"The Unibet Premier League holds a special place in the hearts of darts fans across Europe and we'll continue to work with our venue partners to be able to stage the second half of the season with live crowds if possible.
"Being able to confirm our 2022 dates will also allow fans with tickets for events which have been postponed to plan their night for next year or make alternative arrangements for their ticket booking.
"With the start of the 2021 Unibet Premier League in sight, we're still working hard with our sponsors Unibet and host broadcast partner Sky Sports to create a memorable, if unique, season."
Glen Durrant is the reigning Unibet Premier League champion following his 2020 success, as he topped the league table at the end of his debut campaign before defeating Nathan Aspinall in October's final.
Former Premier League champions Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson are joined by World Champion Gerwyn Price, World Matchplay winner Dimitri Van den Bergh, Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa, Masters champion Jonny Clayton, reigning European Champion Peter Wright and former Premier League finalists Aspinall and Rob Cross as the other competitors in 2021.
2021 Unibet Premier League
Monday April 5-Friday April 9 - Nights One-Five
Monday April 19-Thursday April 22 - Night Six-Judgement Night
TBC - Nights Ten-16 & Play-Offs
Fixtures for the opening nine nights of the 2021 Unibet Premier League season will be confirmed in due course.
2022 Premier League
Thursday February 3 - Night One, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Thursday February 10 - Night Two, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Thursday February 17 - Night Three, SSE Arena, Belfast
Thursday February 24 - Night Four, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
Thursday March 3 - Night Five, Westpoint Exeter
Thursday March 10 - Night Six, The Brighton Centre
Thursday March 17 - Night Seven, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Thursday March 24 - Night Eight, Rotterdam Ahoy
Thursday March 31 - Judgement Night, Utilita Arena Birmingham
Thursday April 7 - Night Ten, First Direct Arena, Leeds
Thursday April 14 - Night 11, AO Arena, Manchester
Thursday April 21 - Night 12, P&J Live, Aberdeen
Thursday April 28 - Night 13, 3Arena, Dublin
Thursday May 5 - Night 14, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Thursday May 12 - Night 15, FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Thursday May 19 - Night 16, The O2, London
Thursday May 26 - Play-Offs, Utilita Arena Newcastle
Ticket information for the 2022 Premier League will be confirmed in due course.
Tickets for 2020 or 2021 events which were postponed will be moved to the new date at the same venue in 2022, or will be eligible for a refund from the Box Office where purchased (or a voucher for Berlin tickets).
The 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open will be staged behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from March 5-7.
The annual festival of darts is usually held at the Butlin's Minehead Resort in Somerset, with eight stages in action during the early rounds of the three-day tournament.
Due to the ongoing situation, the tournament would not be able to be staged with a crowd in Minehead, but will now be staged on the planned dates in Milton Keynes.
Fans who had booked a Weekend Break Packages will have the option to move their booking to the 2022 Ladbrokes UK Open or to a different Butlin's break, or to obtain a refund.
Fans with a booking are being contacted by Butlin's by email. However, should fans have a query, they can contact Butlin's via this link.
As a result of the current UK lockdown, it will not be possible to stage amateur qualifying events through Rileys Sports Bars as per previous years.
As such, the 128 PDC Tour Card Holders will be joined by 32 additional qualifiers from the following criteria (selected in the order below):
* Top 8 non-qualified players from 2020 Development Tour OOM who remain PDPA Associate Members in 2021
* Top 8 non-qualified players from 2020 Challenge Tour OOM who remain PDPA Associate Members in 2021
* Top 8 non-qualified players from 2021 UK Qualifying School Final Stage Order of Merit
* Top 8 non-qualified players from 2021 European Qualifying School Final Stage Order of Merit
"We share the disappointment of players and fans that the 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open will not be able to be staged in its popular home at the Butlin's Minehead Resort in front of a live crowd this March," said PDC chief executive Matt Porter.
"The UK Open forms an important part of the PDC calendar and it is appropriate that this retains it place in March this year.
"We're pleased to be able to keep the spirit of the UK Open alive by incorporating amateur players, even though we are unfortunately not able to stage qualifying events with Rileys this year due to the current circumstances.
"As always we'll be playing across eight stages simultaneously on the opening day, and I'm sure that the excitement and drama will remain for everyone watching the coverage around the world throughout the tournament."
2021 Ladbrokes UK Open
Friday March 5
Afternoon Session (1200 GMT)
First Round
Second Round
Third Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Fourth Round
Saturday March 6
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Fifth Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Sixth Round
Sunday March 7
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
The remainder of the William Hill World Darts Championship will be played behind closed doors at London's Alexandra Palace.
The sport's biggest tournament had begun on December 15 with fans for just one night before London was placed into Tier 3 restrictions by the UK government, meaning that play continued behind closed doors.
That had been due to be reviewed on December 23, however with London since being moved into Tier 4 restrictions, it will now not be possible for fans to attend for the remainder of the tournament.
Fans who had purchased tickets for sessions from December 27-January 3 will receive a full refund from SeeTickets back to the payment card used for the original transaction.
The World Championship's second round will conclude on Wednesday December 23 ahead of a three-day Christmas break, before returning on Sunday December 27.
Play will continue through to Wednesday December 30, before concluding from January 1-3 with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Global coverage will be headlined by coverage on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel, while the PDC's international broadcast partners will include RTL7 in the Netherlands, DAZN in various territories, Fox Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and at matchroom.live.
Tickets for the 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship will go on Priority Sale on Thursday December 3 and on General Sale on Friday December 4.
The William Hill World Darts Championship will take place from December 15-January 3 at London's Alexandra Palace, featuring 96 players competing across 16 days of action.
The tournament will be the first PDC event in the UK to feature a live crowd since March, with plans now confirmed for up to 1,000 fans to attend each session at Alexandra Palace in a COVID-secure environment under specific conditions.
Fans from the UK in Tier 1 or Tier 2 areas will be able to book a table of four seats, with a table required to consist of one household or support bubble.
Social distancing measures will be in operation throughout the venue, spectators will be required to arrive at specified times and gain admission through one of two entrances, while food and drink will be served directly to tables and booked via a dedicated App.
All ticket buyers and fans will be required to confirm that they understand and will abide by the specific procedures and regulations for the event which have been confirmed in accordance with the UK Government's 'Stage Five - return to competition for elite sport' guidance which covers the safe return of spectators, as well as satisfying the requirements of the local licensing authority, the London Borough of Haringey.
Fans could return to PDC darts in the UK next month when the 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship is held from December 15-January 3 at Alexandra Palace in London, while coverage of darts’ biggest event will be broadcast on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.
Following the UK government's announcement on Monday of their post-lockdown plans in England from December 2 onwards, the PDC will now be working with Alexandra Palace to explore the potential for fans to attend the event.
Information will be posted once confirmed at www.pdc.tv/tickets, where fans can also sign up to receive email updates.
The World Championship's opening nine days at Alexandra Palace from December 15 until the Christmas break will see the first and second rounds take place. The action will resume with the third and fourth rounds across four days between Christmas and New Year, with play from December 27-30.
New Year's Day will see the quarter-finals take place, with the semi-finals on Saturday January 2 ahead of the showpiece final on Sunday January 3.
The world's top 32 players will enter the tournament at the second round stage, with the first round featuring the 32 qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit coming up against 32 international representatives.
Global TV coverage will be headlined by non-stop darts action on the exclusive Sky Sports Darts channel, which will run from December 15-January 4 and see live broadcasts accompanied by archive footage and special programming.
"Whilst 2020 has been an uncertain and unprecedented year in so many ways, to have the William Hill World Darts Championship on the horizon is fantastic for everyone involved in our sport," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"We'll have 28 sessions across 16 days in this year's World Championship, and whilst some aspects of the event will naturally be different in the current climate the action on the oche will be as sensational as ever.
“Monday’s announcement means that we can step up our discussions with the relevant bodies to hopefully stage the World Championship with a live crowd in the UK for the first time since March, which would be a huge boost for so many people for whom this event is a highlight of the year.
"Our players have been superb throughout the challenging times of 2020 and I'm delighted that they can end the year by playing for our biggest prize in the World Championship.
"We're also grateful for the continued support of our sponsors and partners, notably William Hill, Alexandra Palace and Sky Sports, who will again be running their 24/7 Sky Sports Darts channel throughout the festive feast of darts."
The 2019/20 William Hill World Darts Championship was a huge success, culminating in Peter Wright’s historic first victory as he defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final, while Fallon Sherrock became the first female player to win in the tournament with her defeats of Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic, gaining worldwide recognition.
2020 has also seen Glen Durrant win the Premier League in his debut season, live on Sky Sports, while Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh took the biggest victory of his career in the prestigious World Matchplay.
Georgina Faulkner, Director of Sky Sports Multisport, said: "We're delighted once again to be showing the PDC World Championship on our designated Sky Sports Darts channel.
"It will be a different feel this year to deliver the world-famous Ally Pally atmosphere but we're pleased to still be able to showcase the pinnacle of world darts and will endeavour to bring people at home as close to the action as we can for this festive sporting staple."
Further global coverage of the William Hill World Darts Championship through the PDC's international broadcast partners will include RTL7 in the Netherlands, DAZN in various territories, Fox Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, through PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and at matchroom.live.
Louise Stewart, Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust CEO, said: "We're delighted that the William Hill World Darts Championship will be taking place at Ally Pally once again this year.
"It's a highlight of the festive period and something we are proud the Palace is part of. We look forward to working alongside the PDC, Sky Sports, William Hill and all the players to ensure this year's championship is another absorbing spectacle for everyone to enjoy."
The draw for the William Hill World Darts Championship will be made on Thursday December 3 live on Sky Sports News, with the field being confirmed on Monday November 30 following the PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier event in Coventry.
2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship
Session Schedule
Tuesday December 15
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Wednesday December 16
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Thursday December 17
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Friday December 18
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Saturday December 19
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Sunday December 20
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Monday December 21
4x Second Round
Tuesday December 22
Afternoon Session
4x Second Round
Evening Session
4x Second Round
Wednesday December 23
Afternoon Session
4x Second Round
Evening Session
4x Second Round
Sunday December 27
Afternoon Session
3x Third Round
Evening Session
3x Third Round
Monday December 28
Afternoon Session
3x Third Round
Evening Session
3x Third Round
Tuesday December 29
Afternoon Session
3x Third Round
Evening Session
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round
Wednesday December 30
Afternoon Session
3x Fourth Round
Evening Session
3x Fourth Round
Friday January 1
Afternoon Session
2x Quarter-Finals
Evening Session
2x Quarter-Finals
Saturday January 2
Semi-Finals
Sunday January 3
Final
NB: Session times and ticket information will be confirmed in due course.
