TWO-TIME World Champion Ted Hankey has accepted his offer of a Tour Card to join the PDC circuit - while over 200 players will attempt to join him on the £5 million professional tour at Qualifying School this weekend.
Hankey, along with the other semi-finalists from the recent Lakeside Championship, has been offered a two-year Tour Card and will move onto the PDC circuit with immediate effect.
The 43-year-old from Shropshire, who won the Lakeside Championship in 2000 and 2009, has played in the Grand slam of Darts for the past three years but will now compete full-time alongside the likes of Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld.
"It's an exciting time for me and I'm starting a new chapter in my career," said Hankey. "I had 15 great years with the BDO and I thank them, but it's time to move on now.
"This is a great opportunity for me and my family and one I'm really looking forward to. I can't wait to play in Benidorm next week."
While Hankey will make his debut in the two Players Championships in Benidorm on January 28 & 29, over 200 players - including Yorkshire's Dean Winstanley, the 2011 Lakeside Championship runner-up who impressed in the Grand Slam of Darts last November - will be bidding for the right to win Tour Cards at Qualifying School this week.
The four-day event, being held from Thursday to Sunday at the Barnsley Metrodome, will see the players compete in four individual tournaments, with the four players on each day winning a Tour Card.
In addition, ranking points are given to the remaining players for their finishing position in each tournaments, where a further 24 Tour Cards will be handed out.
The top 64 from the PDC's Order of Merit following the recent Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, and the 2011 Tour Card winners plus PDC Unicorn Youth Tour stars Paul Barham, Reece Robinson and James Hubbard, all bypass Qualifying School to compete on the PDC circuit this year.
The Qualifying School entrants include two former Lakeside Champions, Andy Fordham and Les Wallace, former world number one Peter Manley, 2001 World Grand Prix champion Alan Warriner-Little and 1996 World Matchplay champion Peter Evison.
A number of other experienced stars who have dropped out of the world's top 64, headed by Andy Jenkins, Matt Clark, Colin Monk and Mick McGowan, are also bidding to win Tour Cards alongside new faces who are emerging from the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour.
Event winners Adam Hunt and Ryan Harrington have entered as they seek to step up to senior level, while a clutch of top young Dutchman are headed by Dirk van Duijvenbode, Co Stompe Jnr and Gino Vos and join leading Welsh youngster Jamie Lewis at Qualifying School.
Recent Ladbrokes World Darts Championship qualifiers Kurt van de Rijck and Geoff Kime are joined in entering by former World Masters runner-up Stuart Kellett and brothers Tony and Steve West, who recently played in the Lakeside Championship.
The 2012 PDC ProTour Card Holders are:
Top 64 from PDC Order of Merit
Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock, Wes Newton, Andy Hamilton, Mark Webster, Raymond van Barneveld, Kevin Painter, Terry Jenkins, Mark Walsh, Wayne Jones, Vincent van der Voort, Colin Lloyd, Mervyn King, Paul Nicholson, Ronnie Baxter, Jamie Caven, Andy Smith, Denis Ovens, Justin Pipe, Colin Osborne, John Part, Alan Tabern, Co Stompe, Steve Brown, Brendan Dolan, Peter Wright, Steve Beaton, Richie Burnett, Dave Chisnall, Mark Hylton, Robert Thornton, Jelle Klaasen, Steve Farmer, Michael van Gerwen, Mark Dudbridge, Dennis Priestley, Barrie Bates, Scott Rand, John Henderson, Nigel Heydon, Kim Huybrechts, Dennis Smith, Roland Scholten, Kevin McDine, Joe Cullen, Mensur Suljovic, Antonio Alcinas, Michael Smith, Steve Maish, Ian White, Steve Hine, Kirk Shepherd, William O'Connor, Steve Evans, Chris Thompson, Tony Ayres, James Richardson, Magnus Caris, Jyhan Artut, Alex Roy, Arron Monk.
2011 Tour Card Winners
Shaun Griffiths, Peter Hudson, Matt Jackson, Prakash Jiwa, Ian Jopling, Michael Mansell, Dyson Parody, Devon Petersen, Michael Rosenauer, Mick Todd, Brian Woods, Andy Brown, Adam Smith-Neale, Mark Jodrill, Jason Crawley, Terry Temple, Mark Jones, Ken Dobson, Jimmy Mann, Paul Rowley.
Youth Tour Cards
Paul Barham, Reece Robinson, James Hubbard.
Lakeside Championship Semi-Finalists
Ted Hankey
2012 Qualifying School
40 places, with 16 coming from each day's four semi-finalists, plus the top 24 from the Q School Order of Merit rankings.
This will create 128 Tour Card Holders, with the remaining players granted Associate Membership of the PDPA.
Associate Members will still be able to enter UK Open Qualifiers, qualifiers for European Tour events and non-UK Players Championships, as well as topping up the field of UK-based Players Championships should any of the 128 Tour Card holders not enter.
All players will also be able to enter the PDPA Qualifier for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship in November.
Click here to see the list of Qualifying School entries on the PDPA website
Important Information For Qualifying School Entrants
Players who have entered Qualifying School MUST register at the PDC Registration Booth inside the playing arena at the Barnsley Metrodome before 11am on each day. The draw will be made at 11am following the close of registration.
All players have been emailed a Players' Brief, alternatively click here to view