THE team behind the William Hill World Darts Championship has received national recognition after winning the Best Operations Team category at the annual Sports Business Awards.
The Sports Business Awards celebrate the hard work and achievements of individuals and teams who make sporting success possible, including organisers, administrators and companies involved in sport.
And following on from the 2017 edition where the World Darts Championship was awarded silver in the Sports Event of The Year category, this year has seen the staff that make the event possible win an award judged on by a panel of from the world of sports business.
Up to 500 staff work at the event each day, with the PDC's team supported by venue and catering staff from Alexandra Palace, Sky Sports TV production crew, William Hill's sponsorship and hospitality team, SeeTickets event staff and a host of catering, cleaning, traffic management and other operational contractors.
The PDC was nominated alongside the Levy UK team at Aston Villa, Emirates Old Trafford - Lancashire County Cricket Club, Threshold Sports Operations Team and the Arena UK & Europe Mass Participation Team for the award.
At Friday's ceremony in London, the World Darts Championship was named as the winner, with PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter receiving the award.
"This is a very proud moment for everyone involved in the William Hill World Darts Championship," said Porter.
"Our hard-working staff produce a phenomenal effort across not just the Christmas and New Year period but also in months of planning to produce such a brilliant event, which continues to grow year-on-year.
"To be nominated once again is an honour for us all, but to win this award is a testament to the standing in which the World Championship is now held as the flagship tournament in darts.
"We're already working on the 2018/2019 tournament with our partners at Sky Sports, William Hill, Alexandra Palace and SeeTickets and looking forward to a record-breaking event coming up over the festive period."
GOLD award winners for Best Operations Team goes to @OfficialPDC @MattPorter_PDC
— SportsBusinessAwards (@SportBizAwards) June 1, 2018
#SBA2018 pic.twitter.com/axZHD21QOu
For more details of the Sports Business Awards, see www.sportsbusinessawards.co.uk.