Due to a change in regulations in Austria, the BetVictor World Cup of DArts will now be held behind closed doors at the Salzburgarena from November 6-8.
All ticket holders who purchased their tickets via a voucher will be receiving a new voucher that can be used for all events of PDC Europe and will be valid for three years.
Fans who bought their tickets without a voucher can get a refund of their purchase.
All ticket buyers will be contacted by email by the box office where they purchased their tickets.
The BetVictor World Cup of Darts has moved and will now be staged at the Salzburgarena in Austria from November 6-8.
The 32-nation tournament sees two-player teams representing their countries across three days in a combination of Doubles and Singles contests.
This year's tournament will now be staged in Salzburg in front of a live crowd, having previously been switched from Hamburg to Graz.
Last month, the Salzburgarena staged the World Series of Darts Finals, the PDC's first event with a live crowd for six months, and will now welcome the Sky Sports cameras for the World Cup in November.
Existing ticket holders for the Graz venue will have the option to exchange their tickets for a voucher that can then be used for the purchase of their new tickets for the event in Salzburg. Fans will be contacted by email in relation to their booking.
Tickets will go on general sale through PDC Europe from 1700 BST on Thursday October 15. For each evening session, a limited number of VIP tickets will be on sale.
The BetVictor World Cup of Darts will be televised on Sky Sports as well as through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN, as well as for PDCTV Rest of the World Subscribers and at matchroom.live.
The 2020 European Championship will move to be held at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen from October 29-November 1.
The 32-player event follows the completion of the European Tour season, which will feature two final events in Germany during October.
The European Championship had previously been planned to be held in Dortmund, but will now move to Oberhausen and take place across five sessions in four days.
Session times for the event have been confirmed as follows:
Thursday October 29 (1600 CET)
16x First Round
Friday October 30
Afternoon Session (1300 CET)
4x Second Round
Evening Session (2000 CET)
4x Second Round
Saturday October 31 (2000 CET)
Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 1 (2000 CET)
Semi-Finals & Final
Tickets for the European Championship will be available through PDC Europe from Friday evening.
Fans who had tickets for the original venue in Dortmund will be able to exchange these for a voucher for tickets in Oberhausen, and will be contacted by the box office in relation to their booking.
Tickets for the European Tour events in Sindelfingen and Riesa are available now through PDC Europe.
The European Championship will feature South Africa's Devon Petersen for the first time since 2016 following his brilliant success at the German Darts Championship last weekend.
March's Belgian Darts Championship winner Gerwyn Price will also be amongst the 32 competitors, with reigning champion Rob Cross, world number one Michael van Gerwen and World Champion Peter Wright also set to compete in Oberhausen.
The field will be confirmed following the European Darts Grand Prix, to be played in Sindelfingen from October 16-18, and the International Darts Open, which will take place from October 23-25 in Riesa.
The European Championship will be broadcast on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN and through PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.
The Ricoh Arena in Coventry is set to host three further televised events and the PDC Winter Series across a busy October and November period for the sport.
The Unibet Premier League Play-Offs, BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts and Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will all now be staged behind closed doors in Coventry due the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ricoh Arena, which will stage the BoyleSports World Grand Prix next week, has also previously hosted the Premier League as well as a number of PDC ProTour weekends.
The Premier League Play-Offs and Grand Slam of Darts will take place on new dates detailed below, while the Players Championship Finals will take place across its scheduled dates.
A newly-announced Winter Series follows on from the Summer and Autumn Series, with five Players Championship events to be played across consecutive days.
"Firstly, we would like to thank everyone at the Ricoh Arena for their co-operation in accommodating four of our biggest events in a short space of time," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"Whilst we are disappointed that fans will not be in attendance at the traditional venues for these events, we are pleased to still be able to deliver these for both players and viewers during these uncertain times.
"October and November are always among the busiest and exciting months in the PDC calendar and this year is no different, with six TV events providing a perfect build-up to the World Championship.
"The players have conducted themselves impeccably throughout this period and I am sure they will provide more top-class entertainment over the coming weeks and months."
Unibet Premier League Play-Offs
The 2020 Unibet Premier League Play-Offs will be staged at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on October 15, with play commencing at 1900 BST.
Table-topper Glen Durrant will play Gary Anderson in the opening semi-final, before Peter Wright takes on Nathan Aspinall, followed by the final which will see the two winners battle it out for the title and £250,000 winner's prize.
The Premier League Play-Offs will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, as well as through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN and for PDCTV Rest of the World Subscribers.
Ticket holders for original dates at The O2 will have their tickets automatically transferred for the same seat at the 2021 event at the same venue, on Thursday May 20. Any fans wishing to receive a refund must apply to their point of purchase (the Box Office where they bought their tickets).
BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts
The 2020 BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts will be held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry from November 16-24.
The tournament will see a 32-player field, comprising PDC event winners and qualifiers along with two BDO players, competing for £550,000 in prize money.
The Grand Slam of Darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, as well as through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN and for PDCTV Rest of the World Subscribers.
Schedule of Play
Monday November 16
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
8x Group matches
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
8x Group matches
Tuesday November 17
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
8x Group matches
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
8x Group matches
Wednesday November 18 (1900 GMT)
8x Group matches
Thursday November 19 (1900 GMT)
8x Group matches
Friday November 20 (1900 GMT)
4x Last 16 matches
Saturday November 21 (1900 GMT)
4x Last 16 matches
Sunday November 22
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Monday November 23 (1900 GMT)
2x Semi-Finals
Tuesday November 24 (1800 GMT)
Final
Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals
The 2020 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will be staged at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry from November 27-29.
The tournament sees the top 64 players from the final 2020 Players Championship Order of Merit competing for £500,000 in prize money.
The field will be confirmed on November 14 following the conclusion of the PDC Winter Series.
The World Youth Championship Final between Bradley Brooks and Joe Davis will be played on November 29 between the semi-finals and final.
The Players Championship Finals will be broadcast live on ITV4, as well as through the PDC's international broadcast partners including RTL7 and DAZN and for PDCTV Rest of the World Subscribers.
Fans who had booked a Weekend Break Package will have the option to move their booking to the 2021 tournament or to a different Butlin's break, or to obtain a refund. Any queries should be directed to Butlin's via this link.
Schedule of Play
Friday November 27
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
16 x Round One (two stages)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
16 x Round One (two stages)
Saturday November 28
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
16 x Round Two (two stages)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
8 x Round Three (two stages)
Sunday November 29
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
Quarter-Finals (one stage)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals & Final (one stage)
Plus PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship Final
PDC Winter Series
The PDC Winter Series will take place at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry from November 10-14 as PDC Tour Card Holders compete in five Players Championship events across five consecutive days.
The Winter Series will be preceded by the Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier at the same venue on November 9.
All five days of the Winter Series will be broadcast live on PDCTV.
PDPA World Championship Qualifier
The PDPA World Championship Qualifier will also be held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on Monday November 30 with play to commence at 1200 GMT.
A minimum of two places will be on offer to PDC Tour Card Holders who will have a final chance to qualify for the 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship.
The Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will be staged behind closed doors in November, with the Butlin's Minehead Resort unable to host the event in 2020.
The three-day tournament is hugely popular with fans who book Weekend Break Packages with Butlin's, providing accommodation and tickets for the feast of darts across two stages.
However, Butlin's have confirmed that the current social distancing guidelines will prevent the tournament being staged in Minehead this year.
Fans who had booked a Weekend Break Package will have the option to move their booking to the 2021 tournament or to a different Butlin's break, or to obtain a refund.
Fans with a booking are being contacted by Butlin's by email. However, should fans have a query, they can contact Butlin's via this link.
The PDC will confirm details of a rearranged venue for the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals in due course.
The tournament, broadcast live on ITV4 and worldwide through the PDC's broadcast partners, features the top 64 players from the final 2020 Players Championship Order of Merit competing for £500,000 in prize money.
The first two days of action features play across two stages, with the third day centred around one stage from the quarter-finals onwards.
The weekend's action also includes the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship Final, which is held between the semi-finals and final of the Players Championship Finals.
Last year’s tournament was won by Michael van Gerwen, who defeated Gerwyn Price 11-9 in a thrilling final to win his fifth Players Championship Finals title.
Two further PDC European Tour events have been confirmed to be staged in Sindelfingen and Riesa during October.
The European Tour will return next weekend with the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim, which will end a six-month break since the Belgian Darts Championship had opened the season on the continent.
A further two £140,000 European Tour events will now also be held in Germany, taking the year's total to four ahead of the European Championship at the end of October.
The European Darts Grand Prix will be staged at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen from October 16-18, featuring the field of players who had qualified for the year's originally-planned third European Tour event.
The Sachsenarena in Riesa will then host the International Darts Open from October 23-25, which will feature the players who originally qualified for the year's fourth European Tour event.
Each tournament will be played in front of fans in Germany, adopting the relevant safety and social distancing regulations.
Tickets for the German Darts Championship are available through PDC Europe, with tickets for the European Darts Grand Prix and International Darts Open going on sale in the near future.
Due to the amended regulations, ticket bookings for the original 2020 dates in Sindelfingen and Riesa cannot remain valid. Fans with a booking will be issued with a voucher which can be exchanged for tickets for the new date and will be contacted by the PDC Europe Box Office.
Each PDC European Tour event will be streamed through PDCTV for all Subscribers worldwide, and available through bookmakers' websites.
Following the completion of the International Darts Open, the top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit - comprised of prize money won across the four European Tour events - will progress to compete in the European Championship.
The field for each European Tour event will be finalised on the night before the tournament begins with players from the Associate Member Qualifier and Host Nation Qualifier.
The current fields for each event are listed below.
For the German Darts Championship, qualifiers Niels Zonneveld and Simon Stevenson have withdrawn, and two extra places will be awarded to the Host Nation Qualifier.
For the International Darts Open, qualifier Kyle Anderson has withdrawn and will be replaced by an additional Host Nation Qualifier.
