THE Junior Darts Corporation is delighted to announce that the inaugural WDS Associates World Junior Darts Championship will be staged this December.
With a prize fund of £4,000, the World Junior Darts Championship will feature 32 players, with 16 UK-based players being joined by 16 qualifiers from around the world.
The tournament will be played down to the final on one day in December, with the final to be played on stage at Alexandra Palace during the 2017/2018 William Hill World Darts Championship.
JDC chairman Steve Brown said: "For us, the introduction of the WDS Associates World Junior Darts Championship completes the set. We have the Modus UK Tour and the European Championship, and now the World Championship will further cement and enhance our reputation as an organisation.
"A World Championship is something we have wanted to do for the last two years or so, and we now feel we have arrived at a stage where we have the confidence in the people around the world – not just in the UK – to help provide the tournament with qualifiers of the highest standard.
"Last year, the final of the UK Tour was held at Alexandra Palace, and we will be delighted to see our first World Champion crowned on the big stage there this year."
The overall winner will receive £2,000, with the runner-up earning £1,000, the semi-finalists £300 each and the quarter-finalists £100 each.
The JDC - which is the PDC's exclusive partner for under-16s darts - is also delighted to announce an improved calendar and changes to the prize fund for 2017.
The Modus UK Tour will still consist of the original venues and dates for the six events around the UK, but the winners are now invited to attend every event.
The top three players from the UK Tour order of merit after the sixth and final event will earn a JDC/or partner scholarship for 2018.
The UK Tour will now provide 11 qualifiers (six event winners, plus the five highest ranked players from the tour order of merit not to have won an event) for the World Junior Championship, alongside five UK-based JDC academy players from the 2017 rolling academy Order of Merit.
Each Modus UK Tour event will carry a £300 prize fund, with the winner taking £150 and becoming a JDC All-star, the runner-up landing £100 and the semi-finalists £25 each.
The top three players from the 2017 Modus UK Tour will gain a scholarship and a free pass into all PDC Unicorn Development Tour events in 2018.
The changes mean the overall prize fund for JDC events in 2017 has increased by more than 30 percent and now stands at £13,300 across the Modus UK Tour, JDC European Championship and WDS Associates World Junior Championship.
2017 JDC Calendar
Modus UK Tour Event One - Saturday February 18, George Albert Hotel, Dorchester
Modus UK Tour Event Two - Saturday April 8, Cueball Club, Derby
Modus UK Tour Event Three - Saturday June 10, Rileys Worcester
Modus UK Tour Event Four - Saturday September 16, Rileys Sheffield
Junior European Championship Weekend - October 27-29, Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton
Modus UK Tour Event Five - Saturday November 11, Rileys Wolverhampton
Modus UK Tour Event Six - Saturday December 2, Venue TBC
WDS Associates World Junior Championship early rounds - Saturday December 2
WDS Associates World Junior Championship Final - TBC at Alexandra Palace during William Hill World Darts Championship
For more information about the Junior Darts Corporation, visit www.juniordarts.com or follow @JDCDarts on Twitter.