Unique Format For 2018 German Darts Masters

Peter Wright - German Darts Masters (Kelly Deckers)

THE 2018 PDC World Series of Darts will commence on Friday May 25 with the second staging of the German Darts Masters, with the VELTINS Arena in Gelsenkirchen to be transformed for the unique event.

The VELTINS Arena will be transformed into a "Darts Music Arena" for the one-day event, which will see 16 players - including the sport's top stars and Germany's leading aces - competing.

In addition to the knockout darts action on the oche, the German Darts Masters will also feature gigs by a series of well-known musicians on stage in between rounds.

The confirmation of the 2018 German Darts Masters comes following the huge success of October's inaugural event in Dusseldorf, which was won by German fans' favourite Peter Wright as he defeated Phil Taylor in the final.

Tickets for May's event will go on sale at the end of January, with fans able to pre-register now at www.eventim.de.

"The spectators in the VELTINS Arena will experience a unique sports and music event," said Zeljko Karajica, CEO of 7Sports, the sports unit of the ProSiebenSat.1 group, and managing director of the organising company, MMP Event GmbH.

"Darts is becoming more and more popular in Germany, which is why we are offering this fascinating and thrilling sport a platform that it has never had before."

PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The sport has undergone an incredible growth in Germany and it was a natural step to take the World Series of Darts there in 2017.

"To now be able to expand the German Darts Masters in 2018 in this way is fantastic for what should be an unforgettable day of darts."

The competing players for the 2017 German Darts Masters will be confirmed in due course, while an open qualifying event is set to be staged to determine some of the eight German representatives.