ET2 - German Darts Championship
Halle 39, Hildesheim - September 25-27
Seeded Players
1. Michael van Gerwen
2. Ian White
3. Gerwyn Price
4. Peter Wright
5. Dave Chisnall
6. Krzysztof Ratajski
7. Daryl Gurney
8. Mensur Suljovic
9. James Wade
10. Glen Durrant
11. Joe Cullen
12. Nathan Aspinall
13. Jonny Clayton
14. Rob Cross
15. Adrian Lewis
16. Jermaine Wattimena
Host Nation Qualifiers - Automatic Entries: Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp
TCH Qualifiers: Josh Payne, Adam Hunt, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Steve Lennon, Michael Smith, Darren Penhall, Jeff Smith, Mervyn King, Jason Lowe, Devon Petersen, Steffen Siepmann, William O'Connor, Alan Tabern, Ryan Murray, Scott Waites, Ron Meulenkamp, Chris Dobey, Steve Brown, Danny Noppert, Reece Robinson, Steve West, Richard North
PDC Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Daniel Larsson
East Europe Qualifier: Boris Koltsov
Associate Member Qualifiers: 2x TBC
Host Nation Qualifiers: 4x TBC
ET3 - European Darts Grand Prix
Glaspalast, Sindelfingen - October 16-18
Seeded Players
1. Michael van Gerwen
2. Gerwyn Price
3. Ian White
4. Peter Wright
5. Krzysztof Ratajski
6. Mensur Suljovic
7. Daryl Gurney
8. Dave Chisnall
9. James Wade
10. Nathan Aspinall
11. Joe Cullen
12. Glen Durrant
13. Adrian Lewis
14. Jamie Hughes
15. Rob Cross
16. Michael Smith
Qualifiers
Host Nation Qualifiers - Automatic Entries: Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp
TCH Qualifiers: Devon Petersen, Steve Lennon, Adam Hunt, Mervyn King, Jason Lowe, Steffen Siepmann, Jonathan Worsley, Darius Labanauskas, Jose De Sousa, William O'Connor, Derk Telnekes, John Henderson, Maik Kuivenhoven, Martijn Kleermaker, Harry Ward, Madars Razma, Scott Waites, Ryan Joyce, Damon Heta, Darren Webster, Vincent van der Voort, Luke Woodhouse, Chris Dobey, Kim Huybrechts
PDC Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Mindaugas Barauskas
East Europe Qualifier: Pero Ljubic
Associate Member Qualifiers: 2x TBC
Host Nation Qualifiers: 2x TBC
ET4 - International Darts Open
Sachsenarena, Riesa - October 23-25
Seeded Players
1. Michael van Gerwen
2. Gerwyn Price
3. Ian White
4. Peter Wright
5. Krzysztof Ratajski
6. Mensur Suljovic
7. Daryl Gurney
8. Dave Chisnall
9. James Wade
10. Nathan Aspinall
11. Joe Cullen
12. Glen Durrant
13. Adrian Lewis
14. Jamie Hughes
15. Rob Cross
16. Michael Smith
Qualifiers
Host Nation Qualifiers - Automatic Entries: Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp
TCH Qualifiers: Kai Fan Leung, Jamie Lewis, Andy Hamilton, Jason Lowe, Jesus Noguera, Madars Razma, Jelle Klaasen, Jose De Sousa, Martin Schindler, Stephen Bunting, Maik Kuivenhoven, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Ron Meulenkamp, Danny Noppert, Ross Smith, Brendan Dolan, Ryan Murray, Niels Zonneveld, Benito van de Pas, Martijn Kleermaker, Steve West, Toni Alcinas, Scott Baker
PDC Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: Andreas Harryson
East Europe Qualifier: Tytus Kanik
Associate Member Qualifiers: 2x TBC
Host Nation Qualifiers: 3x TBC
The planned restart of the 2020 PDC Nordic & Baltic circuit in October has been cancelled.
Events on the PDC Nordic & Baltic tour have been on hold since earlier in 2020, with only the opening weekend of the season in Finland having taken place.
It had been planned to stage four events in Riga, Latvia from October 23-25, providing further opportunities for players from the region.
However, due to regulations in Latvia, it is now not possible to stage the events as planned, and with wider restrictions in place across the region, no further events will be staged during 2020.
The top two ranked players in the PDCNB, Kim Viljanen and Daniel Larsson, will qualify for the 2020/2021 William Hill World Darts Championship.
The PDC Autumn Series is to move from Hildesheim to Niedernhausen for September's six days of competitive action.
The Autumn Series - comprising five Players Championship events from September 12-16 - will be preceded by the World Series of Darts Finals Qualifier on Friday September 11.
Due to recent changes to both flight schedules and travel advisories, the Autumn Series has been switched from Halle 39 in Hildesheim to the Conference Centre at the H+ Hotel in Niedernhausen.
The venue and on-site hotel will comprise a secure and exclusive "bubble" for players and staff for the duration of the tournaments.
"This change has been carefully considered in response to the ever evolving pandemic situation in different territories," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter. "As with everything we have done since returning to action, the health and safety of our players and staff is our top priority, and we believe this is the right thing to do.
"We have a large number of non-UK Tour Card Holders and staging events outside the UK is absolutely fair, but only if it can be done under satisfactory conditions, and we will be able to achieve that in Niedernhausen.
"Following several flight cancellations in to Hannover and the confirmation of the World Series Finals in Salzburg being able to take place immediately afterwards, it became apparent that travel to and from Hildesheim would be more challenging, and with players and staff due to be spread across various hotels, we have worked with our partners at PDC Europe and the PDPA to replicate the bubble environment that has worked so well for us in Milton Keynes.
"We will provide transport for players from Frankfurt airport where possible and are establishing testing protocols to ensure the events are played in a fully quarantined environment.
"We have been in contact with players regarding travel arrangements and most had not yet finalised their details, but any who have are asked to contact the PDPA directly so that their situation can be resolved.
"For everyone else, we advise direct travel either to Niedernhausen by road where possible and suitable but otherwise a direct flight in to Frankfurt am Main airport is the best option and accommodation details are being provided to players by the PDPA for booking through PDC Europe."
Venue & Hotel details:
H+ Hotel Wiesbaden Niedernhausen
Zum Grauen Stein 1
65527 Niedernhausen
Germany
A further four nights of the Unibet Premier League are to be staged behind closed doors in Milton Keynes from September 3-6, replacing the planned events in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.
The Premier League season, which has been on hold since March, will return later this month with six nights being held at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
Those six nights - from August 25-30 - will now be followed after a three-day break by the remaining four league nights of the regular season from September 3-6.
In addition, should it not be possible to stage the Play-Offs at The O2 in London with a crowd as planned on Thursday October 22, a further night behind closed doors will be added in Milton Keynes on Wednesday September 2, making Sunday September 6 the Play-Offs.
"We have continued to work with all relevant parties in recent weeks in a bid to stage these four Unibet Premier League nights with a crowd," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"As we are still not able to guarantee this and bearing in mind the need to provide clarity for fans with tickets to these events, we will now be staging a further four nights behind closed doors in Milton Keynes.
"We are continuing to work with The O2 in a bid to end the season in style with the Play-Offs in front of a live crowd on Thursday October 22 if practicable, with the option of adding a further night in September in Milton Keynes available should this not be possible."
Fans with tickets to any of the rescheduled nights will have their booking transferred to the equivalent night of the 2021 Premier League, as follows:
Utilita Arena, Newcastle - Thursday February 18
The Manchester Arena - Thursday March 25
The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield - Thursday April 15
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow - Thursday May 6
Any fans wishing to receive a refund must apply to their point of purchase (the Box Office where they bought their tickets).
2020 Unibet Premier League
Revised Schedule - At August 13 2020
Night 7 - Tuesday August 25, Milton Keynes
Night 8 - Wednesday August 26, Milton Keynes
Judgement Night - Thursday August 27, Milton Keynes
Night 10 - Friday August 28, Milton Keynes
Night 11 - Saturday August 29, Milton Keynes
Night 12 - Sunday August 30, Milton Keynes
Night 13 - Thursday September 3, Milton Keynes
Night 14 - Friday September 4, Milton Keynes
Night 15 - Saturday September 5, Milton Keynes
Night 16 - Sunday September 6, Milton Keynes
Play-Offs - Thursday October 22, The O2, London
2021 Premier League Schedule
Night 1 - Thursday February 4, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Night 2 - Thursday February 11, 3Arena, Dublin
Night 3 - Thursday February 18, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Night 4 - Thursday February 25, Rotterdam Ahoy
Night 5 - Thursday March 4, Westpoint Exeter
Night 6 - Thursday March 11, The SSE Arena, Belfast
Night 7 - Thursday March 18, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Night 8 - Thursday March 25, The Manchester Arena
Night 9 - Thursday April 1, The Brighton Centre
Night 10 - Thursday April 8, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Night 11 - Thursday April 15, The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Night 12 - Thursday April 22, P&J Live, Aberdeen
Night 13 - Thursday April 29, Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Night 14 - Thursday May 6, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Night 15 - Thursday May 13, First Direct Arena, Leeds
Night 16 - Thursday May 20, The O2, London
Play-Offs - Thursday May 27, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
The 2020 Nordic Darts Masters has been cancelled and will now be staged in June 2021 at Forum Copenhagen.
The inaugural World Series of Darts event in Denmark, being staged in conjunction with Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), had initially been planned for June 2020 before being moved to October.
However, the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic mean that the event cannot be held this year, and will take place from June 11-13 2021 as the world's top players take on leading talent from across the Nordic & Baltic region.
The event forms part of next year's World Series of Darts, which will begin in New York in early June with the US Darts Masters.
August will then see the World Series visit Australia for a double-header in Townsville and Wollongong before crossing the Tasman Sea to Hamilton for the NZ Darts Masters.
“There had been a great deal of anticipation for the Nordic Darts Masters, and whilst the event cannot now proceed in 2020 we’re already looking forward to visiting Forum Copenhagen next June,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
“The Nordic and Baltic region has enjoyed real growth in recent years and it has been encouraging to see the development of players, and the Nordic Darts Masters will be a great opportunity for them to show their talents on a global stage against the biggest names in the sport next June.
“This year has seen unprecedented disruption to our schedule, but we can now look forward with anticipation alongside our partners NENT Group to next June’s Nordic Darts Masters.”
Session times for the 2021 Nordic Darts Masters will be confirmed in due course. Fans with tickets for the 2020 Nordic Darts Masters will have their booking transferred to the equivalent session of the 2021 event. Fans wishing to request a refund would contact their point of purchase.
The PDC's overseas affiliated tours have confirmed their plans for the remainder of 2020 following the suspension of events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The PDC works with organisations worldwide to provide regional tours, which have been on hold since March.
The PDC Asian Tour has now been cancelled for 2020, with their first rearranged events having been provisionally planned to begin from August onwards.
Furthermore, The EuroAsian Darts Corporation (EADC) has now cancelled its season, with just one weekend having been held in Russia so far in 2020.
DartPlayers Australia have confirmed that their 2020 season has been ended following 14 events, with plans in place to stage the Oceanic Masters on the weekend of October 30 in Warilla (dependant on restrictions in Australia).
Gordon Mathers, who was sat at the top of the DPA ProTour Order of Merit, will qualify for a place in the William Hill World Darts Championship.
The 2019/2020 DartPlayers New Zealand season was ended in March, with Haupai Puha at the head of the rankings.
They will start their 2021 season in January, but will still hold a top 16 playoff this year to determine who will play at the 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship. Details will be confirmed at the DPNZ website.
North America's Championship Darts Corporation circuit has yet to commence for 2020, with plans being put in place to return later this year. Details will be confirmed at the CDC website.
PDC Nordic & Baltic are planning a weekend in the autumn of 2020, with details to be confirmed at the PDCNB website.
Their season had begun in February with a double-header in Denmark, which saw Finland's Kim Viljanen and Sweden's Daniel Larsson pick up victories.
In addition, the annual Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay championship held in Ireland - which included the final on stage in Dublin during the World Grand Prix - has been cancelled in 2020.
Details of qualifying for the William Hill World Darts Championship and BetVictor World Cup of Darts from affected regions will be confirmed in due course.
A further amendment to the 2020 PDC European Tour has been made, with the events in Budapest, Jena, Gibraltar and Prague now not able to take place as planned, but with a new event scheduled in Hildesheim.
The PDC European Tour is set to return to action this autumn, but the four events scheduled to join the previously played Belgian Darts Championship to comprise an abridged five-event series in 2020 have now been cancelled.
Planned events in Budapest from September 4-6, Jena from September 11-13, Gibraltar from September 25-27 and Prague from October 16-18 will now longer go ahead.
As it stands, European Tour event two - The German Darts Championship - will now be held in Hildesheim from September 25-27, with two more events in planning for later in the year.
Tickets purchased for the cancelled events will remain valid for next year's staging, with the dates for 2021 to be announced in autumn alongside the rest of the European Tour schedule.
Ticket buyers for the German Darts Open in Jena will be provided with all information by PDC Europe via e-mail, while for Budapest and Prague the local organisers will be contacting their customers.
The PDC can also confirm that a one-year extension has been agreed with the Gibraltar Ministry of Sport to stage European Tour events in the country in 2021 and 2022.
The PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour and Development Tour seasons will both conclude with six-event, three-day weekends to be staged at the Barnsley Metrodome this autumn.
The Challenge Tour and Development Tour had each played one four-event weekend in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic led to the suspension of tournaments in mid-March.
Following the return of competitive PDC action on the ProTour in July, plans have now been confirmed to conclude the secondary tours later this year.
The Development Tour will resume with six £10,000 events to be held in Barnsley from September 25-27, which will then be followed by the early rounds of the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship.
The PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship Final remains planned for Sunday November 29 to take place between the semi-finals and final of the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.
The Challenge Tour will then conclude with six £10,000 events to be held from October 9-11.
The top two players from both the Challenge Tour and Development Tour Orders of Merit will receive a two-year PDC Tour Card for 2021/2022. In addition, the top two players from the Development Tour Order of Merit and highest ranked player on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit will receive a place in the 2020/2021 William Hill World Darts Championship.
Entries will be available through www.pdcplayers.com, costing £25 per event for the Development Tour and £50 per event for the Challenge Tour.
Players who have not previously competed on the PDC Unicorn Development Tour will need to Register with the system first.
Entries which had previously been made for DT5-8 and CT5-8 will be transferred to the new events - however players will still need to enter DT9-10 or CT9-10 as appropriate.
PDC Unicorn Development Tour events are open to players who were aged 23 or under on January 2 2020, and once their 16th birthday has passed.
PDC Unicorn Development Tour
September 25-28, Barnsley Metrodome
Friday September 25 - Events Five & Six
Saturday September 26 - Events Seven & Eight
Sunday September 27 - Events Nine & Ten
Monday September 28 - PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship L96
PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour
October 9-11, Barnsley Metrodome
Friday October 9 - Events Five & Six
Saturday October 10 - Events Seven & Eight
Sunday October 11 - Events Nine & Ten
Elite level darts will return with the PDC Autumn Series, which will be played from September 12-16 in Hildesheim, Germany.
Following the success of July's Summer Series, all 128 Tour Card Holders will once again be given the chance to compete in five one-day Players Championship events behind closed doors at Halle 39.
All events will be ranked, with the winner of the 2020 PDC Autumn Series Order of Merit to receive a place in this year's Grand Slam of Darts.
The Autumn Series will comprise the final five tournaments counting towards qualification for the World Grand Prix, with all Tour Card Holders still in with a chance of qualifying for the double-start event, which will take place from October 4-10.
Preceding the five Players Championship events in Hildesheim will be a World Series of Darts Finals qualifier on September 11, with four places up for grabs for the event in Salzburg, Austria scheduled for September 18-20.
Prize money won will also count towards qualification for the Players Championship Finals (November 27-29) and the William Hill World Darts Championship.
As with all 2020 Players Championship events, prize money will stand at £75,000 per event, with all winnings counting towards the relevant PDC Orders of Merit.
PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: “The Summer Series was popular with players and fans alike, so I'm delighted that we're putting on another block of Players Championship events.
"The tournaments will give all our Tour Card Holders another opportunity to win prize money and qualify for televised events during the unprecedented times we are living in.
"For our fans, the Autumn Series means live darts will return to our screens soon after the block of six Unibet Premier League nights concludes on August 30.
"It was also important for us to arrange tournaments outside of the UK in view of our large number of European Tour Card Holders, so we're delighted to be hosting the Autumn Series in Germany.
"We would like to give thanks to PDC Europe for their hard work and co-operation in arranging the Autumn Series at the fantastic Halle 39 venue.
"Schedule planning for the rest of the year is an on-going, ever-changing process, but a Winter Series will take place in the UK on dates to be announced."
A revised schedule for the 2020 Unibet Premier League has been confirmed, which will see the tournament resume in August with six nights played behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and current restrictions, the planned double-header at Rotterdam Ahoy will not take place in 2020, along with the scheduled league nights in Birmingham, Belfast, Leeds and Berlin.
Six replacement nights, including Judgement Night which will see one player eliminated from the competition, will take place behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena from August 25-30.
The 2020 Unibet Premier League is then scheduled to continue with the remaining four league nights in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, before the top four players contest the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on its revised date of October 22.
Ticket holders for five venues cancelled in 2020 (Birmingham, Belfast, Leeds, Berlin and the Thursday night in Rotterdam) will have their tickets automatically transferred for the same seat at the 2021 event at the same venue. All remaining tickets for these events are available from venue Box Offices. The 2021 Premier League schedule, including venues and dates, is listed below.
Any fans wishing to receive a refund must apply to their point of purchase (the Box Office where they bought their tickets) before 1700 BST on Friday July 31 (Friday August 14 in Rotterdam). Ticket holders for the Berlin night who purchased tickets through Affilitix can see details of the German government’s voucher scheme:
CLICK HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION
CLICK HERE FOR ENGLISH VERSION
Ticket holders for the Wednesday night at Rotterdam Ahoy (September 9) will be automatically refunded as that show will not take place in 2021.
Tickets for the 2020 Premier League event at The O2, London will be automatically transferred to the Play-Offs on October 22, NOT to the May 2021 date.
Tickets for the 2020 nights in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and London remain on sale.
For the six venues already played in 2020 (Aberdeen, Nottingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Exeter and Liverpool), as well as Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Brighton and London, tickets for their 2021 Premier League nights will go on sale later in the year. Details will be advertised at pdc.tv/tickets once finalised.
2020 Unibet Premier League
Revised Schedule - At July 15 2020
Night 7 - Tuesday August 25, Milton Keynes
Night 8 - Wednesday August 26, Milton Keynes
Judgement Night - Thursday August 27, Milton Keynes
Night 10 - Friday August 28, Milton Keynes
Night 11 - Saturday August 29, Milton Keynes
Night 12 - Sunday August 30, Milton Keynes
Night 13 - Thursday September 17, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Night 14 - Thursday September 24, The Manchester Arena
Night 15 - Thursday October 1, The Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Night 16 - Thursday October 15, The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Play-Offs - Thursday October 22, The O2, London
2021 Premier League Schedule
Night 1 - Thursday February 4, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Night 2 - Thursday February 11, 3Arena, Dublin
Night 3 - Thursday February 18, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Night 4 - Thursday February 25, Rotterdam Ahoy
Night 5 - Thursday March 4, Westpoint Exeter
Night 6 - Thursday March 11, The SSE Arena, Belfast
Night 7 - Thursday March 18, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Night 8 - Thursday March 25, The Manchester Arena
Night 9 - Thursday April 1, The Brighton Centre
Night 10 - Thursday April 8, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Night 11 - Thursday April 15, The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Night 12 - Thursday April 22, P&J Live, Aberdeen
Night 13 - Thursday April 29, Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Night 14 - Thursday May 6, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Night 15 - Thursday May 13, First Direct Arena, Leeds
Night 16 - Thursday May 20, The O2, London
Play-Offs - Thursday May 27, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
The PDC have issued an update in relation to the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour and Development Tour seasons ahead of the return to competitive events this month.
Ranked PDC tournaments have been suspended since mid-March, with the ProTour returning to action next week with the five-day PDC Summer Series taking place in Milton Keynes.
The Challenge Tour and Development Tour have both held four events so far in 2020, with all other planned events currently on hold.
The PDC, with the support of the PDPA, are currently working towards a revised calendar for the remainder of 2020, which is planned to include Challenge Tour and Development Tour weekends.
PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: "We'd like to reassure all Challenge and Development Tour players that they certainly haven't been forgotten about, and we very much hope to be able to continue those tours in some way this year to give players on those tours further opportunity to compete within a PDC environment.
"Much of the reality of that will depend on whether or not we would need to create 'bubble' environments as we are doing for the Summer Series, as they are very costly and place onerous requirements on players which may not be as practical when you are dealing with semi-professional players in many cases.
"Once we have clarity over the August events in respect of whether or not we can stage them as normal, we'll make an announcement but in the meantime we would urge players to be aware of the financial risks of making travel plans without insurance or cancellation options."
PDPA Associate Members competing on the Challenge Tour and Development Tour will be able to participate in a series of information, education and community initiatives via the PDPA. For further details, please visit the PDPA website.
The Professional Darts Corporation can confirm that the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will not take place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, and will instead be played behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from July 18-26.
The PDC held extensive talks with the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the venue, host broadcaster Sky Sports and other stakeholders in an attempt to find a safe solution for the World Matchplay to be staged at the Winter Gardens.
However, with this not being possible the tournament will now - for the first time since being introduced in 1994 - be played behind closed doors, with the Marshall Arena being able to provide a protected environment to ensure the safe staging of the event.
“This is an unprecedented step for us to take and this tough decision has been made only after exhausting all possible options in a bid to stage the Betfred World Matchplay with a limited crowd in Blackpool,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
“We thank the DCMS for their co-operation throughout the process and also the Winter Gardens and Blackpool Council, who remained committed to hosting the event throughout the process.
“Whilst this will be disappointing for the thousands of fans who had planned to watch the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay live in Blackpool, we will be offering those fans the chance to defer their tickets to 2021, when the tournament will return to its spiritual home.”
Existing ticket bookings for the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will be transferred to the equivalent session of the 2021 event, which is planned to be held from July 17-25. Alternatively, fans can request a refund of their ticket base price from their point of purchase.
The 2020 World Matchplay will take place on its originally scheduled dates of July 18-26 and will be the first fully televised PDC tournament to take place following the suspension of events due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
The PDC Summer Series will see the sport’s stars return to action from July 8-12 in Milton Keynes for a series of five one-day Players Championship events, with coverage being streamed through PDCTV from 1200 BST on each day.
The Professional Darts Corporation is pleased to announce that live darts will return on Wednesday July 8 with the launch of the PDC Summer Series.
The Summer Series will see all 128 Tour Card Holders given the chance to compete in five one-day Players Championship events from July 8-12, played behind closed doors at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes subject to the UK Government quarantine policy on overseas visitors.
As with all 2020 Players Championship events, prize money will stand at £75,000 per event, with all winnings counting towards the relevant PDC Orders of Merit.
In the event that quarantine restrictions make it impractical for non-UK players to travel to the events, the PDC will announce a revised schedule of non-ranked events for the same dates.
PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: “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.”
The PDC understands that players will have further questions regarding these events and we can assure them that as soon as details are able to be confirmed we will release the information appropriately. The PDC’s intention at this time is to confirm the dates and proposed format of the events so that players can begin to prepare for a return to competitive events and plan accordingly. Please be aware that hotel bookings for the Summer Series will be handled centrally by the PDC and players should not contact the Marshall Arena directly to make reservations.
The PDC can confirm that the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 18-26.
The prestigious 32-player tournament is set to be the first fully televised PDC tournament to take place following the suspension of events due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
Following discussions with host broadcaster Sky Sports, the original dates of July 18-26 have been confirmed for the event to be staged.
The PDC are continuing to work with the UK Government and other relevant parties to be able to stage the event at Blackpool's Winter Gardens with a crowd, subject to any relevant regulations.
A decision will be made by Saturday July 4 if the tournament is able to proceed with a crowd at the Winter Gardens.
Should this not be possible, then the tournament will be staged behind closed doors at an alternative, appropriate venue.
Final details for ticket holders will be confirmed once a final decision is made in relation to being able to stage the Betfred World Matchplay with or without a crowd.
However, fans who have purchased tickets for the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay can obtain a refund from their point of purchase should they wish*.
Should the event take place in 2020 behind closed doors, then fans will be entitled, following July 4, to defer their ticket purchase to the 2021 Betfred World Matchplay.
"It is still our intention to be able to stage the Betfred World Matchplay with a crowd and we remain in talks with all relevant parties in a bid to achieve this," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"We have worked hard with the venue, our broadcast partners and other parties to look at alternative dates later in the year, but with no guarantees of how restrictions may be lifted we have taken the decision to retain the original dates so that the Betfred World Matchplay can play a major part in our sport's return to action.
"Giving fans the chance to apply for a refund for this year's tickets or to retain their booking will give them a chance to make their own decision in relation to the event either immediately or when a final announcement is made in the coming weeks.
"The Betfred World Matchplay will be broadcast in full by Sky Sports as well as the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners, and with or without a crowd we're working as hard as possible to make the 2020 tournament as special as ever."
The PDC are also finalising plans to resume ranked Players Championship events from July onwards, subject to Government approval and clarification on any quarantine restrictions for overseas-based players. Further details will be announced in due course.
* Fans wishing to request a refund can do so via SeeTickets' Customer Services team. Please note that refunds take up to 28 days to be processed. Fans who would still wish to attend the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay if possible or defer their tickets to 2021 should do nothing at this stage, with further details to be announced in due course.
Kiley Edmunds has won the CDC Championship League's opening season, with a second event now set to be held after the cancellation of the planned CDC Tour weekend in Denver.
The global restrictions has already meant that weekends in Toronto and Chicago had been cancelled earlier this year, and the year's third planned weekend - in Denver from July 10-12, will also now not take place.
The CDC are now planning to run a second season of their home-broadcast Championship League, presented by Magic Darts, featuring separate seven-player leagues in the USA and Canada.
The initial Championship League has been won by Kiley Edmunds, who defeated Gary Mawson 9-8 in the final.
Edmunds saw off Jim Long in the final of the Canadian Division, with Mawson edging out Nick Linberg 9-8 in the USA Division final.
The event also featured the CDC's first nine-dart finish, achieved by Shawn Brenneman during his tie with Edmunds in the league stage last month.
The experienced Canadian landed two 180s and then finished 141 - whilst giving a running commentary of the achievement!
For more information about the CDC, please click here.
The 2020 BetVictor World Cup of Darts is now set to be held from November 6-8 in Graz as Austria prepares to host the event for the first time.
The 32-nation World Cup of Darts had been originally planned to take place in Hamburg in June, but was amongst the tournaments postponed recently due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The event is now set to be held across three days, each featuring two sessions of action, in November at the Premstättner Halle in Graz/Premstätten.
This tournament will replace the planned new dates for the 2020 Austrian Darts Open European Tour event.
However, tickets purchased for the original dates of the Austrian Darts Open will remain valid for the equivalent session of the new dates. Further details can be obtained from PDC Europe.
The 2019 BetVictor World Cup of Darts was won by Scotland's Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, as they claimed the title for the first time by defeating Ireland's William O'Connor and Steve Lennon in the final.
England and the Netherlands have won the World Cup four times apiece since the tournament - which is unique on the PDC circuit for the combination of Doubles and Singles ties - was introduced a decade ago.
2020 BetVictor World Cup of Darts
Friday November 6
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm local time, 12pm-4pm GMT)
First Round x8
Evening Session (7pm-11pm local time, 6pm-10pm GMT)
First Round x8
Saturday November 7
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm local time, 12pm-4pm GMT)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (7pm-11pm local time, 6pm-10pm GMT)
Second Round x4
Sunday November 8
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm local time, 12pm-4pm GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (7pm-11pm local time, 6pm-10pm GMT)
Semi-Finals & Final
Four PDC European Tour events are planned to be held in September and October, as Budapest, Jena, Gibraltar and Prague prepare to host tournaments.
The 2020 European Tour season had begun with the Belgian Darts Championship earlier this year, before the global Coronavirus pandemic led to a suspension of events.
Due to restrictions in place in Germany and the Netherlands, planned events in Sindelfingen, Leverkusen, Trier, Munich, Hildesheim, Riesa and Leeuwarden will not now be able to take place this year.
However, the following European Tour events will be able to take place later this year:
Hungarian Darts Trophy (Budapest) - September 4-6
German Darts Open (Jena) - September 11-13
Gibraltar Darts Trophy (Gibraltar) - September 25-27
Czech Darts Open (Prague) - October 16-18.
These events will be followed from October 29-November 1 with the European Championship in Dortmund.
In addition, the World Series of Darts Finals remain planned to take place in Salzburg from September 18-20, while the rescheduled BetVictor World Cup of Darts in Graz from November 6-8 will conclude the year's action in Europe.
Fans with tickets for events which have been affected by postponements will be contacted by PDC Europe in due course in relation to their booking.
The PDC has issued the following update in relation to the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay:
As with all PDC tournaments at present, we remain in regular contact with the UK Government in relation to updates regarding regulations and are constantly monitoring the global situation.
At present, the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay remains scheduled for July 18-26 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, and we continue to work with all relevant parties towards achieving this if possible.
However, the PDC plans to confirm on or before Friday June 5 a decision in relation to the planned July dates for this event.
We appreciate that the current global restrictions give cause for concern amongst fans who have purchased tickets for this event.
Should restrictions mean that the July dates are not possible, it would be the PDC's plan to rearrange the Betfred World Matchplay for a date later in 2020, in line with other recently-affected tournaments.
Kyle Anderson has returned to his family in Australia after over four weeks in isolation.
Anderson had tested positive for coronavirus on March 29, and has spent the period since in isolation on a nearby farm in Mount Morgan, Queensland.
Although the former Auckland Darts Masters champion did not require hospital treatment and did not suffer from serious symptoms, continued positive tests had kept him in isolation.
However, Anderson finally received a negative test result on Thursday, and has returned to be with wife Tara and son Charles.
The Professional Darts Players Association has extended the Hardship Fund for players during the ongoing suspension of tournaments through May and June.
An Emergency Fund was announced at the end of March to assist Tour Card Holders with a one-off £1,000 payment for those suffering a negative financial impact due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
A Hardship Fund, supported by the PDC, was also announced for any Tour Card Holders who required further financial support, and following a budgetary review the PDPA will now be extending this to payments of £1,000 per month in May and June.
Monies receives from the Hardship Fund would be repaid to the PDPA from future PDC prize money earnings.
In a statement to Tour Card Holders, the PDPA said: "It is hoped that this continued support goes some way to confirming the PDPA's commitment to you as members.
"The aim of this initiative is to put much-needed funds in the bank accounts of players who are genuinely struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic."
Further details of the PDPA/PDC Hardship Fund can be found on the PDPA website, with details also being sent to Tour Card Holders by email.
The PDC and PDPA are continuing to monitor the global situation, with the PDPA's support network including financial and accountancy advice for players and partnerships with other organisations, including Sporting Chance.
Click here to read Sporting Chance Founder Tony Adams Delivers Message To PDPA Members
The PDC's ranked events during May and June, along with the BetVictor World Cup of Darts, will not now take place as planned and are the latest amendments to the calendar during the ongoing suspension of tournaments.
PDC events have been unable to take place for the past month following the restrictions imposed globally due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Unibet Premier League's remaining planned dates have already been rescheduled for later in 2020, with the World Series of Darts events in New York and Copenhagen also being moved in the calendar.
The five planned European Tour events in May and June - which were to be held in Graz, Budapest, Riesa, Sindelfingen and Trier - will not now take place as scheduled, along with four Players Championship events, two PDC Unicorn Development Tour weekends and a Challenge Tour weekend.
In addition, the popular 32-nation BetVictor World Cup of Darts, which was scheduled for June 18-21, will now be postponed, and it is hoped to move this event to a date later in 2020.
The Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest has been moved to September 4-6, with the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts - which had originally been planned for the same weekend - now set to not take place in 2020.
The PDC's intention is to arrange as many ProTour and secondary tour events as possible into the second half of 2020, or as and when work and travel restrictions are eased.
Germany last week extended their restriction on mass gatherings to the end of August, meaning that the four European Tour events in the country which had been rescheduled for July and August cannot now take place as planned.
In the unlikely event of restrictions being eased to make tournament play possible before July, the PDC would advise players appropriately of any plans.
Affected PDC Events
May 1-3 - Hungarian Darts Trophy (ET6) - NOW September 4-6
May 2-3 - Development Tour 9-12
May 15 - European Tour 8 TCH Qualifier
May 16-17 - Players Championship 13-14
May 22-24 - International Darts Open (ET7)
May 29-31 - European Darts Grand Prix (ET2)
June 6-7 - Challenge Tour 9-12
June 13-14 - Players Championship 17-18
June 15 - European Tour 9-10 TCH Qualifiers
June 18-21 - BetVictor World Cup of Darts
June 20-21 - Development Tour 13-16
June 26-28 - European Darts Matchplay (ET8)
July 3-5 - German Darts Championship (ET9)
July 10-12 - German Darts Open (ET10)
July 31-August 2 - German Darts Grand Prix (ET4)
August 7-9 - European Darts Open (ET3)
The PDC is continuing to work with its partners in rescheduling tournaments, with further details to be announced once available. Further announcements in relation to the current situation can be seen at this page once available.
Fans with tickets for affected European Tour events or the BetVictor World Cup of Darts will be contacted by their point of purchase in due course in relation to their booking.
The remaining four planned weekends of the 2020 PDC Nordic & Baltic season have been postponed.
With restrictions in place in Denmark until the end of August, the planned weekends in Copenhagen from June 5-7 and July 25-26 cannot now take place.
In addition, the planned weekends in Sweden from August 7-9 and Latvia on October 24-25 have also been postponed, with the latter now being the same weekend as the rescheduled Nordic Darts Masters event in Copenhagen.
PDC Nordic & Baltic are working to secure new dates for the four weekends, which included ProTour events and European Tour Qualifiers.
The PDCNB's opening ProTour weekend had taken place in Finland earlier this year, with Kim Viljanen and Daniel Larsson having shared victories in those events.
Full details of rescheduled dates will be confirmed at the PDC Nordic & Baltic website once confirmed.
PDC Europe have issued the following statement in relation to events in Germany:
PDC Europe will support the draft law on "Mitigating Consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic in event contract law".
The German government has initiated a “Law to mitigate the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic in the law on event contracts”.
According to this law, sports and concert organizers as well as travel companies have the right to provide customers with vouchers who purchased tickets before March 8, 2020 for events that had to be cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic instead of refunding the purchase price. PDC Europe has decided to exercise this right.
In contrast to the situation as it presented itself only 4 weeks ago, we must now assume that the crisis will continue for a longer time. We must make provisions for this case, which would affect sports and concert organizers most severely and, above all, for the longest. If ticket money had to be repaid par for par immediately, this would plunge an entire industry into an even deeper crisis and a large number of companies would be forced into insolvency.
PDC Europe sees this step as a solidarity with other organizers in difficult times. On the other hand, it is also about solidarity with and especially among fans. If companies in the event industry have to file for insolvency, the customers can ultimately no longer be refunded for admission fees.
The reimbursement of the purchase price in the form of vouchers is therefore an essential step towards easing the situation. This process will of course only be maintained over a manageable period of time.
Should ticket buyers whose event has been cancelled or who are no longer able to attend an event on an alternative date decide against redeeming their voucher by 2021 at the latest, they can have the purchase price refunded in 2022.
All ticket buyers will be informed in due course by e-mail about further postponements and/or cancellations of events. This information will of course also be made available on the PDC Europe website and social media channels.
We are aware that this step will not meet with approval by everyone. However, in view of the situation, there is no alternative and it is of great importance if big darts events are to be celebrated again in the foreseeable future.
We therefore hope for the understanding and patience of the Darts community, which has always distinguished itself through fair and supportive cooperation over the years.
The Austrian Darts Open will not now take place as planned from May 1-3 in Graz.
The PDC European Tour event had been scheduled for next month at the Premstättner Halle, but is the latest event to be postponed due to the ongoing worldwide situation.
Further details in relation to rearranged dates will be confirmed in due course, with discussions ongoing in relation to the revised PDC calendar.
Ticket buyers will be contacted by PDC Europe by email with further details in relation to their original booking.
May's planned Unibet Premier League nights in Glasgow, Leeds and London have been rescheduled for later in 2020, with the season also now set to conclude in Sheffield.
The Premier League season has been suspended since mid-March following restrictions imposed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with the league nights affected having been rearranged during 2020.
It has now been confirmed that the planned events at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, the First Direct Arena in Leeds and at The O2 in London have also now been postponed.
In addition, the planned move of the visit to The FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield to Thursday July 2 has also been amended, with the venue now set to host the Play-Offs on Thursday October 15 as part of the new-look schedule, should no further events be affected.
Details have also been finalised for the rescheduled visit to The SSE Arena in Belfast, which will now host the Premier League on Thursday August 13.
The rescheduled dates are as follows
Thursday May 7 - The SSE Hydro, Glasgow - NOW Thursday September 17
Thursday May 14 - First Direct Arena, Leeds - NOW Thursday August 27
Thursday May 21 - The O2, London - NOW Thursday August 20
Thursday July 2 - FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield - NOW Thursday October 15
The announcement means that the visit to Birmingham is now set to see the season resume with Night Seven on Thursday July 30, with The O2 hosting Judgement Night on August 20 as the ninth-placed player in the league table is eliminated.
Tickets purchased for the original league nights will remain valid for the new dates. Should any fans with tickets be unable to attend the new date, they will be entitled to a refund from their point of purchase.
Revised Unibet Premier League Schedule
At April 6 2020
July 30 2020 - Utilita Arena Birmingham
August 13 2020 - The SSE Arena, Belfast
August 20 2020 - The O2, London
August 27 2020 - First Direct Arena, Leeds
September 3 2020 - Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
September 9-10 2020 - Rotterdam Ahoy
September 17 2020 - The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
September 24 2020 - The Manchester Arena
October 1 2020 - Utilita Arena, Newcastle
October 15 2020 - The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
The PDC World Series of Darts treble-header planned for Wollongong, Townsville and Hamilton in August 2020 is to be postponed for 12 months.
The World Series of Darts - featuring the likes of world number one Michael van Gerwen, World Champion Peter Wright and history-maker Fallon Sherrock - had been poised to visit Wollongong and Townsville for the first time this year as part of the annual Australian double-header on the global circuit.
Hamilton was also set to welcome back the sport's top stars during August, following the successful NZ Darts Masters debut at the Claudelands Arena in 2019.
However, with ongoing global restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the decision has been made to move the events back 12 months to be held in August 2021, mirroring the move of the US Darts Masters in New York to now be staged next June.
The New South Wales Darts Masters is now planned for August 6-7 at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong to open three weeks of top-class darts action Down Under.
The Queensland Darts Masters at the Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre will then be played on August 13-14 as the second event of the August treble-header.
The sport's stars will then cross the Tasman Sea to Hamilton, with the NZ Darts Masters to be held at the Claudelands Arena on August 20-21.
"As with our recent decision to move the US Darts Masters in New York back 12 months to be part of our 2021 World Series of Darts, we felt that this was the most appropriate step for our Oceanic events given the current global situation," said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.
"The reaction of fans in Australia and New Zealand ahead of our World Series of Darts events had been extremely encouraging and we had been very excited about our planned debuts in Wollongong and Townsville as well as the return to Hamilton.
"To agree dates to stage the events in 2021 will now enable fans to plan with a greater degree of certainly for what should be three fantastic World Series events."
Tickets purchased for the planned 2020 tournaments will be valid for the equivalent session of the new 2021 events. Further details can be obtained from your point of purchase and ticket buyers will be contacted with more information in relation to new dates and refunds.
2021 World Series of Darts – New Dates
August 6-7 - New South Wales Darts Masters, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
August 13-14 - Queensland Darts Masters, Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre
August 20-21 - NZ Darts Masters, Claudelands Arena, Hamilton
The 2020 US Darts Masters, which was scheduled for June 5-6 in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, has been postponed and moved back to June 4-5 2021.
The sport's top stars, led by current World Champion Peter Wright, world number one Michael van Gerwen and history-maker Fallon Sherrock, were set to take on leading players from North America in June as the PDC's World Series of Darts visited New York for the first time.
With the global restrictions currently in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision has been made to move the US Darts Masters and North American Championship back 12 months to be staged on June 4-5 2021.
All original tickets will be honored for the corresponding session of the 2021 event.
"There was huge excitement about taking the US Darts Masters to Madison Square Garden, not just from the players set to compete in June but also across the wider North American darting community," said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.
"However, with the ongoing worldwide situation we felt that the right decision was to postpone the World Series' visit to New York for 12 months.
"This decision only strengthens our resolve to make the 2021 US Darts Masters and North American Championship a success as part of our global World Series of Darts tour."
The US Darts Masters will begin on Friday June 4 2021 with the first round, as the eight PDC representatives take on the eight North American representatives.
The afternoon session on Saturday June 5 will then see the North American Championship take place, as the eight North American representatives compete in their own knockout event.
The US Darts Masters then concludes in the evening session on Saturday June 5 with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Tickets purchased for the original dates will remain valid for the equivalent session of the new dates. Ticket information is available through Ticketmaster.
The inaugural PDC World Series of Darts event in Copenhagen has been moved back four months, with the Nordic Darts Masters now to be staged on October 23-24.
The sport's top stars, led by World Champion Peter Wright and world number one Michael van Gerwen, were set to take on leading players from across the Nordic & Baltic region on June 12-13 at Forum Copenhagen.
With the global restrictions currently in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision has been made to move the Nordic Darts Masters to be staged later in 2020.
The inaugural event at Forum Copenhagen will begin on Friday October 23 with the first round, which sees the eight PDC stars drawn against the eight regional representatives.
The tournament then concludes with two sessions on Saturday October 24, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening session.
The four PDC Tour Card Holders from the Nordic & Baltic region retain their places in the tournament, with Lithuania's Darius Labanauskas - a World Championship quarter-finalist this year - joined by Finland's Marko Kantele, Sweden's Daniel Larsson and Latvia's Madars Razma in competing.
Three Danish representatives will also compete in the tournament, with the final place being awarded to a PDCNB qualifier.
The PDC representatives are also set to include Fallon Sherrock, who created history and worldwide headlines as the first woman to win at the PDC World Championship in December.
Tickets purchased for the original dates of the Nordic Darts Masters will remain valid for the equivalent session of the new dates. Refunds can be applied for through Ticketmaster.
2020 Nordic Darts Masters
Nordic & Baltic Representatives
Marko Kantele (Finland)
Darius Labanauskas (Lithuania)
Daniel Larsson (Sweden)
Madars Razma (Latvia)
3x Danish Representatives + 1x Qualifier
Friday October 23
Evening Session
First Round
Saturday October 24
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session
Semi-Finals & Final
The Championship Darts Corporation has announced that their planned second CDC Tour weekend of 2020, in Chicago in May, has been cancelled.
Due to the ongoing worldwide situation, the year's opening weekend in Ontario in March was postponed last month.
The planned weekend from May 15-17 in Chicago will also now not take place, although the CDC hope to resume play for their next scheduled weekend, in Denver in July.
However, the organisation is planning to introduce a CDC Championship League featuring seven North American players competing in a seven-week season, including one weekly featured match from each country to be streamed.
The Professional Darts Players Association has announced financial support for players affected by the current suspension of tournaments.
A statement released by the PDPA on Tuesday March 31 read:
The PDPA has announced measures to assist PDC Tour Card Holders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As always, our Members' health and wellbeing is our utmost priority. Additionally, the financial impact on our Members due to the pandemic is something which we and the PDC continue to monitor daily.
Therefore, for our Members’ benefit we announce the following:
• An Immediate Emergency Fund of up to £1,000 for any Tour Card Holder in real need of immediate financial assistance. This fund is SPECIFICALLY for Members who are currently suffering a real negative financial impact due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This applied-for payment will be non-repayable.
• A PDPA/PDC Hardship Fund for any Tour Card Holder who requires further financial support in the months ahead in the form of an advance against future prize money. The details for this fund will be forwarded to all Tour Card Holders in due course.
Our Tour Card Holders will be emailed with full information about these packages and how they can apply for this support. If any Tour Card Holder does not receive this email, please contact the PDPA as soon as possible, with contact details available at www.pdpa.co.uk.
ENDS
Kyle Anderson has tested positive for Coronavirus and is now in isolation at home in Australia.
The 32-year-old returned to Australia recently, with play in PDC events having been paused during the current global pandemic.
He was tested whilst at home in Queensland with wife Tara and son Charles, and although not requiring hospital treatment is now in isolation close to his family and following the appropriate medical guidance.
"He is in good spirits but is now back in isolation on his own in a farm house in Mount Morgan," said manager Mark Elkin, in a statement. "Tara and Charles both tested negative and are both back in the family home.
"It goes without saying that we all wish him a speedy recovery, but it also stresses the need to follow the guidelines set out by the Government. We need to beat this disease together as one."
All at the PDC wish Kyle a speedy and safe recovery.
The PDC calendar could suffer further postponements in the coming weeks due to the ongoing global situation, admits PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
The worldwide restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic have seen PDC events suspended since March 19, with all of April's Unibet Premier League and other tour events being postponed.
Speaking to The Darts Show Podcast, Porter admitted that further postponements for the Premier League's planned May dates are possible, with rearranged dates already seeing the season set to end on October 1 in Newcastle.
He said: "We've announced that all the Premier League nights up to the end of April are postponed [and it's] more than likely the May ones will be as well but we're working through the challenges associated with those and we'll fit things back into our calendar as best we can, probably in the second half of 2020."
The Unibet Premier League nights planned for Manchester, Berlin and Birmingham during April are the latest events to be postponed.
With worldwide restrictions continuing, the postponements mean that all five planned Premier League nights in April will now be rearranged, following Monday's announcement that the visits to Belfast and Sheffield will not take place as initially scheduled.
The visits to Manchester and Berlin have been moved to September, while the visit to Utilita Arena Birmingham will now be in July.
The rescheduled dates are as follows:
Thursday April 16 - The Manchester Arena - NOW Thursday September 24
Thursday April 23 - Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin - NOW Thursday September 3
Thursday April 30 - Arena Birmingham - NOW Thursday July 30
The changes mean that at least eight Unibet Premier League nights will now be rescheduled, with the five April dates following the postponements of the visit to Newcastle and the Rotterdam double-header in March.
At present, the Unibet Premier League is now planned to conclude in Newcastle on Thursday October 1.
Tickets purchased for the original league nights will remain valid for the new dates. Should any fans with tickets be unable to attend the new date, they will be entitled to a refund from their point of purchase.
Revised Unibet Premier League Schedule
At March 24 2020
May 7 2020 - The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
May 14 2020 - First Direct Arena, Leeds
May 21 2020 - The O2, London
July 2 2020 - The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
July 30 2020 - Utilita Arena Birmingham
September 3 2020 - Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
September 9-10 2020 - Rotterdam Ahoy
September 24 2020 - The Manchester Arena
October 1 2020 - Utilita Arena, Newcastle
TBC - The SSE Arena, Belfast
The Unibet Premier League nights planned for Belfast and Sheffield during April have been postponed due to the ongoing global situation.
March's planned Premier League nights in Newcastle and Rotterdam were postponed recently, and with further restrictions now in place worldwide, the first two events scheduled in April will also now be staged later in 2020.
In line with the rescheduling of other nights to extend the Unibet Premier League season during 2020, the visit to The FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield - originally on Thursday April 9 - has been rescheduled for Thursday July 2.
Details of the revised date for the visit to The SSE Arena in Belfast, which was originally planned for Thursday April 2, will be confirmed in due course.
Tickets purchased for the original league nights will remain valid for the new dates. Should any fans with tickets be unable to attend the new date, they will be entitled to a refund from their point of purchase.
The ongoing worldwide situation has led to events in March, April and May on the DartPlayers Australia and DartPlayers New Zealand circuits to be cancelled.
The DPA have postponed the planned ProTour weekends in Tasmania in April and Victoria in May, as well as planned two Challenge Tour weekends in late March.
The events are set to be rescheduled for later in 2020, with further details to be confirmed in due course via dartplayersaustralia.com.
In New Zealand, the 2019/20 DPNZ Harrows ProTour season has now concluded following the cancellation of events planned in Queenstown on March 21-22.
The news means that Haupai Puha has topped the DPNZ Men's Rankings for 2019/20, winning eight out of 12 events to claim 212 points, with Ben Robb (136) in second place, Warren Parry (124) in third and Darren Herewini (72) in fourth.
The 2020/21 DPNZ Harrows ProTour season is now expected to begin in September, with further details to be confirmed at dartplayers.co.nz in due course.
The Players Championship double-headers, European Tour Qualifiers and the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour events planned for April have now been postponed.
With restrictions being imposed across the world at present and further to this week's postponement of the non-televised events in the remainder of March, the following tournaments also will not now take place as planned:
Players Championships - April 4-5
European Tour 5-6 Qualifiers - April 6
PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour 5-8 - April 10-12
European Tour 7 Qualifier - April 17
Players Championships - April 18-19
Whilst the PDC had hoped to retain events across the ProTour, Challenge Tour and Development Tour during the coming weeks, the postponements will ensure the integrity of the various Orders of Merit due to the travel restrictions for non-UK players.
Rescheduled dates for the above events will be confirmed in due course, with the three postponed European Tour events which had been set for March and April already rearranged for later in 2020.
Player entries for postponed tournaments will also remain valid for any rearranged equivalent dates. Players can see further updates from the PDPA via www.pdpa.co.uk.
The 2020 German Darts Grand Prix in Munich has been rearranged for July 31-August 2 as the latest European Tour event to be rescheduled.
The German Darts Grand Prix had been set to be played from April 11-13 across the Easter period, but was one of three European Tour events initially postponed last week due to the ongoing global situation.
However, the event has now been rescheduled for Friday July 31-Sunday August 2 at Zenith in Munich, and will replace the previously planned Players Championship events on August 1-2.
Tickets for original the German Darts Grand Prix dates will remain valid for the equivalent session from August 7-9. Fans with queries about tickets can contact their point of purchase.
Revised European Tour Dates
European Darts Grand Prix (ET2) - now May 29-31
German Darts Grand Prix (ET4) - now July 31-August 2
European Darts Open (ET3) - now August 7-9
The Players Championship double-header will be rearranged in due course alongside other planned ProTour weekends which have been impacted by the recent amendments to the 2020 PDC calendar.
The Junior Darts Corporation has postponed its forthcoming tour events in Coventry as well as JDC Academy sessions due to the ongoing global situation and restrictions in place across the UK.
The JDC held the fifth and sixth events on the Scott Farms International Junior Darts Tour in Wolverhampton on March 14, where Nathan Potter and Leighton Bennett shared victories.
However, with restrictions being imposed across the UK this week, the JDC have now postponed the planned double-header on Saturday April 11 in Coventry.
In addition, they have also suspended JDC Academy sessions and postponed the planned JDC Accreditation Days in England and Ireland and the Greenzone Tour event in Derby.
For further details about the JDC, please visit the JDC website or follow @JDCDarts on Twitter.
The PDC Unicorn Development Tour events on March 21-22 and the Players Championship weekend on March 28-29 are to be postponed.
Three nights of the Unibet Premier League and a trio of PDC European Tour events have already been postponed due to the ongoing worldwide situation.
With restrictions being implemented in the UK alongside further worldwide measures, the PDC has opted to postpone the next two weekends of non-televised events.
This means that the year's second Development Tour weekend, which was set to feature four tournaments in Wigan, as well as the new Players Championship double-header in Milton Keynes have now been postponed.
PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: "The health and wellbeing of players, fans, officials and staff at events has been at the forefront of our thoughts over the past week during an unprecedented time for everyone worldwide.
"We issued precautionary measures around last week's Unibet Premier League night in Liverpool and Players Championship events to keep everyone as safe as possible.
"However, following Monday's announcements and further discussions with stakeholders including the PDPA and venues, we feel it is in the best interests of everyone involved in the sport to postpone the forthcoming Development Tour and Players Championship weekends during March.
"We had hoped to provide as many playing opportunities as possible for players in the coming weeks, and will work to rearrange these events during 2020."
Player entries for postponed tournaments will also remain valid for any rearranged equivalent dates. Players can see further updates from the PDPA via www.pdpa.co.uk.
The Unibet Premier League night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle planned for Thursday March 19 has been postponed and will be rescheduled for Thursday October 1.
The decision to postpone Thursday's planned event has been taken following the UK Government's restriction on "non-essential social contact" and decision to remove emergency service support for mass gatherings.
Thursday's event in Newcastle becomes the third Premier League night of the 2020 season to be postponed, following last week's announcement moving the Rotterdam double-header to September 9-10.
Tickets for the rearranged Premier League nights in Newcastle and Rotterdam will remain valid for the rearranged dates. Ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase in due course.
Further details in relation to future Premier League nights and other PDC events will be confirmed in due course.
The European Darts Open has been rescheduled for August 7-9 following the postponement of the originally-planned March dates.
The PDC European Tour event had been due to be held in Leverkusen from March 27-29, but was postponed last week due to restrictions in place across Germany due to the current global situation.
The tournament has now been moved to be held from August 7-9 in Leverkusen, and will feature the original field of qualified players, with the 16 seeded players having been joined by 24 players from last Friday's Tour Card Holder Qualifier.
The news follows Saturday's confirmation that the European Darts Grand Prix has been rescheduled for May 29-31 in Sindelfingen.
Rearranged dates for the German Darts Grand Prix are still being finalised, and will be announced once available.
Tickets for original the European Darts Open dates will remain valid for the equivalent session from August 7-9. Fans with queries about tickets can contact their point of purchase.
Revised European Tour Dates
European Darts Grand Prix (ET2) - now May 29-31
European Darts Open (ET3) - now August 7-9
Further updates in relation to PDC events will be issued at pdc.tv/Coronavirus.
The 2020 European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen has been rescheduled for May 29-31.
The tournament had been planned as the year's second European Tour event and was due to be held from March 20-22 at the Glaspalast, before being one of three events postponed earlier this week due to the current global situation.
With restrictions in Germany currently in place until April 19, the European Darts Grand Prix is now set to take place from May 29-31, and will remain at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen.
As a result, the planned Players Championship double-header in Hildesheim on May 30-31 will be rescheduled, with details to be announced once finalised.
Rearranged dates for the European Darts Open (ET3) and German Darts Grand Prix (ET4) are still being finalised, and will be announced once confirmed.
Tickets for the original European Darts Grand Prix dates will remain valid for the equivalent session of the new event. Any fans with queries about tickets can contact their point of purchase.
The 2020 Unibet Premier League season will continue until at least September, with the dates now confirmed for a rescheduled double-header at Rotterdam Ahoy.
The Premier League nights originally scheduled for March 25-26 at Ahoy have been postponed due to regulations introduced in the Netherlands following the Coronavirus epidemic.
The double-header has now been rearranged for September 9-10 at Rotterdam Ahoy, starting at 2000 local time on each night.
Subject to no further changes being required to the existing Unibet Premier League schedule, the nights in Rotterdam are now set to be the 16th league night on Wednesday September 9 and the Play-Offs on Thursday September 10.
The schedule amendments will now make the visit to The SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday April 2 the eighth league night, with Judgement Night now becoming Thursday April 9 at The FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield.
Existing ticket bookings for March 25-26 at Rotterdam Ahoy will remain valid for the corresponding new dates on September 9-10.
Further updates in relation to PDC events and the Coronavirus epidemic will be issued at pdc.tv/Coronavirus.
The planned opening weekend of the 2020 Championship Darts Corporation season in North America has been postponed.
The CDC's 2020 events had been due to begin from March 20-22 in Ontario, Canada, with two CDC Tour events accompanied by World Series of Darts qualifiers and Junior Tour events.
However, due to the evolving situation worldwide due to the Coronavirus epidemic, the CDC have taken the decision to postpone the weekend.
A CDC statement said: "While our events do not fall under most of the current government-imposed bans on sporting events and gatherings in North America, we must be cognizant of not only the possible health risk but also other critical issues such as the potential interruption of international travel and localized quarantines that governments in the US and Canada may elect to enforce without prior notice."
At present, the CDC's second weekend of 2020 in Chicago from May 15-17 is schedule to proceed as planned, although any change would be notified in due course through www.champdarts.com and www.pdc.tv.
The full CDC statement is available at this link.
The Premier League double-header at Rotterdam Ahoy which was scheduled for March 25-26 is the latest PDC event to be postponed due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
Three PDC European Tour events planned for Germany during March and April were postponed earlier this week due to restrictions put in place by regional federal governments.
On Thursday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that all gatherings of more than 100 people were to be prevented in the Netherlands until at least March 31.
The PDC will work with Rotterdam Ahoy to secure new dates to stage the Premier League nights, with further announcements to be made in due course.
Fans who have tickets for either Premier League night in Rotterdam will be entitled to retain the tickets for the equivalent new dates or to receive a full refund. Details will be finalised in due course and ticket buyers will be contacted by email to the email address which is registered to their booking.
At present, the Unibet Premier League's other nights are not subject to any restrictions. However, the PDC will continue to liaise with the relevant authorities and any updates will be issued at pdc.tv/Coronavirus.
The European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen has become the third PDC European Tour event to be postponed due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
The PDC announced on Tuesday at that the European Darts Open in Leverkusen and the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich would not be taking place following measures put in place by federal governments in the regions of Germany.
This measure has also been adopted now in Stuttgart, meaning that the year's planned second European Tour event in Sindelfingen from March 20-22 will be postponed.
The PDC are working with PDC Europe to schedule new dates for the events, with the possibility that other planned tournaments may move in the calendar to accommodate the rescheduled European Tour events.
Tickets already purchased for the events will remain valid for the equivalent session of the re-arranged event, or refunds will be available.
A Players Championship double-header has been added to the PDC calendar on March 28-29 in Milton Keynes, with further schedule amendments to be confirmed in due course.
A new Players Championship weekend will be played on March 28-29 in Milton Keynes to replace the postponed European Tour event in Germany.
The European Darts Open in Leverkusen, which was originally planned for March 27-29, has been postponed following measures put in place by the regional federal government in Germany.
As a result, the PDC will now stage two £75,000 Players Championship events at the Marshall Arena on Saturday March 28 and Sunday March 29.
The tournaments will be streamed live online through PDCTV, with two streams available simultaneously throughout each event.
PDC Tour Card Holders and PDPA Associate Members can now enter these events online through the PDC Online Entry System. Entries will close at 1400 GMT on Friday March 20.
The events are currently titled for player entries as Players Championship 9MK and Players Championship 10MK. However, following the close of entries, subsequent Players Championship events in 2020 will be renumbered accordingly.
Rescheduled dates for the two postponed European Tour events will be confirmed in due course.
The PDC European Tour events scheduled for Leverkusen and Munich in the coming weeks will be postponed due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
Following a decision by the federal governments in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria to prevent gatherings of over 1,000 people, the following European Tour events will now not take place as planned:
European Darts Open (ET3) - March 27-29 in Leverkusen
German Darts Grand Prix (ET4) - April 11-13 in Munich
The PDC are working with PDC Europe to schedule new dates for the events, with the possibility that other planned tournaments may move in the calendar to accommodate the rescheduled European Tour events.
Tickets already purchased for the events will remain valid for the equivalent session of the re-arranged event, or refunds will be available.
Players are advised not to book travel or accommodation for these European Tour events. The PDPA have also advised all players to check that they have appropriate travel insurance.
The PDPA can assist players with any queries relating to travel or accommodation bookings.
In addition to the two postponed events, PDC Europe remain in dialogue with the venue and local authorities in Sindelfingen regarding the forthcoming European Darts Grand Prix, which is planned to take place from March 20-22.
The planned opening three weekends of the 2020 PDC Asian Tour have already been cancelled due to the Coronavirus epidemic, with the season now set to begin in May with events in Seoul and Kobe.
NOTE: At present, the Tour Card Holder Qualifiers for ET3&4 are expected to be played as planned in Barnsley on Friday March 13.
The 2020 PDC Asian Tour has been subject to a further schedule amendment due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
The opening three planned weekends of 2020 have already been postponed, with the revised schedule having seen the season set to have opened on April 18-19 in the Philippines.
However, that weekend will now be rescheduled for later in 2020, with further details to be finalised.
The planned weekends on May 9-10 in Seoul and May 30-31 in Kobe are still currently scheduled but will be confirmed in due course.
Players are reminded of the advice to have appropriate travel insurance should any further changes to the schedule be required, and to only confirm flight and/or hotel bookings once their entry is confirmed.
For further details and entry information, please visit www.pdc-asia.tv or follow Professional Darts Asia on Facebook.
2020 PDC Asian Tour dates
Events One & Two
May 9-10, PDK Darts Stadium, Seoul
Events Three & Four
May 30-31, Kobe Sanbo-Hall, Kobe
Five further weekends TBC
The health and safety of our players, staff and fans is our main priority at all our events.
Currently, there are no plans to cancel, postpone or otherwise change the running of our events and we are in regular contact with our venues, all of which are operating as normal.
We are closely monitoring the situation and will follow advice from Public Health England, the World Health Organisation and both local and national government.
We would like to draw the attention of anyone who attends any of our events to the following general advice:
- Frequently clean your hands in soap and water, or with an alcohol-based hand rub. We will endeavour to provide additional hand sanitizers where possible;
- If you cough or sneeze, please cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue – throw the tissue away immediately and wash your hands;
- Avoid contact with anyone who has a fever or cough;
- Avoid unnecessary contact with ‘high touch’ areas such as handrails, lift buttons, door handles, surfaces etc;
- If you experience difficulty breathing, have a high temperature or cough, please stay at home and contact a medical advisor by phone;
- Players are entitled, should they wish, not to shake hands or have any other form of physical contact with their opponent or officials (for example at the end of their match);
- Fans are advised that during this time players may not feel comfortable interacting with fans to their usual level and so it may be more difficult to obtain autographs or pictures with players. Fans are thanked for their understanding at this time.
If you are considering attending a PDC event in any capacity and have recently returned to the UK from overseas, particularly affected parts of Asia or northern Italy, we would like to draw your attention to the following advice from the UK Government: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public